Elements of a microfluidic system

Working in a microfluidic environment usually requires the use of flow controllers, various fittings, and microfluidic tubing, to connect your microfluidic device or your Lab-on-a-chip to the various elements of your microfluidic chip or system.

Flow control and measurement

The main flow control solutions can be divided in three sections: pressure based solutions (such as the Flow EZ™), volume displacement (such as syringe or peristaltic pumps) and passive techniques. All of these control techniques have different advantages. In order to make the best choice, it is important to consider the following elements.

The flow rate or the pressure range you need.
How quickly you need to set or change the flow rate.
How stable you need the flow rate to be.

Elements of a microfluidic system

Microfluidic Flow Sensing Technologies, A Review

Flow rate measurement is needed for many microfluidic applications, including microfluidic droplet generation, cell culture under flow, and organs on chip. Several technologies aim to provide accurate real time flow measurement to meet this need. In this review, the different existing microfluidic flow sensing solutions for low-flow liquids are described, with their advantages and current limits, as progress is still ongoing in this field.

Elements of a microfluidic system

Microfluidic Tubing

Several parameters must be taken into consideration in order to choose the tubing:

Materials
Tubing dimensions such as the outer diameter“OD”, the inner diameter “ID” and the length “L”. For example the inner diameter plays a significant role in the resistivity brought by the tubing: the smaller it is, the more resistant the tubing will be...

Elements of a microfluidic system

Software in Microfluidics

Software is widely defined as a set of computer programs, libraries and data that tell the computer how to work. A user can usually interact with a software through a Graphical User Interface or GUI, whose content is updated by the software’s engine. Our software tools are mostly dedicated to controlling our microfluidics instruments, allowing for remote instruments’ control and sensor’ data logging.