Backpressure Liquid Dispensing for Varying Viscosities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automated high-throughput dispensing systems are limited in their ability to perform accurately and quickly over a broad range of operating conditions and with materials having properties significantly different from their typical application domain, particularly when dispensing in higher volumes or with materials of varying viscosities.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a backpressure dispensing technology with a network of pressurized source reservoirs, a conduit network, and a dispense valve, allowing for precise control and calibration of liquid component dispensing, including the use of a cleaning fluid to prevent contamination and the integration of high- and low-volume dispensing technologies within a single instrument.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional automated dispensing systems are designed for specific fields with limited ranges of conditions and materials, then they perform well under optimal conditions, but their performance suffers when confronted with conditions outside their optimal domain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal dispensing system that can handle multiple liquid types with different viscosities and volumes through a single instrument. The system uses a common conduit network and dispense valve that can be configured for both high-volume and low-volume dispensing, eliminating the need for multiple specialized systems and enabling reliable performance across diverse operating conditions
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional systems are optimized for micro-scale high-throughput experimentation, then they achieve high precision, but they cannot efficiently dispense higher volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts its dispensing parameters based on the required volume and liquid properties. The dispense valve can be controlled with varying time intervals and pressure levels to accurately dispense both micro-scale volumes (nanoliters) and larger volumes (milliliters) with consistent precision, allowing the same system to serve multiple volume requirements
3Device complexity
If conventional systems use fixed conduit networks, then they are simple in design, but they cannot prevent contamination when switching between different liquid components
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary flushing of the conduit network with a cleaning fluid before dispensing each new liquid component. This preliminary action removes residual traces of previous liquids from the conduits, preventing cross-contamination without requiring complex redesign of the conduit network, thus maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliability
4Ease of operation
If conventional systems lack real-time feedback, then they are simpler to operate, but they cannot provide automated calibration for varying material properties
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates real-time feedback through automated calibration procedures that measure actual dispensing quantities and adjust parameters accordingly. The system can detect variations in liquid properties such as viscosity and automatically compensate by adjusting pressure, flow rate, or dispense time, enabling accurate dispensing across diverse materials without increasing operational complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables faster and more precise dispensing of large volumes of liquids with varying viscosities, incorporating real-time feedback and automated calibration to handle diverse materials and conditions, facilitating high-throughput experimentation and minimizing material waste.
Implementation Method 1
pressurizing one or more of the plurality of source reservoirs, transferring a quantity of a first liquid component from a first pressurized source reservoir to one or more destination locations by means of a fluid outlet that includes a dispense valve
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products and implementing techniques for mixing liquid components. Quantities of two or more liquid components are transferred from pressurized source reservoirs to one or more destination locations by means of a fluid outlet that includes a dispense valve, and the two or more liquid components are mixed in the destination locations to create a plurality of fluid mixtures. Two or more dispensing technologies can be combined to provide for increased efficiency in the dispensing of high volume liquid components. The amounts of liquid components being dispensed can be monitored during the dispensing to provide feedback control of the dispensing.