excel lerat ing your business

Electrospinning equipment

Brochure 2015

Company profile

IME Technologies is a privately owned company that spun out from the Eindhoven University of

Technology (TU/e). Over the past years the highly skilled and ambitious staff of IME

Technologies has transformed the company from a small R&D service provider into a

successful electrospinning equipment OEM.

IME Technologies develops and delivers state-of-the-art electrospinning R&D and production

equipment to both academic and industrial research laboratories worldwide.

Our state-of-the-art electrospinning equipment is

Versatile – providing means to explore a wide variety of research areas

Reliable – providing accurate and reproducible results whenever needed

User-friendly – providing results fast with minimal distraction from research goals

Through continuous participation in ongoing

and new research projects we assure that our

product portfolio reflects the state-of-the-art

in electrospinning equipment. Next to

delivering our products, we support our

customers in all phases of their research with

sampling, support, upgrades, and after-sales

services.

The mission of IME Technologies to enable our

clients to improve and accelerate their

research and shorten their time to markt for

new nanofiber products is reflected in our

motto:

‘Excellerating Your Business’

Electrospinning

The interest in nanofibers has increased drastically

over the past years. Due to their extremely high

surface to weight ratio, nanofibers exhibit special

properties that has opened up a wide range of

potential applications. Nanofibers can be used in

filtration, medical applications like drug delivery,

tissue engineering and wound dressing, protective

materials like sound absorption and chemical

resistant fabrics, functional textiles, cosmetics,

energy applications like solar cells and batteries,

but also in nanoelectronics and food applications.

One of the main techniques to produce nanofibers is the process of electrospinning. Although

known for almost a century, there are still numerous challenges remaining in the development

of electrospinning techniques. Together with the required research and development of

nanofiber applications, there is an increasing need in versatile, efficient and state-of-the-art

electrospinning R&D equipment. IME Technologies aims to fulfill this need by providing unique,

reliable, and user-friendly electrospinning equipment.

Our design philosophy

In our philosophy electrospinning equipment should adhere to four design principles:

Safety

Any electrospinning system should contain adequate safety features to provide a safe working

environment for people and the environment.

Reproducibility

Any electrospinning system should minimize the influence on the relevant process parameters

and environmental conditions to provide reliable and reproducible results.

User-friendly

Any electrospinning system should be user-friendly to minimize the time and skills required to

operate it and maintain it.

Versatility

Any electrospinning system should be versatile and expandable to facilitate and accelerate the

advancement of electrospinning research.

Electrospinning Apparatus EC-DIG

IME Technologies has developed a safe, reliable, versatile and user-friendly platform for

electrospinning research and nanofiber product development. Whether you are doing

fundamental materials research or you want to develop good manufacturing practices for

nanofiber production, the Electrospinning Apparatus will enable you to do the job.

Furthermore, the system can be equipped with a variety of add-in modules to extend the

possibilities for state-of-the-art electrospinning research and new application development.

Features EC-DIG

Designed for the laboratory environment

Minimal setup time and maximum flexibility

Transparent protective cover

Integrated safety system

Multi-functional nozzle and collector stand

Large and easily accessible working area

Adjustable high voltage source

Adjustable spinning distance

Accurate fiber current measurement

Integrated cabin temperature sensor

Minimal maintenance

Full CE compliance

Benefits

Stable spinning conditions to provide

reproducible results

Safe and easy-to-use system that enables

fast experimentation

System can be equipped with plug & play

control and spinning modules

Upgradable basic version with analog

controls and fully digital version available

Electrospinning Apparatus EC-ANL

Derived from the Digital Electrospinning Apparatus EC-DIG IME Technologies can also offer a

low-budget Analog Electrospinning Apparatus EC-ANL. This analog system has the same

housing and electrospinning chamber. The main difference is that the EC-ANL has analog high

voltage controls and hence it does not contain an embedded computer to control the

apparatus. While this significiantly reduces the price of the system, this also implies that the

system is not as easy to upgrade and expand with sophisticated collector modules.

