MicroStretch: Microstretcher designed for Live imaging on Microscopic Stages
Description
Mechanical property testing is essential for understanding the behaviors of materials under different forces, providing insight into material suitability in many fields such as biomechanics, material science, and other engineering fields. Tensile testing is a form of mechanical testing that provides a uniform force to stretch the materials to yield several material properties, such as modulus and strength, across material types. Specialized applications in biomedical and soft materials demand miniaturization for testing under a microscope or spectroscopic stages. The current commercial machines on the market are often large, expensive, or heavy, making them difficult to use for specific needs. This project aims to address this need by developing a cost-effective, miniature, and programmable system that can be tailored to individual lab requirements. By utilizing a bipolar stepper motor attached to a lead screw and sliding linear stage, programmed and controlled by an Arduino microcontroller, the system is capable of applying specialized stretch under uniaxial static or cyclic loading. The developed system can be assembled for less than $100, bringing cost-effectiveness to the front and center of this development. More importantly, the device is light and compatible for live imaging on microscopic stages, enabling specialized research needs across applications.
Files
Institutions
- Florida International University