An integrated device for the preparation and cleaning of polymer flexible polymer microtubes

Abstract

The present invention discloses an integrated device for preparing and cleaning high-molecular flexible polymer microtubes, comprising a substrate, a curing module, a fixed bracket, a cleaning module, a moving module and a control module; the curing module comprises N curing units, and the curing unit comprises a curing groove, a curing cover and M metal wires; the cleaning module comprises a cleaning groove and a vibration generator; and the moving module comprises a vertical moving unit and a horizontal moving unit. The present invention can process thermosetting high-elastic polymer materials, can use a multi-channel parallel connection method to increase the number of microtubes formed at one time, greatly improves the manufacturing efficiency of flexible polymer microtubes, and solves the problems of low efficiency in the current production of polymer microtubes, difficulty in controlling the axial movement tension of metal wires, and possible breakage of metal wires due to oxidation in contact with air.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a high molecular flexible polymer, in particular to an integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes. Background Art

[0002] The manufacture of microfluidic devices often involves soft lithography, a process that is expensive, complex, and demanding, which increases costs and greatly limits its production. In addition, existing flexible polymer microtubes are mostly extruded. Due to a series of problems such as the slow curing speed of thermosetting high-elastic polymers, this technology has become a bottleneck in its development.

[0003] Patent CN109071942A proposes a manufacturing device and method for polymer microtubes with precisely controlled inner diameters. However, this method has a slow speed in pulling out metal wires from a solution, which limits the efficiency of manufacturing. In the process of repeated manufacturing, the liquid tank needs to be cleaned or replaced each time, but due to its complex structure and the complex path of the metal wire passing through the tank, preparation or subsequent processing requires a long time. In addition, this method uses an external electrode, that is, part of the metal is exposed to the air and heated, which can easily cause the metal wire to oxidize. Moreover, this method relies on a motor to control the tension of the metal wire, which is likely to cause the metal wire to break.

[0004] Patent CN112192796A proposes a manufacturing device and method for polymer microtubes that can accurately control the outer diameter and inner diameter. However, this method still has certain shortcomings except for solving the above-mentioned efficiency problems and the problem of effective tension control. This method provides a through hole on the lower sealing plate of the liquid container, which may cause liquid leakage; part of the metal is exposed to the air and heated, which may easily cause the metal wire to oxidize, and the metal wire may break due to improper tension setting; in this device, the microtube is first peeled off, and then the inside of the microtube is further solidified, which may affect the uniformity of the inner surface of the microtube. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes in view of the defects involved in the background technology.

[0006] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions to solve the above technical problems:

[0007] An integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes, comprising a substrate, a curing module, a fixing bracket, a cleaning module, a moving module and a control module;

[0008] The curing module comprises N curing units, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1;

[0009] The curing unit comprises a curing tank, a curing cover and M metal wires, where M is a natural number greater than or equal to 1;

[0010] The curing tank is a hollow cuboid with an open top, used to hold liquid polymer to be cured, and comprises a bottom plate, and a first side plate, a first end plate, a second side plate, and a second end plate which are vertically fixed end to end in sequence; a first electrode is provided on the inner wall of the first end plate, and a second electrode is provided on the inner wall of the second end plate; the first electrode and the second electrode are connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of an external power supply, respectively;

[0011] The two ends of the curing cover are respectively provided with a first plug plate and a second plug plate; the upper ends of the first plug plate and the second plug plate are vertically fixedly connected to the lower end surface of the curing cover, and the lower ends are respectively provided with a first contact and a second contact; the first plug plate and the second plug plate are both provided with M fixing heads, and the M fixing heads on the first plug plate are electrically connected to the first contact, and the M fixing heads on the second plug plate are electrically connected to the second contact; the M metal wires are arranged in parallel and equidistantly, one end of which is detachably fixedly connected to the M fixing heads on the first plug plate in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end is detachably fixedly connected to the M fixing heads on the second plug plate in a one-to-one correspondence;

[0012] The curing cover is used to cooperate with the curing tank to form a closed hollow cuboid. When the curing cover is covered on the curing tank, the first contact is electrically connected to the first electrode, the second contact is electrically connected to the second electrode, and the M metal wires are all immersed in the liquid polymer in the curing tank;

