Sound Solutions to Reduce Noise in Microfluidic Pumps

Sometimes noise can be a significant issue in microfluidic pumps, affecting both performance and user experience, especially in sensitive environments like home-based applications. We’ve listened intently to find some of the most common sources of noise in microfluidic pumps and have sounded (and of course, responded to) the call for practical noise reduction solutions!


Applications Requiring Noise Reduction
You may be thinking, “Why would it matter how loud the pump is?” There are several instances where noise reduction is heavily desired. These include:

• In-Home Medical Devices - such as home hemodialysis machines.
• Dental & Primary Care Offices - where a calm, quiet environment for patients is preferred.
• High-Throughput Applications - certain bulk production processes have legal noise limits. Reducing noise in high-throughput applications presents unique challenges including:
  
  
  • Cost: High-quality noise reduction solutions can be expensive.
  • Size: Certain components like BLDC motors are larger.
  • Elimination: While it’s not possible to eliminate noise entirely, the above methods help to reduce it to below-average decibel levels.
    
    

Sources & Identification

Noise in microfluidic pumps can originate from several common sources including the motor, pump head, fluid movement through the pump and its tubing, pulsations, and overall mechanical system vibrations. If you’re not sure where the sound is being generated from, the best way to find it is through process of elimination:

• First, identify whether the tubing or pump body is visibly shaking.
• Next, isolate each component (motor, piston/liner, tubing) individually by running the pump under different conditions to pinpoint the noise source. You can also use a sound meter to precisely measure noise levels at different points.

Does Material Selection Play a Role? Although flexible materials tend to better absorb vibrations, the speed and flow rate of the pump will contribute far more to noise production than the materials used. While slower running systems will remain relatively quiet, faster speeds and flow rates can cause a bit of a ruckus.

Vibration and Noise Mitigation

The best practices for mitigating vibrations are:

• Zip-tying the tubing to restrict its movement.
• Opting for flexible tubing, which will absorb noise better than rigid tubing.
• Utilizing vibration isolators and dampeners.
• Ensuring the secure mounting of all components.
• Creating a stable, isolated operating environment to reduce noise transfer from external sources like mounting surfaces or nearby equipment
• Placing the pump in a fully padded enclosure to absorb the sound.
• Integrating advanced control systems. Encoders can provide feedback to help control noise and BLDC motors are quieter than traditional motors, but both of these have trade-offs, such as the BLDC motors having lower torque at low speeds. There are also vector control (or “field-oriented control”) software solutions with special algorithms that help tune down unwanted noise.

Hear to Help

By understanding the sources of noise and implementing the above strategies, users can significantly reduce noise levels in microfluidic pumps, enhancing both performance and customer experience. However, if you still need help locating or rectifying the noise of your pump system, we’re all ears! Users can send videos with audio to our team for accurate diagnosis and troubleshooting support. Contact us today to voice your noise concerns with us.