Design of a Micropump

Abstract

A micropump which can be produced using conventional production techniques and materials is presented. The micropump is capable of pumping both liquid and gas and is self-priming, which means that it can start pumping gas in a dry state and automatically fills with liquid. Basically, the micropump consists of two parts, a flat valve assembly with two passive membrane valves and an actuator placed on top. Two types of actuators have been applied to drive the pump; an electromagnetic actuator consisting of a magnet placed in a coil and secondly a disk. A disadvantage of the electromagnetic actuator was the relatively large volume occupied by the coil giving the micropump final dimensions of 10×10×8 mm3. Application of the piezoelectric actuator reduced these dimensions down to 12×12×2 mm3 with comparable performance.