FUSE

Demonstrator Document

AE 26662

Chemical Fluid Analyser:Silicon Machined Micro-pumps and Sensors in an

integrated Micro System (MST) improve testreliability and cost of ownership.

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AE Abstract............................................................................................................................ 31. Company name and address ...................................................................................................52. Company size.........................................................................................................................53. Company business description.................................................................................................54. Company markets and position before the AE...........................................................................55. Product to be improved............................................................................................................76. Description of the product improvements ..................................................................................97. Choices for the selected technologies .....................................................................................108. Expertise and experience.......................................................................................................119. Workplan and rationale ..........................................................................................................1210. Subcontractor information...................................................................................................1611. Barriers perceived ..............................................................................................................1612. Steps taken to overcome the barriers ..................................................................................1713. Knowledge and experience acquired...................................................................................1814. Lessons learned.................................................................................................................1915. The future: industrialisation and internal replication...............................................................1916. Improvement in competitive position....................................................................................2017. Target audience for dissemination.......................................................................................21

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AE Abstract

Anasys, a small Dutch based company with 10 employees, was founded in 1988. It designsproduces and sells laboratory systems and on-line analysing systems. The annual turnoveris about 1,5 million Euro in the wet-chemical, food, gas, and medical market. Anasys’ skillsare related to production, installation, and maintenance of wet chemical analysers. Anasyshas no experience with development of electronics or micro system technology.

The equipment is used for environmental monitoring, process control, laboratory equipmentin Petro-Chemical industry, and food industry and at laboratories of institutions for the of fluidconstituents and concentrations.

The existing products are built as a combination of detector technology (analogue),mechanical components (pumps etc.) and microprocessor units (control, data collection).

The users of this equipment requests for more reliability in combination with much lowercosts for maintenance. The instruments have to be also smart and useful for validation.The improved product uses micro-pumps and micro flow sensors.

The objective of the Application Experiment was threefold: innovation of the existing productof Anasys, to gain insight in micro system technology and to miniaturise the on-lineanalysers, which allows measurements that are more accurate.

The ammonia detection system is chosen as the first application because of reasons of thecurrent market of Anasys BV, but the improvement in functionality is not limited to oneproduct only. The liquid handling system comprises a micro pump, a flow sensor, leadingflow channels and control electronics.

The principle of operation is based upon Flow Injection Analysis (FIA), whereby a sample isinjected or absorbed in a liquid carrier stream causing a specific detectable chemicalreaction.

With the micro liquid handling system a 'smart' analyser has been built that overcomes thelimitations of the existing product regarding accuracy, reproducibility, and maintenance. Byusing the flow-sensor-controlled micro pumps, a constant flow at any time is provided andreduces the consumption of reagent.

The Application Experiment took 13 months to prototype at a cost to FUSE of 115 k€. Thiscovered the total development cost of one prototype implementation.

The product can be used over a period of 5 to 10 years, which is normal in this business.The ROI will come from sales of both the instruments and of the SD systems. An ROI isexpected to be 4 times the investment over 5 years with payback of the 150 k€ investment intwo and a half years.

From this project, Anasys has learned that such a project can be run in parallel with their"normal" activities is possible. However, Anasys had to limit employees’ tasks to two maintasks at the most, and do the tasks in 2-3 days in a row. This makes this type of projectspossible for small companies. Other benefits are: the use of MST technology in the existinganalysers and the ability to start developments of completely new instruments and the abilityof Anasys to design and produce analysers with state of the art technology, which enablesAnasys to achieve a stronger market position.

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Keywords

Chemical analysis, MST, micro pump, laboratory equipment, process analysis andbiomedical analysis, Silicon micromachining.

Signature

7 1211 000 1212 1 3320 1 33 NL

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1. Company name and address

Anasys BVHulsbrookstraat 97665 CE AlbergenThe Netherlands

2. Company size

Anasys designs, produces and sells laboratory systems and on-line analysing systems andemploys ten people. One is involved in management, 3.5 in sales, 1 in finance, and 4.5 inservice and development.

Anasys had an annual turnover of 1,5 M€ in 1998.

The company holds expertise in analogue control systems and had no experience indevelopment of microelectronics or micro system technology.

3. Company business description

Anasys was established in 1988. The business of Anasys covers design, production, andsales of laboratory systems and on-line analysing systems, accounting for total sales of1,5 M€ in 1998.

Anasys offers a line of own products, generating 5% of the turnover. Import of equipmentfrom USA, Germany, and Switzerland, directed to niche markets, counts for 55% of theturnover and service for the remaining 40%. Products are mainly sold to the processindustry (50%). The environmental sector and medical sector counts each for 25%.

In the Dutch market, 85 % of sales is traded and the remaining is exported to UK, Germany,through dealers, and in Belgium by their own sales-office.

Yearly, in those four markets in total some 500 to 1000 systems are sold, with a salesvolume of 25 M€. Anasys is holding a market share of approximately 6% in these marketswith mostly Flow Injection Analysers (FIA), and Total Organic Carbon analysers (TOC).

4. Company markets and position before the AE

The total world market of ‘complex’ analysers is estimated at 2.500 M€. This includeschromatography, spectrometry, Wet Chemical Process Analysers (WCPA), and chemical labsystems.

