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Emerging bioprinting techniques feature a unique combination of cell types, suspension fluids, and growth factors. Extrusion, stereolithography and many other traditional processes are only suitable for certain types of solutions. These processes may exhibit low cell viability due to heat or UV light, or are not ideal for fabricating structures with pluripotent materials. Finally, as bioprinting companies engineer more homologous tissue structures, they need innovations in cell placement and flexibility to deliver a viable product.
The Lee Company’s VHS™ Series solenoid valves offer a unique combination of high speed and low shear which improves both throughput and cell anatomy after dispensing. The compact size of the valves, (featuring a diameter of less than 6 mm), allows for the development of compact multi-functional printheads. Additionally, the VHS Series is offered in several different configurations which enable the development of heterocellular constructs with a variety of spheroid sizes and viscosities on a single printhead.
The VHS Series solenoid valves are self-contained microvalves that can be installed at the point of dispense and paired with replaceable precision sapphire orifices. This flexibility allows for a variety of 3D cell culture models to be developed to meet the needs of any application. The fast response time allows for repeatable dispense volumes as low as 20nL, with the flexibility to dispense over 1mL during a cycle. Biocompatible, inert materials take the guesswork out of system development and allow for flow-through sterilization. The valves can also be paired with inert screens to ensure that outsized cells do not disrupt printing.
Next-generation bio-printers will need fast, precise performance coupled with the versatility to create tissue spheroids and extracellular matrix hydrogels. The VHS Series valves have printed a variety of cell cultures with impressive viability and accuracy, and are currently in service with numerous commercial customers and research institutions.
These microvalves are at the cutting edge of solenoid-driven droplet on-demand technology. Featuring a response time as fast as 250 microseconds, life of up to 250 million cycles, and orifice sizes as small as 0.003″, the VHS series can reliably dispense the correct volume every time.
The Lee Company has supplied millions of solenoid valves worldwide from our state-of-the-art production facility in Essex, Connecticut. Lee microvalves set the standard for size, speed, and dependability.
Our global sales force of technical sales engineers is available to provide fast, accurate customer assistance and help you find the best solution for your fluid control challenge.
Always verify flow calculations by experiment.
*There are many parameters to consider when determining V-Factor. Click here for more information.