[0013] The curing grooves of the N curing units are equidistantly and parallelly arranged on the substrate, and the bottom plates thereof are all fixedly connected to the substrate;

[0014] The cleaning module comprises a cleaning tank and a vibration generator, wherein the cleaning tank is a hollow cuboid with an open upper end, and its lower end is fixed on the substrate, and is used to hold a cleaning agent; the vibration generator is arranged in the cleaning tank, and is used to vibrate the cleaning agent, so as to clean the uncured prepolymer on the metal wire of each cured cover in the cleaning tank, and to expand the cured polymer on the metal wire of each cured cover, so as to facilitate peeling;

[0015] The moving module includes a vertical moving unit and a horizontal moving unit;

[0016] The vertical moving unit is arranged on the base plate, and is used to drive the horizontal moving unit to move in the vertical direction;

[0017] The fixed bracket is fixed on the horizontal moving unit, and the curing covers of the N curing units are arranged in parallel and equidistantly, and the upper end surfaces are all fixedly connected to the fixed bracket; the horizontal moving unit is used to drive the fixed bracket and then drive the curing covers of the N curing units to move in the horizontal direction, so that the curing covers of the N curing units are located directly above the cleaning slots or are located one by one directly above the curing slots of the N curing units;

[0018] The control module is electrically connected to the vibration generator and the moving module respectively, and is used to control the operation of the vibration generator and the moving module.

[0019] As a further optimization scheme of the integrated device for preparing and cleaning high-molecular flexible polymer microtubes of the present invention, dovetail grooves are provided on the inner walls of the first end plate and the second end plate of the curing tank, and the outer walls of the first plug plate and the second plug plate are respectively provided with insertion strips for matching with the dovetail grooves on the inner walls of the first end plate and the second end plate.

[0020] As a further optimization scheme of the integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes of the present invention, a heating unit is also provided on the outer wall of the curing tank for heating the liquid polymer in the curing tank to increase its viscosity and reduce dripping during movement.

[0021] As a further optimization scheme of the integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes of the present invention, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the liquid polymer is provided in the curing tank.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts the above technical solution and has the following technical effects:

[0023] 1. It can process thermosetting high-elastic polymer materials and use multi-channel parallel connection to increase the number of microtubes formed at one time, greatly improving the manufacturing efficiency of flexible polymer microtubes;

[0024] 2. Ensure that the metal wire is isolated from the air in the liquid before heating, so as to avoid oxidation of the high-temperature metal wire in the air;

[0025] 3. The residual liquid is cleaned by high-frequency vibration, which effectively improves the removal efficiency of uncured and difficult-to-clean raw materials;

[0026] 4. The device is manufactured horizontally to avoid the possibility of liquid leakage from the vertical through-holes. Although the clamping device is placed in the solidification tank together, it is processed with the finished product at high frequency to avoid the liquid solidifying on the clamping device and reduce the cleaning work after the test;

[0027] 5. It solves the problems of low efficiency in the production of polymer microtubes, difficulty in controlling the axial tension of the metal wire, and possible breakage of the metal wire due to oxidation when exposed to air. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0029] In the figure, 1-substrate, 2-curing tank, 3-curing plate, 4-fixing bracket, 5-cleaning tank, 6-vibration generator, 7-vertical moving unit, 8-horizontal moving unit, 9-control module, 10-heating unit. Implementation

[0030] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0031] The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be considered to be limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully express the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the accompanying drawings, components are enlarged for clarity.

[0032] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used here to describe various elements, components and / or parts, these elements, components and / or parts are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish elements, components and / or parts from each other. Therefore, the first element, component and / or part discussed below can become the second element, component or part without departing from the teaching of the present invention.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses an integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes, comprising a substrate, a curing module, a fixing bracket, a cleaning module, a moving module and a control module;

[0034] The curing module comprises N curing units, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1;

[0035] The curing unit comprises a curing tank, a curing cover and M metal wires, where M is a natural number greater than or equal to 1;

[0036] The curing tank is a hollow cuboid with an open top, used to hold liquid polymer to be cured, and comprises a bottom plate, and a first side plate, a first end plate, a second side plate, and a second end plate which are vertically fixed end to end in sequence; a first electrode is provided on the inner wall of the first end plate, and a second electrode is provided on the inner wall of the second end plate; the first electrode and the second electrode are connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of an external power supply, respectively;

