The future of miniaturisation from Bürkert
In all laboratory analytical equipment the overriding trend is towards miniaturisation. In the lab, throughput can be increased if instrumentation takes up less space on the workbench. More space equals more instruments, which means more capacity. In this article, Tony Brennan, Gas and Micro Field Segment Manager, explains how microvalves from Bürkert are pushing the micro envelope further than ever before.

Miniaturisation in laboratories
An ageing population and increased demand in personalised medicine is driving the growth in diagnostic testing and drug discovery. Despite this increased workload, labs have not grown in size or employed more people to cope with this increased demand due to the economic constraints of today’s healthcare system. Advancements in lab automation have meant that more tests can be carried out by fewer staff, in smaller laboratories, in a shorter space of time. This, coupled with the drive towards miniaturisation technology that can multitask, has helped increase lab throughput to meet the increased workload required.
Bürkert can help analyser manufacturers to drive more throughput from the same or smaller space envelope by selecting smaller, lighter components that can be positioned closer to the point of use, with no loss in performance. By switching from standalone valves mounted on a complicated network of tubing with multiple connectors to system manifold designs with fewer connectors and less leak paths, you minimise the chance of system failure and reduce the time required to assemble and test the instrument.
Not only is the equipment in a lab getting smaller but the amount of chemicals and reagents used in each test is reducing as well. This trend is being driven by the high cost of the liquid reagents used in each test and can be seen in instrument design by the movement away from test-tube size samples to micro-titer plates and even smaller lab-on-chip designs.
Microvalves from Bürkert
Bürkert has been designing microfluidics since 1993 in order to meet the special demands created by miniaturisation. These offer excellent cleanability as a result of high precision moulding with optimised low dead volume through flow designs. Our microvalves are media separated, which ensures heat from the coil is not transferred through to the fluid passing through the valve which could affect the sample being analysed. Maximum precision in the manufacturing process ensures the valves are fast, have reproducible response times and promise a long service life.
The following microvalves embody these principles:
Type 6650 – Flipper Valve – 384 well microplate valve
With a width of just 4.5 mm, the media separated Bürkert Type 6650 sets new industry standards. Along with its ultra-compact design, brought about by a need in the market to have a valve with dispense points which allowed dosing needles to dose into a 384 well microplate, the 6650‘s extremely fast and high-precision switching makes it ideal for dosing tasks in the microliter range (3µl). Further advantages of the valve are its capability to handle pressures up to 7 bar for more flexibility of use in various applications. With a service life of up to 200 million cycles at 4.5 bar, it gives you superior reliability.
Type 6712 – Whisper Valve – 7 mm wide with media separation, low power, 5 µl internal volume
With its compact size (7 mm wide and 26 mm high), the media separated diaphragm valve Type 6712 Whisper Valve is ideal for integration in small, portable machines or pipetting arms. Its low switching noise of <36dB allows for maximum concentration in the workplace and optimal conditions for point-of-care applications. Fast switching guarantees precision dosing in any application. The low internal volume of only 5 µl and excellent flushability, eliminate any chance of cross-contamination and ensures reliable results with a power consumption of 0.9 watts.
Type 6724 – Rocker Whisper Valve – 9 mm wide, low power
The Type 6724 is the smaller version of our type 127 rocker valve (9 mm wide, 43 mm high and 1.2 mm orifice). A diaphragm separates the fluid chamber from the actuator and allows the use of aggressive media. With nearly silent switching, it is perfect for the lab and medical applications providing a quiet environment at the patient’s side. The low internal volume of 29 µl, excellent flushability and precision dosing all ensure reliable testing results. Power consumption of <1 watt and a range of process connections (including sub-base for manifold mounting of ¼-28 UNF threaded ports) guarantees flexibility.
Type 6624 – TwinPower – High performance, power saving rocker valve
The Bürkert Type 6624 combines the reliable and successful rocker principle with a powerful TwinPower actuator to reduce its size while boosting performance. The 10 mm wide, media separated rocker valve is available with a 0.8 mm or 1.6 mm orifice and a pressure range from vacuum to 5 bar. The valve has integrated power reduction electronics, which decreases the energy consumption by 75% and reduces heat generated by the coil.
Type 6164 – Pneumatic Cartridge Valve
The drive towards the miniaturisation of electronics can also be seen in our non-media separated valves. Take our Type 6164 pneumatic pilot valve, for instance. This has a compact cartridge design with an outer diameter of 9 mm and height of 28 mm. The valve operates over a pressure range of vacuum to 9 bar (0.5 mm orifice) with a power consumption of 0.7 watts.
The Type 6164 can be easily integrated into manifold solutions to optimise the space envelope available and has a high life span of 100 million cycles, making it very reliable. The valve’s physical attributes and low power consumption make it ideally suited to portable equipment applications. Whereby it can prolong a device’s operational deployment when a battery is used to power the device.
For more information about any of our featured Bürkert products above, or to discuss your application requirements in more detail, please contact our sales team today on +44 (0) 1285 648 720 or email sales.uk@burkert.com.