The market can be divided into process and laboratory analysers, environmental systems,and medical instruments. The WPCA and wet chemical lab system are of importance ofAnasys.

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In the next table a market overview is given:

Market sizeProcess

AnalysersLab.

AnalysersEnvironmental

MonitoringMedical

Instruments

WCPA 100 M€ 70% 0% 30% 0%

Wet ChemicalLab. Systems 75 M€ 10% 40% 40% 10%

Other (EUR/US) 2.500 M€ 40% 30% 10% 10%

Table 1: Market division of conventional complex analysers

Anasys, however, has specialised themselves into niche markets of analyticalinstrumentation, is concentrated mainly on the Benelux for all sections. The experiencegained over many years is implemented in the development of their own product range likethe AMANDA, the NH3 gas analyser, a Chemical Oxygen Demand analyser (COD), and theMM 90, a heavy metal analyser.

Sales arguments are service, process expertise, and sample pre-treatment.

The following table gives an overview of Anasys’ niche markets:

Segments Niche markets M€Process Analysers Total Organic Carbon ( TOC), humidity,

Titrators, special analysers ( i.e. COD)77,5

Lab Analysers Elemental systems, FIA (flow injectionanalysers)

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Environmental Monitoring: Gas analysis systems (i.e. AMANDA);Heavy metal analysers ( i.e. MM 90 )

60

Medical Instruments gas analysis inhospitals and for medical use

Gas analysis in hospitals and for medical use;i.e. NOx in breath analysis

7,5

Table 2: Niche markets of Anasys

In total 50 suppliers, USA (60%), Germany (20%), France, UK, and The Netherlands coverthe total market. Most of the suppliers are covering the conventional market, which ischaracterised by already long known technologies.

As competitors of Anasys can be mentioned: Lachat Instruments (USA, 80 employees),Dohrmann (USA, 70 employees), LAR (D, 100 employees), Bran und Lubbe (D, 35employees), Skalar (NL, 100 employees), Applicon (NL, 100 employees).

The markets of process and laboratory analysers are decreasing because of the world-wideconcentration in industry, resulting in a reduction of plants and laboratories. Next to it, thereis a shift from laboratory analysis to in-situ analysis. The movement from lab to plant ismainly caused by cost reasons, followed by effectiveness and quality. The market ofenvironmental monitoring is shrinking, because the political breakthrough is stagnating, andso is public and business spending. However, the biotechnology and medical markets areincreasing.

It can be concluded that the overall conventional market is shrinking, resulting in a pressureon prices and a greater accent on cost/effectiveness of the systems. Competitors mightenter the niche markets of Anasys as well.

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In face of the developments, Anasys has set the strategic goal to decrease the dependenceof foreign instrument suppliers and to increase turnover of own products from 5 to 30 % bythe end of 2002. To realise this, Anasys has developed a product improvement strategybased on reduction of the cost of ownership of the analysers by applying MST-technologyinto the Solvent Delivery system (SD), the target of this AE. The cost of ownership includesthe investment cost, maintenance cost including costs for updates and the operational cost.

The equipment of competitors contains well-known liquid handling devices, like peristaltictubing pumps. The technological level is proven technology, combined with microprocessorcontrolled instruments.

The cost of the analyser equipment itself (25 k€) accounts for only one third of the total costof an analytical system (75 k€). The solvent delivery system (SD), is about 3% of the totalinvestment of the system. Therefore, cost reduction of the SD is not the essential issue ofthis AE. It is evident that for investment decisions other criteria as selectivity, reliability and“cost of ownership” are the key factors, like reduction of maintenance costs, effluentpollution, down time and operating costs. The possibility of leak detection is also ofimportance.

Anasys has chosen the AMANDA, Wet Chemical Process Analyser, as first to be improved.It operates with less aggressive chemical reagents, and flow accuracy is of less importanceas well. When this AE is successful, Anasys will use the market lead, expanding there MSTdevelopment into other SD environments ending up with the Flow Injection Analysis systems(FIA), applicable in growth markets like medical and biotechnology.

In the next table the turnover in recent years is given:

Consolidated activities (k€) 1995 1996 1997 1998Turnover Instruments 1400 800 650 900Turnover Services 450 500 450 550Total turnover 1850 1300 1100 1450Profit 10 -70 60 50

Table 3: Turnover of Anasys

5. Product to be improved

Anasys manufactures different products of on-line Wet Chemical Process Analysers(WCPA). These WCPA are mostly used for automated on-line analysis of the severaldifferent components in a water stream. The principle of operation is based upon FlowInjection Analysis (FIA) whereby a sample is injected or absorbed in a liquid carrier streamcausing a specific detectable chemical reaction. Each WCPA contains reactor(s),detector(s), and liquid dosing system(s), see also figure 1.

The current liquid dosing system consists of a peristaltic pump system, which has itslimitations regarding accuracy, maintenance, and reproducibility (mainly due to wear). It isvery difficult to obtain a well-defined constant flow at reasonable costs.

The currently widely used liquid dosing systems have a relatively large volume in pumps,hoses, valves etc. This means that large volumes of reagent are used for the analysis.

