Royston based microfluidics experts, Dolomite,
have announced the release of a new generation of microfluidic connectors that
will enable chemists and scientists to more easily benefit from advances in
microfluidic technology. As part of the Mitos range of standard products that
includes microfluidic chips, connectors and pumps, the Mitos circular connector
will enable the fast and easy integration of microfluidic devices into new and
existing systems.
Dolomite is a world leader in Microfluidics, a technology also known as ‘lab
on a chip'. This is an exciting new field of science and engineering that enables
very small-scale fluid control and analysis, allowing instrument manufacturers
to develop smaller, more cost-effective and more powerful systems. With lab-on-a-chip
technology, entire complex chemical management and analysis systems are created
in a microfluidic chip and interfaced with, for example, the Mitos circular
connector.
"The demand for a new generation of connectors is very high," said
Tim Landucci, Marketing Manager at Dolomite. "As the many benefits of microfluidic
technology are becoming more widely understood and as microfluidic chips are
becoming more complex, being able to get the fluids into and out of such small
scale devices is becoming ‘the’ major design issue. At Dolomite
we are working with many companies around the world on a number of projects
and we are finding that connector design and production is now an important
part of what we do, alongside the actual chip design and manufacture."
The new Mitos connector enables the connection of eight, high-pressure fluid
channels, and has been designed to ensure a fast, reliable connection to the
surface of microfluidic chips. Manufactured in PTFE and perfluoroelastomer,
the connector is chemically resistant and its design enables it to be located
anywhere on a microfluidic chip, offering maximum versatility. It also has the
ability to handle high pressure, up to 20 Bar.
"I think its size is quite amazing," said Tim Landucci. "The
connections are very close together, roughly 3mm apart. This makes it a very
compact solution. There is not another connector on the market like this. Similar
connectors are bigger and use other less versatile techniques, such as sealing
the tubes to the chip with adhesive. The connector is a big achievement for
our design team and we are confident that it will be widely adopted by the microfluidics
community."
Dolomite 's leadership in this field enabled it to win £2m funding from
the UK Department of Trade and Industry's Micro and Nano Technology (MNT) Manufacturing
Initiative; this allowed Dolomite to establish excellent microfabrication facilities
that include cleanrooms, precision glass processing facilities and applications
laboratories. In addition to this, Dolomite has managed to attract top quality
engineering and scientific staff with strong backgrounds across the broad range
of disciplines required for success in bringing microfluidics applications to
the market, including chemistry, biotechnology, control system development,
electronics, physics and instrument design and supply.