[0037] The two ends of the curing cover are respectively provided with a first plug plate and a second plug plate; the upper ends of the first plug plate and the second plug plate are vertically fixedly connected to the lower end surface of the curing cover, and the lower ends are respectively provided with a first contact and a second contact; the first plug plate and the second plug plate are both provided with M fixing heads, and the M fixing heads on the first plug plate are electrically connected to the first contact, and the M fixing heads on the second plug plate are electrically connected to the second contact; the M metal wires are arranged in parallel and equidistantly, one end of which is detachably fixedly connected to the M fixing heads on the first plug plate in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end is detachably fixedly connected to the M fixing heads on the second plug plate in a one-to-one correspondence;

[0038] The curing cover is used to cooperate with the curing tank to form a closed hollow cuboid. When the curing cover is covered on the curing tank, the first contact is electrically connected to the first electrode, the second contact is electrically connected to the second electrode, and the M metal wires are all immersed in the liquid polymer in the curing tank;

[0039] The curing grooves of the N curing units are equidistantly and parallelly arranged on the substrate, and the bottom plates thereof are all fixedly connected to the substrate;

[0040] The cleaning module comprises a cleaning tank and a vibration generator, wherein the cleaning tank is a hollow cuboid with an open upper end, and its lower end is fixed on the substrate, and is used to hold a cleaning agent; the vibration generator is arranged in the cleaning tank, and is used to vibrate the cleaning agent, so as to clean the uncured prepolymer on the metal wire of each cured cover in the cleaning tank, and to expand the cured polymer on the metal wire of each cured cover, so as to facilitate peeling;

[0041] The moving module includes a vertical moving unit and a horizontal moving unit;

[0042] The vertical moving unit is arranged on the base plate, and is used to drive the horizontal moving unit to move in the vertical direction;

[0043] The fixed bracket is fixed on the horizontal moving unit, and the curing covers of the N curing units are arranged in parallel and equidistantly, and the upper end surfaces are all fixedly connected to the fixed bracket; the horizontal moving unit is used to drive the fixed bracket and then drive the curing covers of the N curing units to move in the horizontal direction, so that the curing covers of the N curing units are located directly above the cleaning slots or are located one by one directly above the curing slots of the N curing units;

[0044] The control module is electrically connected to the vibration generator and the moving module respectively, and is used to control the operation of the vibration generator and the moving module.

[0045] The inner walls of the first and second end plates of the curing tank are both provided with dovetail grooves, and the outer walls of the first and second plug plates are respectively provided with inserts for matching with the dovetail grooves on the inner walls of the first and second end plates.

[0046] The outer wall of the curing tank is also provided with a heating unit for heating the liquid polymer in the curing tank to increase its viscosity and reduce dripping during movement. The heating unit can preferably be a water bath pipe.

[0047] The curing tank is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the liquid polymer.

[0048] The operating method of the present invention is as follows:

[0049] Step 1), prepare the polymer, remove the bubbles therein by vacuuming, pour it into each curing tank, and inject the cleaning agent into the cleaning tank;

[0050] Step 2), heating the liquid polymer in each curing tank by each heating unit to reach a preset temperature threshold;

[0051] Step 3), controlling the moving module to work so that the curing covers of the N curing units are covered on the curing grooves of the N curing units one by one, at which time, the M metal wires on each curing cover are immersed in the liquid polymer in the corresponding curing groove and are powered;

[0052] Step 4), after the power-on time of the metal wire is satisfied, the moving module is controlled to work so that the curing covers of the N curing units are moved into the cleaning tank;

[0053] Step 5), start the vibration generator and stop vibrating after a period of time;

[0054] Step 6), turning off the vibration generator and controlling the moving module to work so that the curing covers of the N curing units are separated from the cleaning tank;

[0055] Step 7), removing the M metal wires on each curing cover to obtain N*M metal wires with a layer of polymer attached thereto;

[0056] Step 8), removing about 2 cm of the polymer from both ends of the metal wire, that is, removing the irregular part and retaining the metal wire covering layer of the uniformly covered part;

[0057] Step 9), pull out the metal wire. Since the thin polymer layer on the metal wire is affected by the cleaning agent, its size expands to a certain extent, so it is easy to pull out.

