Drum Electro-Spinner

University of Alberta — Undergraduate Project

Problem

Electrospinning is a process used to create micro- and nano-scale fibers by applying a strong electric field. Standard electrospinners collect fibers in a random distribution creating a mat with no inherent fibre direction. This randomness can limit their usefulness in applications where fiber alignment is critical or where a better understanding of the strength of materials is required.

Approach

• Designed and built a computer-controlled drum electro-spinner to produce aligned micro- and nano-scale fibers.

• Implemented a rotating drum collector with variable speed control from 0–3500 RPM allowing for the level of fibre alignment to be controlled  which improves the fiber orientation compared to traditional flat-plate collectors.

• Developed control software using MatLab and C/C++, that communicated with a microcontroller via a serial connection to control the drum speed and other machine parameters..

• Programmed the microcontroller to provide real-time feedback to MatLab, enabling live monitoring and automated logging of the experimental data.

Result

Created a machine that is capable of producing aligned micro- and nano-scale fibers using electro-spinning. The project demonstrated how a low-cost custom hardware and software can replicate and extend the functionality of commercial systems.

Video Of Operation

Operators Manual