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Since the used reagent has to be handled as (toxic) chemical waste, the use of less reagentmeans in decreased operational costs.

The currently used technology is fluid mechanics, driven and controlled by analogueelectronics and data collection by microprocessor based electronics.

Figure 1: Principle of WCPA system

The market forces into lower cost of ownership for the customer. So lower cost price,maintenance cost and costs for spares/consumables, an increased reliability, and ease ofoperation.

Big problem with current modern WCPAs is the liquid handling part:• low chemical resistance• high maintenance needed• badly defined flows• flows not known

In theory, it should be possible to design liquid handling systems that could cope with thoseproblems using MST components and electronics. Big progress is made with chemicalresistance, the definition of flows and increased control over the whole liquid handling.

Special attention had to be given to:• the behaviour with different chemicals (viscosity, resistance, wetting properties)• the influence of back pressure on the flow• the influence of temperature, limits (software corrections)• the maximum flow that could be reached

Replaced by MSTcomponents

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6. Description of the product improvements

By applying a micro liquid handling system,the flow can be kept constant at any timeand the consumption of reagent will bereduced. The peristaltic tubing pump (seealso figure 1) is replaced by the micro-pumps, and extra sensors are built in formeasuring the flows in critical parts of theanalyser. The change in technologyconcerns only the liquid handling, sopumping, and sensing. Figure 2: Micro-pump used in new product

The new technology gives the advantagesas pointed out in this section. With the oldertechnology, it was not possible to achievethis big improvement for analyserperformance.

A micro-pump is used (see figure 3), basedon a piezoelectric driving principle, togetherwith two passive valves. In an actuationchamber a diaphragm is piezoelectricmoved so that the pressure varies and fluidis whether sucked in or pressed through thepump. Only silicon and glass are in contactwith the fluid.

Figure 3: Schematic of a micro-pump

The flow is measured based on themeasurement of the pressure drop overmicro-channels. Pressures are measuredup- and downstream, which depends on theamount and direction of the flow. Again, thefluid is only in contact with glass, silicon orsilicon nitride or a chemical resistant coatinglike fluorocarbon (Teflon-like).

The components are attached on a baseplate that contains the fluid channels andthe electrical connections.

Figure 4: Flow sensor based on MST

A micro-machined silicon-glass plate fulfils the chemical constraints (inert), and can containthe fluid channels as well as electrical connections.With feed back electronics, the flow forced by the pump will be controlled.

In the following the technical specifications of the micro liquid handling system that isdesigned in this application experiment are listed in relation to the old system:

- Back pressure 800 mbar (enhancement, was 500 mbar).- Chemically inert with exception of NaOH (reduced application, but acceptable).- Flow range from 0.5 - 3 ml/min (reduced upper limit, but acceptable).

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- Flow accuracy 1% fsd (much better, was 25%).- Minimal maintenance (much better, was 1 time/day 1 hour).- Temperature range: 5 - 400C (extended temperature range, was 300C).- Pulseless/dampened pulsing or high frequency pulses.

The specifications of the old and new SD are kept almost the same. The advantage of thenew SD system, based on MST-technology, should be the reduction of the cost of ownershipwith regard to the following factors:

Product costs- It is expected that the component costs, production and assembly costs for a 4-channel

analyser can be decreased with 6%.

Operational costs

- The SD is less maintenance intensive due to the reductions of the number of internalliquid connections and integration of the total liquid handling. It is expected that this willreduce the maintenance costs with 700 €/year.

- Because of its compactness the use of chemicals can be reduced with 50% and thevolume of waste-flow will be reduced by 40%. The annual benefit can be calculated at6.000 €/year.

- Because the analyser is simplified and therefore easy to use, process operators insteadof laboratory employees can operate it.

- The flow measurement is based pressure difference up and downstream of the sensor.The function of the sensor can be extended and used as leak detector in a 'smart'analyser, so that by external failure the analysis operator can correct or stop the WCPA.

These benefits are valuable arguments for the development of SD system on basis of MST-technology.

By using MST the instruments gives much better performance regarding cost price,maintenance cost, and costs for spares/consumables, and realised an increased reliability.

7. Choices for the selected technologies

The techniques, usable as SD systems that are evaluated:

- Chemical containers under pressure are not computer controllable, are not stable, anddangerous to operate.

- Controlled syringes are complex to control. However, they do operate well but notsuitable for in-situ operations and are expensive.

- A plunger pump with valves, pulsating, if chemical resistant, is very expensive.- Peristaltic tubing pumps, however mostly used, requires much maintenance, and has a

poor chemical resistance.- Micro-system, easy to operate, pulsing damped in liquid, chemical resistant, and cheaper

to operate.

The micro-pump used in this experiment is based on a piezo-electrically driven diaphragmactuator, which is combined with a valve unit consisting of two cantilever valves (see alsofigure 3 in section 6). The developed pump is self priming and bubble-tolerant.

The miniaturised components (pump, flow sensor) are manufactured by IFT, using siliconmicro-machining techniques. The fabrication technologies, silicon micro machining, allowbatch fabrication of these components. Only by means of miniaturisation, the specifications

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with respect to accuracy, size, and costs, can be met. Advantage of the use of the materialssilicon and glass is their perfect (bio) chemical resistance.