[0058] The metal wire can be 100um copper wire; the polymer can use PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), the ratio can be 10:1, the PDMS temperature is 20°C, the power-on current is between 0.8~1.2A, and the power-on time is determined by the current and the required outer diameter.

[0059] Compared with the prior art, the present invention controls the temperature of the polymer in the polymer curing tank through a water bath, and further controls the outer diameter of the microtube; improves efficiency through structural design while avoiding the influence of multiple metal wires on each other; has the ability to process multiple metal wires at the same time and efficiently clean residual polymer through a high-frequency vibration cleaning device; optimizes the control and operation in the microtube manufacturing process, greatly reduces the difficulty of operation and improves the production efficiency of the microtube.

[0060] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless defined as herein.

[0061] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific implementation method of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes, It is characterized in that It includes a substrate, a curing module, a fixing bracket, a cleaning module, a moving module and a control module; The curing module comprises N curing units, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1; The curing unit comprises a curing tank, a curing cover and M metal wires, where M is a natural number greater than or equal to 1; The curing tank is a hollow cuboid with an open top, used to hold liquid polymer to be cured, and comprises a bottom plate, and a first side plate, a first end plate, a second side plate, and a second end plate which are vertically fixed end to end in sequence; a first electrode is provided on the inner wall of the first end plate, and a second electrode is provided on the inner wall of the second end plate; the first electrode and the second electrode are connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of an external power supply, respectively; The two ends of the curing cover are respectively provided with a first plug plate and a second plug plate; the upper ends of the first plug plate and the second plug plate are vertically fixedly connected to the lower end surface of the curing cover, and the lower ends are respectively provided with a first contact and a second contact; the first plug plate and the second plug plate are both provided with M fixing heads, and the M fixing heads on the first plug plate are electrically connected to the first contact, and the M fixing heads on the second plug plate are electrically connected to the second contact; the M metal wires are arranged in parallel and equidistantly, one end of which is detachably fixedly connected to the M fixing heads on the first plug plate in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end is detachably fixedly connected to the M fixing heads on the second plug plate in a one-to-one correspondence; The curing cover is used to cooperate with the curing tank to form a closed hollow cuboid. When the curing cover is covered on the curing tank, the first contact is electrically connected to the first electrode, the second contact is electrically connected to the second electrode, and the M metal wires are all immersed in the liquid polymer in the curing tank; The curing grooves of the N curing units are equidistantly and parallelly arranged on the substrate, and the bottom plates thereof are all fixedly connected to the substrate; The cleaning module comprises a cleaning tank and a vibration generator, wherein the cleaning tank is a hollow cuboid with an open upper end, and its lower end is fixed on the substrate, and is used to hold a cleaning agent; the vibration generator is arranged in the cleaning tank, and is used to vibrate the cleaning agent, so as to clean the uncured prepolymer on the metal wire of each cured cover in the cleaning tank, and to expand the cured polymer on the metal wire of each cured cover, so as to facilitate peeling; The moving module includes a vertical moving unit and a horizontal moving unit; The vertical moving unit is arranged on the base plate, and is used to drive the horizontal moving unit to move in the vertical direction; The fixed bracket is fixed on the horizontal moving unit, and the curing covers of the N curing units are arranged in parallel and equidistantly, and the upper end surfaces are all fixedly connected to the fixed bracket; the horizontal moving unit is used to drive the fixed bracket and then drive the curing covers of the N curing units to move in the horizontal direction, so that the curing covers of the N curing units are located directly above the cleaning slots or are located one by one directly above the curing slots of the N curing units; The control module is electrically connected to the vibration generator and the moving module respectively, and is used to control the operation of the vibration generator and the moving module.

2. The integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The inner walls of the first and second end plates of the curing tank are both provided with dovetail grooves, and the outer walls of the first and second plug plates are respectively provided with inserts for matching with the dovetail grooves on the inner walls of the first and second end plates.

3. The integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A heating unit is also provided on the outer wall of the solidification tank, which is used to heat the liquid polymer in the solidification tank to increase its viscosity and reduce dripping during movement.

4. The integrated device for preparing and cleaning high molecular flexible polymer microtubes according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The curing tank is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the liquid polymer.

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