How to Build Your Own Peristaltic Pump
A peristaltic pump is a type of pump which works by pushing the fluid along a flexible tube. It is typically used in applications where letting the fluid come into contact with a pump's moving parts would cause unacceptable contamination for the either the fluid or the pump (such as in medical devices). You can build a simple peristaltic pump with common tools and materials.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Plywood
- Sheet metal
- Bolts
- T-nuts
- Hex nuts
- Washer
- Wood screws
- Plastic rollers or spacers
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut a piece of plywood in the shape of a letter "D" to form the pump base. Drill a hole in the center of the rounded part.
-
2
Cut a strip of sheet metal to fit around the rounded part of the base, extending about 1-1/2" up from the surface. Screw the sheet metal in place.
-
-
3
Cut a round piece of plywood, slightly smaller than the rounded part of the pump base, to form the pump rotor. Drill a hole in the center and three evenly spaced holes close to the edge. Press a T-nut into each hole on one side of the rotor, which will be the bottom.
-
4
Place a bolt through each of three rollers. Loosely thread a nut on each bolt close to the spacer. Thread each bolt from the top of the rotor into the nut on one of the outer holes and tighten the nut to the rotor. The bolt should be held tightly while the roller rotates freely.
-
5
Thread a bolt from the top of the rotor through the center holes and tighten it down to the rotor surface.
-
6
Place a washer over the bolt in the center of the rotor and insert the bolt into the hole in the pump base. The rotor should be on the side of the base where the sheet metal is sticking up. Thread two hex nuts on the bolt from the bottom of the base. Tighten them together so that the rotor is held on to the base while being free to rotate.
-
7
Place a length of rubber tubing between the rollers and sheet metal, lying flat against the metal. The tube should be squeezed shut as the rollers pass over it.
-
1