Design and specification tests are carried out by testing the components at different(temperature) conditions with variable chemical components (acidic, alkaline). Thecomponents tests were applied in the ammonia analysing system and consisted of:

Test micro-pump:- volume flow versus frequency- volume flow back pressure- volume flow dependency on temperature- chemical resistance of the micro-pumps- life time of the micro-pumps

Test flow-sensor:- current velocity versus channel width- current velocity dependency on temperature- chemical resistance of the flow-sensor

Anasys carried out user/application tests with the total demonstrator system in theapplication (ammonia measuring apparatus) under laboratory conditions and under fieldconditions.

In the next table, an overview of the factors relevant to the decision, which pump to use, arelisted.

Eas

e o

f use

Co

mp

ute

r C

on

tro

l

Sta

bilit

y

Rep

rod

uci

bili

ty

Mai

nte

nan

ce

Ch

emic

al r

esis

tan

ce

Pul

satin

g

Sm

all v

olu

mes

Low

cos

t

Sco

reContains under press - - + + - + - - - 3

Controlled syringe - + + + - + - - - 4

Plunger pumps + - - - - - + + - 3

Peristaltic pumps - - - - + - + + - 3

MST + + + + + + - + + 8

Table 4: Overview choice factors for pumps

IFT used their own tools for redesign and producing the new pumps and sensors. Anasysused no special tools to design the interfacing between the pumps and the computer in theAMANDA. Anasys used LABVIEW for the user interface because of its simple operation,quick adaptation to changes, and no time consuming programming.

8. Expertise and experience

Although Anasys is a relatively young company, some of the employees have many years ofexperience in the field of analytical instrumentation regarding research/development of

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process-analysing systems. Examples are environmental monitoring, gas monitoring, stack-gas monitoring, on-line analysis of surface water, wastewater, influent- and effluent- streams.The experience gained over many years is implemented in the development of number ofown products.

The electronic experience mainly consists of the implementation of analyse procedures, andthe programming of the application programs in higher programming languages. Thesystems are supplied with complete external developed and produced electronics, mainly ona PC base. The interfacing was subcontracted until now.

The company has contracted two engineers to develop the MST-component and to embedthe new technologies in the company. After the Application Experiment, Anasys had to beable to design its own electronics and software.

The project team consisted of three people; one electronic engineer and two chemicalengineers.

The electronic engineer, who is also involved in service and development, holds a BSc inelectronic engineering is experienced in building and designing electronics for chemicalanalysers, in particularly for detectors. Among them a photometric system, a conductivitysystem, and a chemi-luminescence detector, he is partly involved in the software design ofthe NH3 analyser. He joined the company shortly after the start of the project.

Both the chemical engineers have broad experience in designing and constructing chemicalanalysers, especially for liquid handling. Among these are: COD-analyser, Heavy Metals, FIAand NH3 systems.

9. Workplan and rationale

The idea behind the work plan was to transfer knowledge to FU by an experiencedsubcontractor. IFT was therefore an ideal partner, also because of their ability to do specialdevelopments to meet FU’s needs.

The role of subcontractor (IFT) was to deliver working pumps and flow sensors, conform thespecification. Secondly they trained and educated Anasys personnel in theory and practiceusing MST for chemical analysers. They also adapted the pumps (especially flow rate) toAnasys needs.

The TTN played an important role during the set-up of this AE. One reason was thenecessary change of subcontractor from a nearby-located small Dutch company to a well-established German institute located at 800-km distance. The main reason was the provenexperience in the realisation of MST components, and the ability to get a fixed price contractfor the delivery of working samples. This appeared to be very important when only a fewsamples from the first lot did work. The intended subcontractor from the proposal wanted toshare the responsibility on not functioning of the prototypes with the FU, since they had noexperience with developing micro-pumps, but were convinced their technology was suited forthose components.

The knowledge transfer was done at IFT in different training/theory sessions. It wasorganised as follows: assisting in theoretical study, hands-on training using the MSTcomponents and helping designing/developing during this AE.

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The development was realised within the planned period of 13 month and the plannedbudget of 115 k€, but the problems, which are outlined underneath, did influence the budgetand the planning.

Although the micro pumps were designed on the basis of an existing concept of IFT, allproblems that come with first prototype of a new developed component could be expected.Redesigns appeared to be necessary.

The first series of eight prototype pumps had problems with the maximum flow capacity, sospecial adaptation in the construction was necessary, (higher stroke vs. dead volume ratio).The second series of seven prototype pumps, could reach the desired flow capacity, butsuffered from air sucking. So, it was decided to do the non-destructive tests first and thechemical resistance tests at the end of the project with new pumps. In this way, it waspossible, at a limited scale, to execute the testing of the pumps and at the time more pumpswere delivered, the chemical resistance, temperature and duration tests could be performedlater.

In addition, the micro channels of the flow sensors gave some minor problems, because theirdiameter was too small for the desired flow level. Because of this, the micro-pumps had topump against a too high back-pressure. Theoretical calculations showed other possibilitiesin designing the micro channels with an improved geometry. Also working at highertemperature gave improvement, combined with two pumps at lower frequencies. Thesecombined measures will give a complete spectrum of choices in order to make a broad rangeof Solvent Delivery systems (SD). IFT needed more time to reproduce micro-channels withthe right diameter.

