Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
By solidsmack (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

A Children’s Toy Inspired This Inexpensive, 3D Printed Centrifuge

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


Whoever said goofing around wouldn’t lead to new discoveries must have not done it long enough. Taking inspiration from the small, spinning whirligig toy, students at the Lambert High School in Georgia have come up with an inexpensive portable centrifuge capable of separating liquids of different densities.

image source: Rob Felt

Dubbed the 3D-Fuge, the project is actually a modification on the work of M. Saad Bhamla, one of the students’ advisors. His original idea consisted of a paper centrifuge filled with tiny plastic tubes. You would glue the samples to be separated to these tubes and whirl them around until the individual liquids were separated.

The initial concept proved promising, but the “paperfuge” could only handle samples weighing up to 1 microliter. Using his initial idea as a springboard, he and his students were able to develop a design which could be 3D printed and hold samples weighing a hundred times heavier than those in the paperfuge.

image source: Rob Felt

The 3D-Fuge is mainly composed of a button-like disk. By threading some cord or string through the holes in the centrifuge, you can swing the entire thing with two hands until the button whirls around and separates the liquids with varying densities.

Two designs were made for the centrifuge: one specific for field biology was taken to a rainforest in Peru to identify some unknown plants using DNA sequencing and the other was used by high school students to create bacterial sensors for identifying diseases.

Seeing as this is a 3D printed centrifuge, it does have its limits. Unlike the more expensive centrifuges you see in a state-of-the-art lab, the 3D-Fuge can only separate a few samples at once. It also can’t quite reach the rotation speeds of a machine-turned centrifuge, nor can it produce the same speed and force you would otherwise generate from the lighter paperfuge (the 3D-Fuge weight about 20 grams).

Still, you can’t deny that for less than $1, you get about the same results as you would with a thousand dollar centrifuge. This is exactly what Saad had in mind when conceptualizing the project. Taking the overall price with the results, the 3D-Fuge is perfect for budding scientists or those who are on a budget.

You can read the entire research paper on the 3D-Fuge here. While you’re at it, you can find more on Bhamla and his team on their official webpage. They even posted the STL files so anyone can make their own 3D-Fuge for free!

The post A Children’s Toy Inspired This Inexpensive, 3D Printed Centrifuge appeared first on SolidSmack.

Read more about CAD, product design and related technology at SolidSmack.com


Source: https://www.solidsmack.com/engineering/a-childrens-toy-inspired-this-inexpensive-3d-printed-centrifuge/


Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.


LION'S MANE PRODUCT


Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules


Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.



Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.


Report abuse

    Comments

    Your Comments
    Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

    MOST RECENT
    Load more ...

    SignUp

    Login

    Newsletter

    Email this story
    Email this story

    If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

    If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.