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Capillary arrays are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. Typical inside dimensions range from > 1µm to .5mm or larger. Outside dimensions range from a fraction of a millimeter to several centimeters. Straight capillaries can be made up to 20' in length or more; coiled capillaries can be made even longer. A black registration fiber can be added to linear arrays to help the user retain position orientation. Capillary disks (plates) can be produced in sizes up to 12" x 12" (including circular, square, rectangles, and other custom cross sections) with the same ID range as linear arrays. Typically, capillary plate arrays are from .5mm to 4.0mm thick, although custom sizes are available. Open area ratios can be as high as 65%, depending on the glass selections and manufacturing techniques. Capillaries are produced by two different methods. In the first method, long, hollow tubes of glass are bundled together inside of a larger glass tube. The entire assembly is then reduced to the desired diameter through a drawing (stretching) process. Drawn capillaries exhibit pristine, fire-polished inner walls. The second method of producing capillary arrays involves etching. In this method, a block of material is produced in which soluble glass fibers are surrounded by insoluble claddings, forming a regular matrix. After the block has been fused, plates are sliced, polished, and placed in an acid bath. The core glass is etched away, leaving a structure of very precise holes in the residual matrix. Etched plate arrays contain holes throughout the entire matrix, all the way to the edges of the plate. CHI offers a variation of the etched plate arrays as a standard product called a Transparent Precision Sieve ("PTS"). A PTS offers a precise matrix of very accurately sized, uniformly spaced holes in a transparent glass disk. Each PTS has a solid glass rim surrounding the active capillary area. The standard PTS disk size is 25mm in diameter by .5mm thick. Standard capillary sizes are 5, 10, 25, 50, and 90 µm. PTS are commonly used in filtering, particle counting, and flow control and measurement. Capillary Arrays | Fused Image Products | Scintillators About CHI | Products | Services | Publications | Contact CHI | Home |