Finally, additional 15 fully functioning pumps were delivered. These pumps were used to testthe outer limits of the components. It appeared that the components were very sensitive forimproper handling and pre-treatment, which was also experienced by IFT. During thesedestructive tests, 11 pumps broke down. Only four pumps remained for the system test.

So system testing was done, based on a limited number of pumps, resulting in a preliminaryworking prototype. However, some important questions remained to be solved as outlined inchapter 11 about the perceived barriers.

With the input of extra working hours and rescheduling of the planning, it was possible torealise the preliminary prototype within the planned time of the 13 months.

The next table gives an overview of planned and realised person days involved in theexecution of tasks.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Realised Planned

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr days daysWP1 Management

Project management etc. 40 3540 35

WP2 Specification & design

Specs and test methodes of WPCA 30 3030 30

WP3 Manufacturing comp.

micro-pump/flow-sensor/front-end-electr. 30 3030 30

WP4 Testing comp. & assembl.

first series of micro-pumps/flow-sensors 51 3051 30

WP5 Testing demo. System

MST system based on new components 91 7091 70

WP6 Impr. MST Liquid Handl. Syst.

Test of complete new LH system 55 4055 40

WP7 Training

Training by IFT 21 2021 20318 255

planned =>actual =>

Table 5: Planned and Real working days

The following tasks were performed:

WP 1: ManagementCosts: Executed by Anasys: 12,8 k€ (40 days).

WP 2: Specification and designDuring this phase the specifications were laid down, taking into account the WPCAmeasurement principle, requirements for chemical testing, front-end microelectronics of thesystem and packaging and assembling techniques.Deliverables: specifications and design of MST-handling system and description of the test-methods.Costs: Anasys: 4 k€ (30 days); IFT: 6,5 k€ (8 days); travel expenses: 1,3 k€.

WP 3: Manufacturing of componentsDeliverables: micro pump, flow sensor, micro channel plate, and front-end electronics.Costs: Anasys: 4 k€ (30 days); IFT: 8,2 k€ (8 days); consumables: 7,1 k€; travel expenses:1,6 k€.

WP 4: Testing of components and assemblingThe first series of functionally working pumps could not deliver the required flow capacity, thesecond series still appeared to be sensitive to air sucking. The final series were OK andwere used for tests to find the upper limits. Initially 10 pumps broke down due to sensitivityto pollution and sample pre-treatment. The testing program in the work plan was adapted toprevent overrun.Deliverables: Test report components and prototype MST-system.Costs: Anasys: 6,7 k€ (51 days); IFT: 19,2 k€ (19 days); travel expenses: 1,6 k€.

WP 5: Testing of demonstrator systemTesting the whole MST-system, based on the improvement of the components, using thetest-set up and ammonia analyser.Deliverables: test report test system.Costs: Anasys 12 k€ (91 days); IFT: 6,4 k€ (6 days).

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WP 6: Improved MST- liquid handling systemTesting of the system based on improved components.Deliverables: working and tested prototype.Costs: Anasys 7,3 k€ (55 days); IFT: 3,4 k€ (3 days).

WP 7: TrainingAnasys was thoroughly trained by IFT about the WPCA-measurement principle, packagingand assembling, boundary constraints regarding testing and alike. Anasys will be capable toreplicate the development to other products.Costs: Anasys: 2,8 k€ (21 days); IFT: 8,4 k€ (8 days); travel expenses: 2 k€.

The next table gives and overview of the planned and real effort and costs of the ApplicationExperiment.

detailed cost assesment AnasysTask Role Effort plan Effort real Cost plan Cost real Role Cost plan Cost real Plan Real

(days) (days) (kEURO) (kEURO) (kEURO) (kEURO) (kEURO) (kEURO)WP1 Technical Management Responsible 35 40 9,00 12,80 Assistance 2,50 0,00 11,50 12,80WP2 Specification and design Responsible 30 30 6,00 5,27 Assistance 9,00 6,56 15,00 11,83

WP3 Manufacturing of components Participant 30 30 16,00 12,68 Responsible 2,50 8,20 18,50 20,88WP4 Testing of components and assembling Responsible 30 51 6,00 8,26 Assistance 20,00 19,23 26,00 27,49

WP5 Testing of demonstrator system Responsible 70 91 12,50 12,06 Assistance 8,50 6,36 21,00 18,43WP6 Improved micro liquid handling system Responsible 40 55 7,50 7,33 Assistance 2,50 3,36 10,00 10,69WP7 Training Participant 20 21 5,50 4,83 Responsible 8,00 8,35 13,50 13,18

Totals 255 318 62,50 63,24 53,00 52,06 115,50 115,30

Subcontractors TotalsFirst User

Table 6 Overview of planned and real costs

The main reason for the differences in effort in the above table is the additional time requiredfor the testing described above. The planned costs were based upon a uniform rate for aperson day, whereas the actual First User costs use actual rates for the staff involved in theactivities.

Risk assessment and critical path

The work plan was reviewed in close co-operation with the subcontractor IFT.

