An educational experience: Following the path of an Ismatec® pump
Masterflex Ismatec pump featured at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago
Photos: J.B. Spector / Museum of Science Industry.
Exploring the heart is a compelling venture. For those touring the “YOU! The Experience” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois, the pumping artificial heart valve fascinates audiences, with its intricacy and functionality, in the exhibit’s Medical Innovations Gallery that is part of the 15,000-square feet of activities, challenges, and artifacts on human health and wellness.
Within the display, called “High-tech Human”, a Masterflex Ismatec pump sends fluid through Ismatec pump tubing into a chamber that houses a bioengineered heart valve. The action of the pump keeps the fluid flowing and causes the valve’s leaflets to open and close. The valve educates guests about the mechanics of this vital organ and, specifically, illustrates the scientific advances achieved in creating a new generation of replacement organs grown in the laboratory.
Like the organ it simulates in the display, the Ismatec pump controller is known for its clockwork-like precision and performance. Its versatility enables it to be used in a variety of applications, including laboratory research, pharmaceutical processing, manufacturing, food and beverage processing, life sciences, chemistry, and more. As evidenced in the museum’s exhibit, the Ismatec pump often shows up in unexpected places.
Masterflex offers the complete product line of these Swiss-engineered pumps, ranging from compact multichannel styles to washdown process pumps to fixed-speed rack-mount pumps. The pumps vary according to flow range, number of channels, and speed. The programmable dispensing pumps excel in continuous pumping or dispensing in five modes. Remote control capabilities make Ismatec pumps ideal for lab automation.
Ismatec drives will accept either peristaltic or gear heads, which offer varying advantages depending on their application. Peristaltic pumping is noncontaminating—with fluid only contacting the tubing—and easy to clean. The gear type is smooth-flowing, and compatible with high system pressure uses. Tubing to complement the Ismatec pumps is also available from Masterflex, in a variety of formulations and sizes to best suit specific applications.
From showcasing the innovative high-tech human heart in an educational exhibit to pumping medicine into vials to processing ingredients for next week’s dinner, the Ismatec pump just keeps flowing. To learn more about the YOU! The Experience exhibit, visit www.msichicago.org.
Disclaimer: Masterflex products are not approved or intended for, and should not be used for medical, clinical, surgical or other patient-oriented applications.