The topic of this thesis is the design of a pump driven by a magnetic field that affects the movement of a ferromagnetic membrane. Magnets have the remarkable property of generating force that acts at a distance. We used this force to drive the membrane without direct contact with the actuator, which si in our case a translationally moving permanent magnet. The basic concept of the pump follows the design of the human heart, which contains chambers and valves. The thesis includes a review of the available literature in the field of membrane pumps, membrane micropumps, an introduction to the basics of magnetism, and an overview of manufacturing technologies used in production. We first designed the pump virtually, and then fabricated it using rapid prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, laser cutting, thermal forming, etc. The pump was made from readily available materials, such as plastics, rubber, and steel sheet metal. In all design stages, we paid close attention to proper sealing, especially at the interface between the housing and the valves. We determined the essential characteristics of the pump, such as delivery head, pump flow rate per working cycle, and valve sealing. The results were compared with theoretically calculated values. We examined where discrepancies occurred, identified potential reasons for them, and suggested ideas for improving the pump’s performance.
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