At the start of the experiment, it was expected that the required components could bedesigned, produced, and delivered without major technical problems.

One possible source of complications was that the full functionality could not be performedby adaptation of the current available components, which would make a custom specificredesign necessary.

The risk to reach the physical limitations of the maximum pump flow was covered by thepossibility to use two pump heads in parallel. The time involved to change the design in thisis expected to be limited to two weeks.

In case that Anasys should not has enough expertise and experience in building up good testprocedures; IFT would a back up as a part of the on-the-job training.

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10. Subcontractor information

Together with the TTN, it was decided to look for an experienced subcontractor in order toscale down technical risks and to improve the communication about the project. Anasys alsodemanded a warranty on the items delivered, so they could manage and work out the projectas planned.

Initially four subcontractors were selected on basis of literature, and visits to fairs. Anasyshas chosen Fraunhofer Institute - IFT in Munich, because they have an outstandingexperience in design and fabrication of silicon micro machined components, and constructionof MST based liquid handling systems. They were prepared to accept a contract on basis ofa fixed price. Next to it, it proved during negotiations that there was a human fit betweenAnasys and IFT. This resulted in a considerable lower risk in comparison with other potentialsubcontractors.

The Fraunhofer - Institut für Festkörpertechnologie (Institute for Solid State Technology) ispart of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, an independent research institution for the advancementof applied research and development in the Federal Republic of Germany. Since itsfoundation in 1974, IFT works in the areas of microelectronics, sensors, thick and thin filmtechnologies, and laser processing, CAD, and material analysis. In the field of Micro-Systems Technology (MST), experience is particularly strong in the following areas:- Silicon micro machining- Micro-machining (thick and thin film technology and packaging)- Micro-sensors for physical and chemical quantities- Micro-actuators and micro-fluid systems- Microsystems- MST related simulations and design tools

In the research group “actuators and fluidics" comprehensive research and development hasbeen performed for the realisation of micro pumps, micro valves, micro fluidic components(e.g. micro flow restrictions and micro channels) and complex micro fluid systems (e.g. forchemical analysis). This on-going research is accompanied by the development of specialsimulation tools for the characterisation of micro fluid components. The IFT therefore hasthorough knowledge concerning design, fabrication and evaluation in this novel researcharea. The fabrication is based on silicon KOH etching procedures as well as dry etchingtechnique, silicon fusion bonding, anodic bonding and eutectic can be performed for theassembly procedure, so that the silicon device fabrication is reliable and of high quality.

In addition these technologies are targeting the batch fabrication of micro fluid componentsand will enable a low cost production for Anasys. The proven record of IFT, the agreed fixedprice contract, the willingness to operate as subcontractor later on and the human fit loweredthe risk for Anasys.

IFT has proven a contract partner willing to transfer the necessary knowledge and acceptingthe consequences of the fixed price contract by delivering additional pumps.

The rights (IPR) concerning the pumps were not discussed and belong to IFT. Delivery waslate because of organisation/technical problems at IFT. Payment is done after acceptanceby Anasys, and the contract did not have a penalty clause.

11. Barriers perceived

Due to market circumstances, Anasys wanted to increase its market share and profit marginof their own product line by upgrading its own products with MST-technology. This should

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decrease the cost of ownership for the users of those products (analysers). Besides theseopportunities, also barriers were seen.

Anasys was not familiar with the MST-technology at all. Suitable subcontractors wereunknown, especially those who were willing to transfer knowledge to the company tofacilitate Anasys to replicate the development in future.There was a doubt about the capability to manage such a development project. Anasys wasmainly a trading company and had no experience with electronics or MST development.

Anasys had no experience in co-operation with well-experienced big subcontractors.

In addition, the risk with regard to the investment was regarded as high. In order to reducethe financial risk Anasys would prefer a subcontractor contract at a fixed price.

Anasys did not feel strong enough to start a big innovation without having the skills.

Although the management was prepared to face the opportunity, it lacked the staff, whichcould support such a development.

12. Steps taken to overcome the barriers

Anasys made a literature study on the state-of-art of MST-liquid handling systems at theTechnical University of Twente, MESA/MST-Institute. This study increased the confidencethat MST-technology could contribute to Anasys future product strategy.

The study brought also more inside knowledge in potential subcontractors. Discussions withfour selected ones brought more in-depth knowledge in project management, the strengthand weaknesses of the subcontractors, which was important to Anasys because MST is anemerging technology. Finally, IFT was chosen.

The feasibility study gave the reassurance that the project was feasible. The approval of theproject proposal that was developed together with the TTN, by the experts of FUSEincreased the confidence in the development.

The financial risk could be decreased to an acceptable minimum because IFT is regarded asone of the most experienced subcontractors in Europe and was prepared to accept a fixedprice contract, which was seen as an proof of their experience in this field as well.

Before the project, Anasys has strengthened its staff with an engineer with a chemicalbackground and at the start of the project with an engineer with an electronic background;both employed at the service and development department.

During the course of the application experience, additional barriers were faced.

Quite some problems with the pumps occurred and had to be solved. The first series of 20working prototype pumps had a too low flow capacity. So, these samples could only be usedto develop the test set-up for the samples to come in the next batch. The second series of10 working prototype pumps had a much higher volume flow and were less sensitive forback-pressure. Only, these pumps were less bubble-tolerant and not self-priming.