However, for basic electrospinning research the EC-ANL provides a high-quality platform for a

variety of stationary electrospinning experiments. Different nozzle configurations and collector

plates can be installed, making it a versatile and user-friendly electrospinning system at a

relatively low cost.

Features and benefits

Designed for the laboratory environment

Minimal setup time and easy operation

Transparent protective cover

Integrated safety system

Compatible with various nozzle and collector modules

Manually adjustable high voltage source with display

Minimal maintenance

Full CE compliance

Electrospinning Apparatus EC-DXL

IME Technologies understands the need from specific researchers to carry out electrospinning

experiments on a larger scale. Not only will this allow research on how to optimize

homogeneity and alignment, it will also form the first step to scale the electrospinning process

to a more economical scale. For this purpose IME Technologies initiated the development of a

larger electrospinning system, the EC-DXL.

The EC-DXL system is based on our proven platform but it has twice the effective working

space for larger scale experimentation. It provides room for up to four integrated syringe

pumps, reducing the need for placing pumps outside the spinning chamber. Furthermore, the

EC-DXL can be equipped with a dual high voltage power source, enabling the use of multiple

nozzles at different conditions. The first EC-DXL has been successfully installed and

commissioned at the end of 2012.

Features and benefits

Proven technology based on our successful EC-DIG platform

Larger working area inside the spinning chamber (1200x700 mm)

Up to four integrated syringe pumps can be installed

Easy access to pumps from side-wall hatches

One negative and up to two positive HV power supplies

Full control via touch-panel user interface

Plug & play installation of motion-controlled collector modules

Larger scale experimentation and production testing possible

Climate-controlled Electrospinning

Electrospinning of nanofibers is a delicate process where the electric field, material viscosity,

spinning distance and other parameters have to be balanced. Moreover, temperature and

relative humidity are shown to be of great influence on the process. To provide control over

these environmental variables, IME Technologies has developed a Climate-controlled

Electrospinning Apparatus.

This state-of-the-art electrospinning platform offers unprecedented control over temperature

and humidity during electrospinning experiments. The unique capabilities of our Climate-

controlled Electrospinning Apparatus will bring your electrospinning research to a new level.

Features EC-CLI

Designed for the laboratory environment

Minimal setup time and maximum flexibility

Based on proven electrospinning platform

System only needs water and power

Temperature control 20 – 45 °C, ±0.5 °C

Humidity control 10 – 80 %, ±2 %

Isolated chamber to prevent condensation

Integrated water purification system

Different HV power options available

Integrated fume hood availble

Minimal maintenance

Full CE compliance

Benefits

Stable spinning conditions to provide

reproducible results

Safe and easy-to-use system that enables

fast experimentation

User-selectable temperature and humidity

level inside spinning chamber

Plug & play installation of add-in modules

The unique EC-CLI system is equipped with a single control cabinet that houses all the air

conditioning system, electronics and system controls. The spinning chamber is placed on top of

this control cabinet, yielding a fully stand-alone system. Numerous commercial systems are

operating successfully in the field since 2010, the main application area being tissue

engineering scaffold and medical device research and production.

Integrated fume hood

To offer a fully stand-alone system, IME Technologies can deliver the EC-CLI system with an

integrated fume hood. The fume hood assures that chemical fumes are adequately vented,

providing a safe working environment for the users when their electrospinning work requires

the use of hazardous solvents. With this addition, customers do not need to sacrifice or

refurbish existing fume hoods anymore but simply connect the integrated fume hood to the lab

ventilation system. IME Technologies only delivers certified fume hoods and they will be

calibrated on-site upon delivery and installation.

Co-axial Electrospinning

Next to producing single, solid nanofibers, the electrospinning process can also be used to

produce coaxial nanofibers. These fibers consist of a core and sheat that are made out of

different materials. There are many interesting applications of coaxial nanofibers such as

encapsulation, catalysis, reinforcement of materials and many more. IME Technologies has

developed a special spinneret for the electrospinning of coaxial fibers. This dedicated nozzle is

versatile and easy-to-use in a variety coaxial electrospinning experiments.

