RAQUEL DO CARMO SANTOS

UA valveless micropump, developed with simple and low-cost materials, was the objective of research by computer scientist Juliano Nunes Costa. Using polyurethane-acrylate, a material widely used in the printing industry, and a latex membrane to compose the diaphragm, Costa developed a small piece of equipment capable of pumping fluids without the need for valves, which guarantees simplified manufacturing and a longer-lasting product. .

The little equipment serves for dosage of medicines

The applications of micropumps are numerous, such as for the controlled administration of medications (mainly in chemotherapy), insulin injection or for drug dosing in general. They bring immediate benefits in relieving pain caused by frequent injections, due to better dosage control. A second application is as a doser of reagents in micro-reactors for chemical analysis, one of the ongoing researches, which will make use of the micropump developed by Juliano Costa.

The micropump prototype measures just 52 millimeters long by 23 mm wide and 8,2 mm high, but it is possible to develop even smaller device designs. The tests showed flow rates of 0,2 to 4,6 ml per minute, with good repeatability and stability. The master's thesis “Design, Manufacturing and Testing of a Micropump without Valves” was recently presented by Juliano Costa at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FEM), under the supervision of professor Eurípedes Guilherme de Oliveira Nóbrega. The work must continue with the construction of new prototypes that can be industrialized.