Centrifuge machine is one of the most familiar machines found in any healthcare center. They are used to test fluids found in living beings by separating plasm from the blood for testing purposes. The instructions below can be used to develop a simple centrifuge machine that can be used to test blood samples accurately. The device can be used by a student in the healthcare department to carry out various research or in their practice.
There is simple and straight-forward instruction to follow when making the device so anyone who can read and access the parts used can make the device. However, it requires someone with knowledge of blood/fluid testing to use it, such as students within the school of health/medicine. The exercise can be carried out best in a workshop or any other place with adequate space and a power supply socket indoors or outdoors. The overall activity involves making a box contain a motor and a transformer, and wiring the devices to power and two switches. The whole process can take approximately eight hours with interval breaks.
The materials used to make the centrifuge machine can be obtained locally from used electronics and other waste materials within a household and include a 60V AC motor, a 60V stepdown transformer, 2 meters long 1.5mm flexible cable, ½ inch thick plywood, dowel, sprocket, wood screws, power cord, and centrifuge rotor. The centrifuge rotor can be obtained from a supermarket or nearby shops, while the other items can be retrieved from used materials in a household. Other materials include drill, clump, hacksaw, wire cutter, and screwdriver.
Make a hole into a 1 inch think hardwood using a ½ inch drill bit, then carefully remove the drill bit.
Caution.
Be very careful when handling the drill to avoid any accidents.
Press a 1 inch long dowel with a diameter of about ½ inch into the drilled hole in the wood and drill a spot at the dowel’s center using a smaller drill bit, then remove the dowel from the wood. The drill bit should be approximately the size of the motor shaft.
Note. By Abizar,2014,dowel with hole the center [png].
Apply hot glue on the inner surface of the dowel and fit it onto the motor shaft, then fill the open end with hot glue.
- Cut two 5 inch squares from your ½ inch thick plywood to be the base and the center plates of the centrifuge respectfully.
- Cut out about 1/5 inch hole from the center of one of the 5 inch square plates to be the center plate and drill four holes at the corners of the base plate to fit rubber stands.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, center and base plates with holes [png].
Cut out a 2.5-inch disc from the plywood to be the top plate of the motor and make a hole at the center of the disc that allows the motor’s shaft to pass through.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, top disc with hole at the center [png].
Mark the positions of the top motor bolts on a cardboard and use the cardboard tablet to make holes on the 2.5-inch disc.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, top disc with holes for bolting motor [png].
Cut out another 2.5-inch disc from the plywood, then cut out a hole on the disc that matches the cross-sectional surface of the motor the fit it onto the surface of your motor. This disc will be the spacer disc.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, spacer disc with hole for fitting motor[png].
Bolt the motor to the top plate, apply wood glue on the bottom part of the top plate and both sides of the spacer disc, and then slide it to make contact with the top plate. Also, glue the top part of the central square box to the bottom of the assembled spacer disk.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, Assembly of motor, top disc, spacer disk and center plate [png].
- Cut four 5inch squares plate to be the sides of your centrifuge box and four 1.5* 1-inch wood strips.
- Glue each wood strip on the bottom plate adjacent to the edges of the base/bottom plate, then attach the sides of the centrifuge box to the bottom plate using screws.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, wood strips glued to the base plate [png].
- Attach your transformer to the bottom plate using the screws.
- Drill a hole on one side of the centrifuge box, pass your power cord through the hole and connect it to the input terminals of the transformer. Using hot glue, glue the power cord to the surface of the hole.
Note. By Abizar,2014, power cord glued through one side [png].
Drill two holes on the front side of the centrifuge box and fit your two switches.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, holes for switches [png].
- Connect the live terminal of the transformer to one terminal of the AC 1 pole two-way switch using a 1.5mm 1 core flexible wire cut from your roll. Connect one of the other terminals of the AC 1pole 2 way switch to one terminal of the AC momentary switch. Connect the other terminal of the momentary switch to one terminal of your motor.
- Connect the other terminal of the transformer to the unconnected terminal of the motor and complete the assembly by fitting the center plate holding the motor in the centrifuge box using screws.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, wired component [png].
Caution. Make sure your cables are neatly connected to avoid any short circuits.
Fit the centrifuge rotor to the spindle of the motor shaft and attach a plastic case to the top part of the centrifuge box.
Note. By Abizar, 2014, complete centrifuge machine[png].
Reference
Making micro centrifuge. (2021). ContentInstructables. Web.