3D Printed Devices

Application: Heat Transfer Course
Design Credit: Jeffrey Neuhaus, Villanova ‘17
STL files: Plates
Code: n/a (just use a pump and thermocouple)
Description: This design can be used to demonstrate heat exchange in a plate & frame heat exchanger.  The STL files above are for a flat rectangular channel, but they can be modified to increase turbulence, Nusselt number, and heat transfer.  Just hook up two peristaltic pumps for a hot stream (40^oC water on a hot plate) and cold stream (ice water) and use a thermocouple to measure inlet/outlet temperatures.

Application: Any experiment that measures absorbance (e.g. cell density, colorimetric reactions, etc.)
Design Credit:  Brianna Conte & Will Landis
STL Files: Flowcell  (Assembly video)
Code: Arduino IDE, contact Dr. Elmer for the app!
Circuitry: Coming soon!
Description: Samples can be statically loaded into this flow cell or dynamically pushed through with a pump.  An LED at one end sends light through the sample towards a photoresistor at the other end.  The Arduino monitors the voltage across the photoresistor, which varies according to the amount of light absorbed by the sample (e.g. high absorbance = low voltage across photoresistor).  This setup allows the user to easily detect changes in absorbance (e.g. from a chemical reaction or increase in cell density).

Application: Any experiment that incubates samples at constant temperature (e.g. Gibson, digests, etc.)
Design Credit:  Gabrielle VanDerGaag
STL Files: Enclosure (note: the image on the right shows an alternative plexiglass enclosure)
Code: Arduino IDE, contact Dr. Elmer for the app!
Circuitry: Coming soon!
Description: This device uses an Arduino and Peltier heater to control the temperature of a copper block that holds plastic PCR tubes, thereby allowing the user to incubate samples at constant temperatures.  The device includes an LCD display that allows the user to input a target temperature and incubation time.  Some machining is required for the copper block.