Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2026

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Todd Letcher

Abstract

This project evaluates both FDM printed polycarbonate and mSLA printed resin bodies for use in a magnetohydrodynamic electrode pump designed to fit within standard multiwell cell culture plates. The geometry established required a series of concentric rings to house the magnet and electrode channels. This was printed as thin as possible to enhance the available space for the magnet. Several characteristics of this model were tested. The surface roughness, crush strength, and thinned wall deflection were tested for variations of each material. This was tested with different cure and bake times for the resin and annealing for the polycarbonate. An ASTM shear test was used to verify that the changes in characteristics of polycarbonate samples were due to the annealing process. MSLA resin samples proved to have lower surface roughness, with the face of the sample reaching roughness as low as 1.42 microns. Resin also had a superior crush strength, with the cross-sectional rings having a crush strength up to 156.5 lbs, and up to a 55% increase from polycarbonate. However, the polycarbonate samples deflected less under load. Polycarbonate samples had an average deflection of 0.665mm compared to 0.884mm of the BLU Lava Black and 0.970mm of the BLU Clear v2 resin. Cure time influenced the resin samples, with longer cure time showing a decreased amount of deflection and increased strength in the crush testing. Polycarbonate was also shown to increase in strength when annealed. Other material characteristics proved to be important as well. Although it was a weaker material, BLU Clear V2 proved favorable due to its lower cytotoxicity compared to BLU Lava Black, which often killed cells when the full MHD pump assembly was tested. Polycarbonate MHD bodies often would delaminate along layer lines, which allowed the inner electrode post to break off if the part was not handled delicately. This meant the magnet needed to be glued inside a shell model, which required additional time, manufacturing difficulty, and overall model complexity. Because of all these advantages, the models made from the BLU Clear V2 were able to be successfully tested.

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Available for download on Tuesday, May 15, 2029

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Rights Statement

In Copyright