Clinical Diagnosis Benefits From
Design Collaboration
recision and reliability are
two critical requirements
of testing and analysis
for clinical diagnosis; a
collaborative project has
now combined these with efficiency and
cost effectiveness by designing a new
modular microfluidic solution.
P
Integrating the design expertise of
Bürkert Fluid Control Systems with the
long-standing experience of Biosystems
a prominent manufacturer of analysis
equipment has resulted in the design of a
new dosing unit that significantly reduces
running costs for analysis instrumentation.
The new dosing unit forms one of the
cores of the new BA400 analysis device,
which is designed to carry out fully
automatic analysis of up to 400 tests per
hour. The operator prepares the device
with the corresponding samples and
reagents before starting the analysis
process.
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PECM Issue 23
The design of the new dosing unit has also
reduced water and material consumption,
which allows the analyser to operate
continuously for eight hours without
intervention to replace or refill containers.
The work of clinical analysis
equipment as used in human
medicine is hugely important but
the pressure to reduce both capital
expenditure and running costs is
increasing on a daily basis.
The ultimate solution then requires
innovation that, at the same time, is
accepted as proven technology and so is
suitable for operation on a device used in
a context, where a pedigree for reliability
is essential. Biosystems is a Spanish
manufacturer of clinical diagnostics
products that aims to streamline workflow
and enhance operational efficiency and
improve patient treatment. To that end, the
company has developed a new analysis
device that is to be used for in-vitro
diagnostics (IVD), through collaboration
with Bürkert, which has provided
significant design and manufacturing
expertise for the control and monitoring of
the fluids.
The aim of the project was to develop
a modular dosing unit that would be
suitable not only for use on the new
system, but also for existing analysis
devices available from Biosystems. This
posed a considerable design challenge
that would need to integrate the various
components such as the injection unit, two
or three valves, a pressure sensor and a
filter, all of which would be mounted onto
a transparent, injection-moulded structure.
The solution required considerable design
skill and expertise in fluid control in order
to deliver very high dosing precision in an
extremely compact space. The engineers
at Biosystems decided to take advantage
of the Bürkert Systemhaus facilities that