Open source 3D-printed 1000 μL micropump

thingiverse

Scientific innovation goes hand in hand with technological innovation, so scientific work depends to a great extent on the hardware available in the laboratory. The investment in developing countries is still far below that of OECD countries, which was about 2.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015. In stark contrast, Brazil made the highest investment of Latin American countries at just 1.2%. Today, the “open-source revolution” appears more than ever to be a powerful ally for the promotion of development and the narrowing of the economic gap between developed and developing countries. In this context, this article presents the design of a 1000 μl 3D printed micropump. It is a practical and simple design inspired by pipette pumps. The present design was printed with a 3D printer and assembled very easily with common tools. Upon comparison of the micropump’s performance, it exhibits a systematic error between 1.4 and 3.8% of the volume and a random error between 0.38 and 9.5% of the volumen.