Our piezoelectric micropump platform, Disc Pump™, was originally created to address the need for power on the move: consumer electronics giant Casio required a high-performance, silent pump to enable a micro fuel cell product for the business travel market. In response, an entirely new form of pump was developed, based on ultrasonic acoustic resonance.
Subsequent advances in battery technology have addressed the need for mobile power, however Disc Pump™ has gone on to find application in a wide range of products spanning the medical, life sciences, environmental and industrial sectors.
Disc Pump's piezoelectric actuator sits at the core of the device; this is the equivalent of the motor in a conventional pump. The piezo actuator is operated at a frequency above the limit of human hearing, making the pump inaudible. Two specially-designed acoustic cavities sit either side of the actuator, in which a resonant standing wave is established. Finally, an ultra-fast passive valve rectifies the standing wave to deliver pumped airflow.
