Changes are on the rise for the team after experiments with the peristaltic pump showed unfavorable results. The team’s next challenge will be to race against time to introduce a new peristaltic pump to the system in time for FDR in April. The mechanical prototyping however, is providing favorable outcomes for the housing and tube attachments.

DC Motor Pump

The electrical team has integrated the new peristaltic pump as well as tested flow rate generation testing. However, the results of the rudimentary testing proved that the pump is unable to run flow rates below 40 mL/min. A plot of the experimental data in comparison to the expected results are shown below. The expected flow rate was calculated through multiplying the maximum flow rate by the power going into the pump as this is how the current program determines and controls the flow rate that is produced by the pump. The resulting data produces a non-linear increase in flowrate when the expected outcome would be a linear increase in flowrate. The electrical team has decided that a new peristaltic pump that utilizes a stepper motor rather than a DC motor would be the best option to fix this issue. The team is currently in the process of purchasing a stepper motor pump so that we can begin integrating it with our own system by next week.

Housing Update

The mechanical team has printed a third iteration of the housing for the system’s electrical components. From the sizing tests last week, the team was able to add in the proper sized supports for the electrical components to be fixed along the walls of the device. This would ensure that even if the housing is being transported or shifted from its original position, all the components would stay in place. The new housing also ensures that the electrical components that are on the outer walls of the housing are all flat against the wall to improve the aesthetic and reduce the risk of anyone bumping any of the electrical components off the housing.

Tube Attachment Prints

12 tube attachments have been printed by the Chemical Engineering Lab run by David Sante! These tube attachments are all clear and flexible allowing users to easily slide the tube attachments onto a mandrel and be able to visualize the flow within the attachments. These will be tested this week for fluid coverage of the tip of a mandrel at different angles. After testing, the team will analyze the results to determine the features of each iteration that worked the best such as inner diameter and shaping of the tip. These features will be used to remodel the next version of the tube attachment that will be printed at the beginning of next week.