Printed pumps based on CNT electrodes

Automated dosing of small amounts of liquids normally involves quite large pipettes and motors for pipette actuation. Miniaturized pumps and pipettes can enable new areas, in which micro dosing is demanded and could be particularly beneficial in the field of medical or (bio-) chemical applications. The approach was the direct integration of a bending CNT actuator into a 30-printed pump design, which enables a frictionless induction of movement onto a liquid. Printing a number of parts that each have a separate function or task and putting these parts tagether to an integrated module has proven to be beneficial in testing, evaluating and optimizing the performance of the micro-pump. Additive Manufacturing offers multiple possibilities in combination with nanomaterials. lncreasing material properties is one option as weil as directly including functionalized materials. The ability to print every single required partout of the same material enables manufacturing cost reduction, speed of process and unique design flexibility. The presentation will show some chances and possibilities coming out of this combination.