With all the delivered pumps, chemical sensitivity tests were carried out. It became clear thatthey were not chemical inert and some chemicals will damage the pumps. This will havesome influence on the application area, because certain solvents have to be avoided.

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Anasys had underestimated the time necessary for testing. Testing of the components andthe system took twice as much time as planned for.

The second test round with new micro pumps and flow sensors was necessary. For this, theApplication Experiment was extended with four months.

The TTN involvement was necessary in order to get comfortable with MST, finding funds andmanaging. The TTN played an essential role in setting up and realising the project.

13. Knowledge and experience acquired

The expectations at the start were that Anasys should get the knowledge and practicalexperience to evaluate the use of MST components and the ability to build their existinganalysers with MST in stead of the conventional technology. Designing and construction offluid handling components (pumps, valves etc.) was considered be the expertise of aspecialised company.

This project demonstrates that it is possible for small companies to acquire this type ofknowledge via an institute e.g. IFT and that it can be used for designing new analysers.

During the Application Experiment Anasys has gained a lot experience in managing acomplex project, especially in the allocation of the staff. Most of the knowledge was gainedfrom literature and from IFT, during the course of the project.

The handling of the micro-pumps and flow sensors was learned during the experiment mainlyby trial and error. Anasys also experienced what can go wrong with the use of new,unknown components, the possible causes of the errors, and how to solve or prevent theseerrors.

Anasys has underestimated the amount of labour involved in testing the MST-components.

Although first conclusions could only be based on a small number of samples, the conclusionfrom the first series of tests was that a MST-based analyser is possible, especially attemperatures below 25 0C, which is no limitation. Further testing was necessary.

From the second series of tests, it became clear that the reproducibility of the micro pumps isnot yet very good. The flow of five different micro pumps spread 30%.

The reproducibility of the flow sensors appeared to be very good. Only a correction has tobe made to compensate the influence of the temperature, in case the temperature is not keptconstant.

The main conclusions from the series of tests are:• For future replacement of a pump in the Micro Liquid Handling System, it is necessary to

deliver a set of new "settings" together with a new pump.• Because the flow of all prototype pumps start to diverge above 35 0C, it is necessary to

establish an operating temperature for the pumps under 35 0C.

Anasys used the software tool LabVIEW to develop a user interface for the AMANDA on asimple way. Anasys is very content with its performance and will use this tool for futuredevelopments as well.

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14. Lessons learned

Anasys has learned that for the development of software for a project like the Micro LiquidHandling System project, LabVIEW from National Instruments was a good choice. Thevisual programming language is easy to learn and easy to apply. The gained knowledge ofsoftware engineering is very useful for Anasys in future replications. However, for morecomplicated or time-consuming tasks, the assistance of subcontractors is preferred.

During the project, it turned out that the staff could not be allocated to the project whenunder-capacity occurs. The development efficiency improves when the staff is assigned formore days on end. In this type of projects, it proves that the timetable of testing can easilybe adjusted to external occurrences, not causing an overall delay. Future replications can beplanned this way, however it demands a flexible attitude and motivation of the staff as well.The consequence is however, that more space is required because the test facilities have tostay intact without being used during other activities.

Building up the necessary expertise was not easy for Anasys. The literature study on MST atthe university prepared the company for discussions with and the selection of thesubcontractor. Next to the knowledge transferred from the subcontractor, most was learnedfrom the problems faced, making the company more confident for successful futurereplications. Despite some reluctance in the first place, the co-operation with IFT turned outto be very pleasant and fruitful.

A fixed price contract proved in the end to be valuable. When redesigns had to be paid for,together with the extra time for testing of the components and system, the ROI of the projectwould be jeopardised.

15. The future: industrialisation and internal replication

After the experiment, there is a working prototype available, which will be used in a field teston Anasys’ premises.

In face of the developments, Anasys had set the strategic goal to decrease the dependenceof foreign instrument suppliers and to increase turnover of own products from 5 to 30 % bythe end of 2002. To realise this, Anasys has developed a product improvement strategybased on reduction of the cost of ownership of the analysers by applying MST-technologyinto the solvent delivery system (SD), which is the object of this AE.

Anasys has chosen the AMANDA, Wet Chemical Process Analyser, to start with. It operateswith less aggressive chemical reagents, and flow accuracy is of less importance as well. It isexpected that the cost of ownership of an analyser can be reduced by some 6.700 € on ayearly basis, which is a strong sales argument in a shrinking market.

If the introduction of the upgraded AMANDA is successful, Anasys will use the market lead,expanding MST developments into other SD environments ending up with Flow InjectionAnalysis systems (FIA), applicable in growth markets like medical applications andbiotechnology.

In their product development strategy, Anasys will upgrade the Chemical Oxygen Demandanalyser (COD) in 1999 and subsequently the MM 90 (heavy metals) in the beginning of theyear 2000.

