An 8051 Microcontroller based Syringe Pump Control System for Surface Micromachining

Abstract

Surface Micromachining is an important method of fabricating microfluidic systems and devices. The difficulty in microfluidics lies in the introduction of fluids into the micro channels in precise quantities. In the present article, a syringe pump controlled by an Intel 8051 based microcontroller has been designed. The designed single infusion syringe pump is based on a lead screw mechanism. The design is simulated using Simulink toolbox in Matlab and the volumetric flow rate is calculated for a given input. The inputs are dimensions of the syringe and viscosity of the operating fluid. Based on the inputs, a step delay is assigned to actuate a 12 V stepper motor. The designed syringe pump is tested with water at different flow rates. The pressure drop due to friction at various interfaces introduces an error that leads to a decrease in actual flow rate compared to the desired flow rate. The error function is calculated using curve fitting techniques based on the difference in the experimental and actual flow. The error function is also included in the algorithm to obtain a precise flow rate