Features EM-CAX

High quality coaxial spinneret

Shielding gas connection and outlet

Inner diameter core nozzle 0.4 mm

Inner diameter sheat nozzle 1.2 mm

Other nozzle diameters on request

Adjustable height of core nozzle

Mountable in multifunctional nozzle stand

Compatible with EM-RDC and EM-RTC

Multi-fiber Electrospinning

Next to producing a single nanofiber, it is also possible to produce multiple nanofibers in

parallel. In this way the production rate can easily be doubled or more. However, care must be

taken to minimize the disturbing influence of one nozzle to the other. Furthermore, cleaning of

the parallel nozzles should be efficient in order to fully benefit from the increased fiber

production speed. IME Technologies has developed a special spinneret for spinning four fibers

in parallel to experiment with multi-nozzle electrospinning.

Features EM-MN4

High quality multi-nozzle (4x) spinneret

Detachable shielding gas cap

Inner nozzle diameter 0.8 mm

Nozzle pitch 10 mm

Other pitch and diameters on request

Other nozzle extension lengths on request

Easy cleaning and seal replacement

Mountable in multifunctional nozzle stand

Compatible with EM-RDC and EM-RTC

Gas shield module

Electrospinning is a process in which a polymer-solvent system is ejected through the nozzle or

spinneret under the influence of an electrostatic field. During the flight of the fiber from the

nozzle to the collector the solvent needs to evaporate. However, in some circumstances and

with particular solvents, evaporation takes place so quickly that the droplet at the nozzle tip

starts to dry prematurely. This premature drying has an adverse effect on the electrospinning

process and hence it needs to be avoided.

IME Technologies has developed a dedicated gas shield ejection module for this purpose. This

module ejects a small cloud of solvent vapor around the nozzle and this protective cloud of

vaporized solvent avoids premature evaporation and drying of the material.

Features EM-GSM

Resistant solvent vaporizer flask

Rigid housing with connections

Compressed air inlet connection

Vapor flow outlet connection

Accurate solvent vapor flow rate control

Control via EC-DIG or EC-CLI user-interface

Compatible with EM-CAX and EM-MN4

Camera system

Features

High performance digital camera system

Insulating housing and flexible mount

Gigabit Ethernet connection

Integrated LED lightning

ON/OFF switch and power supply

ProStream camera software license

Syringe pumps

In order to feed the polymer solution to the nozzle, typically a syringe pump is used. IME

Technologies offers two different syringe pumps, a standard pump and a high precision pump

for more accurate flow rate control. Pumps can also be daisy-chained for indepentend or

synchronized flow control of different materials. Pump controls are all accessible via the user-

interface of the EC-DIG and EC-CLI system. For the EC-ANL dedicated pumps with manual

control panels are included.

Furthermore, IME Technologies can provide a small-volume injection system EM-SVI. In this

system a small syringe pump is integrated in the nozzle stand itself, reducing the amount of

fluid that is lost in the length of tubing between the syringe and nozzle.

Stationary fiber collection modules

Standard circular collector

Features

Stationary circular collector plate

Collector can be fixated on nozzle stand

Discs of Ø50, 100 and 150 mm available

High voltage ground lead connection

Clamp for fiber collection object discs

Minimal maintenance

Parallel plate collector

Features EM-PPC

Collector with parallel conducting strips

Collector can be fixated on nozzle stand

Strip length of 100 mm

Gap between strips 20 – 100 mm

Precise adjustment of gap between strips

High voltage ground lead connection

Clamp for fiber collection and cover plates

Minimal maintenance

Automated fiber collection modules

Instead of collecting the electrospun fibers on a stationary collector, it is also possible to collect

them on a moving or rotating collection surface. This allows for the production of larger

membranes with consistent thicknesses but also for the production of electrospun structures

with a high degree of fiber alignment and orientation. This is realized by acutating the nozzle in

front of a rotating collector and adjusting the translational and rotational speeds with respect

to the fiber velocity itself.

