Electromagnetic Micropumps Based on Multi-Material 3D Printing

Micropumps play an important role in microfluidic applications. Electromagnetic reciprocating micropumps possess advantages such as low voltage operation and high flow rates. However, their size and cost are constrained by elaborate fabrication procedures. Multi-material 3D printing enables the fabrication of complex miniature structures, the base of key components in micropumps, by integrating rigid and soft materials with high precision and quality, leading to high-performance micropumps with compact device size. This work presents a prototype of high-performance electromagnetic reciprocating micropumps based on multi-material 3D printing. The fabrication only requires automated 3D printing and a simple assembly process. The peak backpressure is 1.8 kPa at $27 \mathrm{~Hz}, 4.0 \mathrm{~W}$. The analysis of flow rates versus frequency shows correspondence to the damped oscillator model, enabling the estimation of the resonant frequency of the hydraulic system, 25 Hz, and the membrane stiffness, $2 times 10^{3} \mathrm{~N} \cdot \mathrm{~m}^{-1}$. The flow rate reaches $1.09 \mathrm{~mL} / \mathrm{min}$ at $4.0 \mathrm{~W}, 25 \mathrm{~Hz}$, corresponding to an efficiency of $1.8 times 10^{-4} \%$. This work promises low-cost, high-performance, miniature micropumps based on multimaterial 3D printing.