The COD analyser, contains eight pumps, uses aggressive chemicals (sulphuric acid) andthe chemical reactions take place at a higher temperature (150 0C). The subcontractor FhG-

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IFT assures that the chemical resistance of the pumps can be adapted. The temperatureproblem can be bypassed by measurement in a cold environment. The investment forupgrading the COD analyser is estimated at 35 k€. The COD analyser will be directed tomarkets in the Far East, still working with measurement methods based on this analyser.These markets will be opened through a price reduction, partially compensated by the costprice reduction of the SD systems, and by the expected increased sales volume.

The MM 90 uses three pumps and operates at low temperatures. The analyser is directed tosmall markets of measuring effluent. The additional investment for the SD system of theMM 90 can be disregarded.

Finally, the SD system for the Flow Injection Analysis system (FIA), which is directed tobiotechnological applications, will be developed in 2000. The additional investment toupgrade this FIA system is expected to be 400 k€.

Anasys plans the production of the 0-serie of the AMANDA to start in January 2000. Afterinstallation at important customers (national institutes like RIVM, ECN and VMT) field-testingwill start in March. At this time the preparation of technical and sales documentation isfinished. The real marketing starts at April 2000, both for the AMANDA and the SD-units.Production of rebuild COD and MM-90 systems with MST will start in April 2000.Commercialisation is planned to start in September.

For the sales of separate SD systems, Anasys will set up a certification procedure. Becauseof limited equality of the produced pumps, every SD has to be delivered with a performancecertificate including the pump specific “settings”.

16. Improvement in competitive position

The so-called 'conventional instrument' market is in big problems world-wide. Therefore themarket leaders (HP/PE/Varian/Thermo) are selling or changing their type of business. Manydiscussions were heart on the instrument shows as IFAT (München) and Pittcon (USA).

A small part of this business, the process instrumentation is growing, although this is a verycyclic market, with low investments during 1997/1998.

Big growth rate (>30%/year) is realised and foreseen for instruments, used in thebiotechnology area. A common trend is however, the continuing decrease of sales prices,combined with increased performance of the analysers. This can only be realised by usingnew technologies and smart analysers.

The number of installed Wet Chemical Process Analysers (WCPA) in the BENELUX isapproximately 200. Only ten percent of these are specials.

There is an increasing demand for those analysers. Because of high work load of processoperators and their poor know-how of the equipment, analysers have to be reliable and oflow maintenance. A breakthrough can be reached by using MST, because they do notcontain the time demanding peristaltic tubing pump, valves etc. Anasys expects their salesestimations to be very conservative for the new SD based analysers.

Although the Solvent Delivery system makes only 10% of the cost prices of a completeanalyser, one has to realise that this part is absolute necessary for making a functionalchemical analysis system.

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Since the average added value of an AMANDA system is 25 k€, the average added value ofan SD system is 2,5 k€, and the total investment is 150 k€. The payback period based on50% instrument sales and 50% SD systems (based on added value) is then thirty monthsafter start of commercialising (April 2000).

The lifetime of a SD containing instrument is over 10 years (improvements included). Basedon a 5-year period without investments for upgrading, an ROI of more than 400% will beachieved.

In the next table sales figures for the own developed products are given (traded instrumentsand services excluded). The influence of the AE is not included in the projected turnover ofthe old products.

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002Old products (units) 3 4 5 1 2 2 2 2Turnover old products (k€) 60 80 100 20 40 40 40 40New products SD based (units) 5 10 20Turnover new products (k€) 100 200 400Separate SD systems (units) 50 200 500Turnover SD systems (k€) 20 80 200

Table 7: Expected sales (own products)

The turnover of Anasys’ own products (FIA/COD/AMANDA/MM-90/Specials) was marginalcompared to Anasys’ totals turnover. The new developed SD systems are expected toincrease the contribution to the total turnover significantly.

17. Target audience for dissemination

This AE describes the development and use of MST components (micro-pumps and flowsensors) in a chemical analyser as produced by the First User. The product-to-be-improvedwas a Wet Chemical Process Analyser (WCPA), but the new developed pumps can be usedfor the solvent distribution of other analysers as well.

The First User was not skilled in dealing with subcontractors and especially of knowledge inhow-to-deal with research institutes.

The technical benefit of this AE would be to other companies with potential application toreplace conventional mechanical components by micro-components.

Anasys recommend strongly going with an experienced subcontractor. If partners are not(enough) familiar with the new technology, an intermediate for contracts, help andunderstanding is recommended.

A detailed development plan can be of great help, but only if enough flexibility is incorporatedin the plan to take care of e.g. delays in delivery times, technical problems etc.

The targeted audience for this AE will be decision-makers and develop engineers fromcompanies in the same business field of Laboratory equipment, process analysis, andmedical invasive systems.

Target companies to fully benefit from this AE must however be conversant with projectplanning and be able to deal effectively with specialist subcontractors. They should also fullyunderstand the technical specification of their existing product.

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Target audience for dissemination:

• Small companies in those sectors of the industry that produce professional chemicallaboratory equipment.

• All companies in the chemical, medical and biochemical analysis sector.• Managers of R&D-departments.

Important keywords for this AE are; chemical analysis, MST, micro pump, laboratoryequipment, process analysis, and biomedical analysis.

ProdCode Name3320 Instruments & appliances for measuring, checking, testing etc.3330 Industrial Process Control Equipment

Table 8: Target audience according to ProdCom codes