IME Technologies has developed two modules for automated electrospinning where the EM-

RDC is especially suited for making highly aligned membranes while the EM-RTC is better

suited for the production of tubular structures with aligned fibers.

Rotating drum collector

Features EM-RDC

Rotating drum collector with nozzle actuator

Semi-aligned fiber collection

Adjustable spinning distance 40 – 200 mm

Drum dimensions Ø100 x 220 mm

Drum rotating speed 0 – 2500 rpm

Nozzle translation speed 0 – 350 mm/s

Horizontal and vertical placement possible

System control via HMI of EC-DIG or EC-CLI

Rotating target collector

Features EM-RTC

Rotating target collector with nozzle stage

Electrospinning small cylindrical structures

Free placement of nozzle and target stages

Target diameters Ø1…80 mm x 160 mm

Target rotating speed 0 – 4000 rpm

Nozzle translation speed 0 – 350 mm/s

Secondary support for long/heavy targets

System control via HMI of EC-DIG or EC-CLI

Fiber collection module configurations

The automated fiber collection modules of IME Technologies are highly modular. This allows

the selection of different orientations, multiple nozzle translations stages and selection of

different rotating targets like drums, disks, tubes and free-form shapes.

EM-RDC in horizontal (left) and vertical position (right).

EM-RTC in horizontal position (left) and vertical postion with second nozzle stage (right).

Electrospinning tubular structures

IME Technologies is active in the development of new methods and devices for 2D and 3D

electrospinning. As a starting point IME Technologies has developed the EM-RTC module for

the production of tubular or rotation-symmetric electrospun structures. Further developments

within IME Technologies will drive the possibilities of electrospinning to 3D freeforms. Contact

us if you want to learn more about our 3D electrospinning capabilities.

Tubular electrospun constructs Electrospun heart valve scaffold

Semi-oriented fiber collection

IME Technologies is active in the development of new methods and devices for oriented

electrospinning. Our aim is to provide full control over the deposition point of the electrospun

fibers. The ability to produce meshes of aligned fibers will significantly increase the

functionality, performance and usability of the nanofiber structures in a wide range of

application. Currently, some processes are under development for the production of semi-

oriented circular meshes and highly-aligned square meshes. Contact us if you want to learn

more about our oriented electrospinning capabilities.

Semi-oriented circular mesh Spiral of single fiber Highly aligned square mesh

R&D support

Next to the development, manufacturing and sales of high-quality electrospinning equipment,

IME Technologies also offers R&D support services. Whether it involves the production of some

test samples of a specific material or structure, or the complete co-development of a dedicated

electrospinning process for specific applications, the scientific and engineering team of IME

Technologies is there to help.

IME Technologies has its own research facilities and dedicated staff that can carry out

customer-specific projects upon request. In all cases IME Technologies values clear definition

of goals and deliverables up front, a phased approach and planning, and clear communication

with the customer. If you want to know more, please contact us.

Machine service and maintenance

IME Technologies is an electrospinning OEM that values customer satisfaction and quality.

Hence, IME Technologies offers a comprehensive range of service and maintenance options.

Services range from warranty extension to full service level agreements for the installed

equipment. IME Technologies has adequate stock of spare parts and highly trained field service

engineers to carry out scheduled maintenance or ad-hoc repairs.

Contact information

If you want additional information about our products or services or when you want to obtain a

quotation for a specific system, please contact us.

Company address:

IME Technologies

Spaarpot 147

5667 KW Geldrop

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0)40 282 7956

Fax: +31 (0)40 202 6220

E-mail: sales@imetechnologies.nl

Website: www.imetechnologies.nl

© IME Technologies 2008-2015 All rights reserved. The information in this document is subject to change without prior notice