Due to relatively new solutions in the field of 3D printing, there are few studies on the possibility of using printed elements in measuring devices. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using instruments made by material extrusion 3D printing method for measurement of selected mechanical-physical properties of bulk materials. Study explores the feasibility of measuring bulk material mechanical-physical properties when there are obstacles for printing original or modified measuring instruments in common practice. To achieve the goals a series of experiments such as Schulze's ring shear tests, Freeman's FT4 shear tests, compressibility tests, and Flow Rate and Stability tests were performed with use of original aluminium or steel made instruments and 3D printed instruments from polylactic acid and acrylic styrene acrylonitrile materials, using lunar regolith simulants LHS-1 and LMS-1 produced by CLASS Exolith Lab as a sample material. The results obtained from tests with original and printed instruments were then compared. The compared values of tests showed applicability of the 3D printed measuring instruments in a 5% range of measurement deviation. The biggest advantages of the 3D printed measuring instruments were the lower weight, the ability to print on the spot, to replace a damaged part with a new 3D printed part on-demand if extremely fast results are needed or due to the logistical unavailability, customization of the standardized tests for better understanding the behaviour of the particulate materials, and cheaper manufacturing costs.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
About eight years ago, a new automation approach and flow technique called "Lab-In-Syringe" was proposed. It was derived from previous flow techniques, all based on handling reagent and sample solutions in a flow manifold. To date Lab-In-Syringe has evidently gained the interest of researchers in many countries, with new modifications, operation modes, and technical improvements still popping up. It has proven to be a versatile tool for the automation of sample preparation, particularly, liquid-phase microextraction approaches. This article aims to assist newcomers to this technique in system planning and setup by overviewing the different options for configurations, limitations, and feasible operations. This includes syringe orientation, in-syringe stirring modes, in-syringe detection, additional inlets, and addable features. The authors give also a chronological overview of technical milestones and a critical explanation on the potentials and shortcomings of this technique, calculations of characteristics, and tips and tricks on method development. Moreover, a comprehensive overview of the different operation modes of Lab-In-Syringe automated sample pretreatment is given focusing on the technical aspects and challenges of the related operations. We further deal with possibilities on how to fabricate required or useful system components, in particular by 3D printing technology, with over 20 different elements exemplarily shown. Finally, a short discussion on shortcomings and required improvements is given.
- Keywords
- 3D printing of instrument elements, Lab-In-Syringe, automation of sample pretreatment, potentials and troubles, system setup and operation modes, tips and tricks in method development,
- MeSH
- Chemistry Techniques, Analytical instrumentation methods standards MeSH
- Syringes * MeSH
- Automation, Laboratory * MeSH
- Limit of Detection MeSH
- Reproducibility of Results MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
