Fluidics FAQs
Here we have provided comprehensive lists of commonly asked questions regarding our fluidics products and related applications. This information is designed to support your inquiries, but if you don’t find the answers you are looking for we encourage you to contact us for further assistance.
Please use the sort buttons in the left navigation to navigate between questions and answers that are specific to our Optical Filters, Optical Imaging Systems, Cameras, Microfluidics, Webstore, and Engineering Partnership.
What are pump Check Valves, and why are they important?
Pump check valves are mechanisms designed with a special seal internal to its structure, one that allows solvent flow to proceed in only one direction. They are usually placed on both sides of the pump head, such that when the piston draws back to fill the pump head with fresh solvent, it does not pull back on the already expelled solvent. And when it expels the solvent it has taken in, it does so only in the direction of the fluid path, not back into the solvent reservoir.
Some check valves use a dual ruby ball and sapphire seat combination internally. The first set is designed to provide the primary sealing surface inside the check valve, while the second combination is designed as a backup to the first, in the event the first one should fail. The use of this sealing technology incorporates the pressures generated by the pump and your system to force the ruby ball against the sapphire seat, creating the seal needed by your pump.