Manifolds
Traditionally used in the automotive and aerospace industries, manifolds are used to integrate fluidic components and create a compact fluidic circuit.
The design and integration possibilities are endless. Manifolds accommodate thousands of unique embedded features that would be cost prohibitive to create by other means. Opportunities for custom manifold integrations include tubing, fittings, connectors, solenoid valves, pumps, conductive metal elements, mixing elements, sensors and heaters.
Key benefits of manifolds:
- Consistent fluidic performance in every instrument, every time by maintaining a constant fluid topology and eliminating assembly variability
- Enhanced system reliability by reducing potential leak points
- Reduced carryover and cross contamination by eliminating unswept cavities
- Reduced total cost of instrument ownership by reducing preventative maintenance and service costs
- Reduced total fluidic package size, enabling a smaller instrument footprint
- Reduced OEM manufacturing costs and ease of fluidic assembly
- Improved field serviceability
- Optimized fluid usage by creating the shortest, most compact flow path
- Manifold prototypes in a week that are designed for manufacturability
Wide arrays of custom options are possible with a manifold, such as:
- Choice of thermoplastics
- Number of layers
- Fluid control components such as pumps, solenoid valves, and rotary valves
- Built-in features like mixing chambers, debubbling chambers, and reservoirs
- Detection components such as flow cells
- Integrated fluid heaters to speed up reaction rates
- Integrated sensors to monitor and measure fluid flow, pressure, and temperature
| Multilayer Manifolds | Single Layer Manifolds | Manifold-in-a-Week | |
| Construction | Multilayer | Single Layer | N/A |
| MFG Process | Application of heat, pressure, and time to molecularly bond material layers together. | Drilled from outside of part to connect all flow paths | Additive manufacturing |
| Typical Materials | Acrylic (PMMA) Ultem (PEI) Polycarbonate (PC) PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) Polysulfone (PSU) |
All Machinable Plastics | Proprietary resins |
| Typical Track Width/Hole Diameter | >0.015" (0.38 mm) <0.118" (3 mm) Track |
>0.020" (0.5 mm) Hole | >0.03” |
| Track Configurations | 3D Curved Straight |
Straight (Drilled) | 3D Curved Straight |
| Track Cross Sections | Square Track Round Track "D" Track* |
Round | "D" Track* Round Track Square Track |
| Manifold Technology Selection Guidelines | Best fluid flow performance Lowest carryover and unswept volumes Lowest dead volume |
Lowest cost manifold solution Offers the broadest range of material options |
Best for small volume prototypes to test form, fit and basic function |
General Design Considerations:
- Consult our engineering experts at the start of your project for application, design, and DFMA assistance.
- When selecting materials consider fluid compatibility, functional performance requirements, environmental conditions, manufacturability, and cost.
- Reduce part count by integrating as many discrete components on any manifold face that is accessible or a complete assembly replacement that offers “plug and play” modularity
Typical application pressures less than 100 psi (7 bar)
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