Press briefing

Miniaturized micro patch pump

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Microsystems and Solid State Technologies EMFT have beaten their own record; their latest MEMS micropump chip now measures mere 3.5 mm side length.

© Fraunhofer EMFT
The smallest silicon micromembrane pump in the world, measuring 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.6 mm3

In 2015, Fraunhofer EMFT presented a piezoelectric micro diaphragm pump measuring 5 x 5 x 0.7 on the Compamed – already at that time the smallest micropump in the world.

The miniaturization is not an end in itself; it brings about the big advantage of high-grade parallel MEMS production, leading to rapid decrease of manufacturing costs. This again paves the way for new cost-sensitive disposable applications like patch pumps or microfluidic lab-on-chip solutions.

Despite of its small size the new silicon pump chip is able to pump air with the performance of 400 µL/min. The small stroke volume of mere 20 nanoliters also enables precise dosing of liquids. The pump also boasts an extremely good backpressure ability of up to 30 kPa (225 mmHg), making it tolerant against bubbles.

These new MEMS components round off the micro dosing technology offering of the institution, which already comprises solutions for micro flow and dispensing control systems as well as pumps and valves.

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