YOU CAN 3D PRINT THE 6,200-DOLLAR LAB PUMP FOR 362 DOLLARS
A multi-channel peristaltic pump, entirely SLA printed in clear resin, that costs 362 dollars to build instead of 6,200 dollars to buy.
by Alexander Jönsson, Arianna Toppi and Martin Dufva
ScienceOpen-hardware
Built with3D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend-plus
- license
- GPL-3.0
- repo
- repo FINISHED0 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend-plus · GPL-3.0 · 0 stars · repo FINISHED
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This is a proper lab instrument, published in HardwareX with flow data, repeatability checks across three separate builds, and a working immunoassay to prove it. A peristaltic pump squeezes liquid along a tube with rollers, so the liquid never touches the pump itself — that is why labs use them for cell culture media and anything that has to stay sterile. Multi-channel versions, which drive several tubes at identical rates for microfluidics and organ-on-chip work, are the expensive ones. The paper states a Watson-Marlow 205U costs 6,200 dollars to 9,000 dollars depending on retailer, at least 17 times the cost of building this. Nearly the whole pump is SLA printed in clear resin: base, lids, shaft, and even the jig used to assemble the six rollers. The hard part is not the assembly; it is getting printed parts that fit well, because the paper says the spread between channels comes mainly from the fit between parts. The paper measured about 2 percent relative standard deviation between channels for two of the three tubing types tested, and under 1 percent pump-to-pump across three builds. If you are building one pump for a single assay and you have access to an SLA printer that is already calibrated, this is a weekend-plus and worth it. If you are tuning the printer first or you need the pump tomorrow, it is not.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —All CAD and STL files, a Formlabs print file and the motor control script are on the Open Science Framework repository; the bill of materials is in the paper.
- —The HardwareX paper includes flow characterisation data, step-by-step assembly instructions, and figures showing how to assemble the six rollers with the printed jig.
- —No PCB — the pump uses a NEMA 17 stepper with integrated driver and controller, plugged into a computer by USB.
- —Licence is GNU GPL v3, which permits commercial use but requires derivative works to be open-sourced under the same licence.
- —This is a lab instrument published in a peer-reviewed hardware journal, not a hobbyist project — the documentation reflects that.
- —The paper states the build cost as 362.37 US dollars in 2020; prices for resin, bearings and the stepper will have moved since then.
Parts to buy
8 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the HardwareX paper (The assembly instructions, BOM and flow data are all in the paper — start there, not the file repository.)
- 2.Download the STL files and motor control script from OSF(The paper states files are at doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3R7H4 — that resolves to the Open Science Framework repository.)
- 3.Check your SLA printer's tolerance on the rotor(Print the rotor first and test-fit the bearings before committing to the full housing — if the rotor binds, the channels will not pump evenly.)
- 4.Order the steppers, bearings and tubing from the BOM(The paper lists specific part numbers for the stainless rods and ball bearings — those sizes matter for the roller diameter.)
KNOWN ISSUES
- The 362-dollar cost is from 2020 and will have moved — resin, bearings and steppers have all seen price changes since the paper was published.
- The rotor has to spin without binding or the flow rates will not match between channels — SLA printers vary, and the paper used a Formlabs with known tolerances. If your printer is not dialled in, expect a few test prints before it works.
- The paper tested three separately built pumps (under 1 percent pump-to-pump) and measured about 2 percent channel-to-channel deviation for two tubing sizes, slightly higher for the third. It says that spread comes mainly from the fit between printed parts, so print quality sets how close you get.
- There is no PCB and no Arduino — the NEMA 17 motor has its driver and controller built in, and you run it over USB from Windows using the manufacturer's software and the provided program script. Budget time for installing the drivers and setting the run current for your tubing.
- The paper tested three tubing sizes (0.25, 0.51 and 1.00 mm ID) across silicone, Pharmed BPT and Tygon LMT-55, with a matching lid and motor run current for each. If you use a different tubing material or diameter, you will be re-characterising the flow yourself, and other diameters need a modified lid.
- This is a lab instrument, not a plug-and-play product — the paper assumes you know why you need a peristaltic pump and how to verify the flow rate for your application.
Can I use a different resin or print it on FDM?
The authors recommend a resin (SLA or DLP) printer to get the mechanical strength and accuracy the parts need, and they printed theirs in Formlabs Clear Resin on a Form 2. They point out FDM's lower resolution and weaker mechanical properties, so an FDM print is untested and likely to need rework.
How do I know if my flow rates are correct?
The paper includes a calibration curve of flow rate against motor speed for each tubing size. You measure the actual flow (weigh the output over a timed run) and compare it to the curve — if your pump is off by more than a few percent, check the rotor alignment and bearing fit.
What is the practical difference between this and a commercial multi-channel pump?
In the paper's comparison, both have eight channels, but the Watson-Marlow 205U weighs 7.6 kg against 0.5 kg, is several times larger, and costs at least 17 times more. The 205U is controlled from a keypad or analogue remote, the FAST Pump over USB from a computer. The FAST Pump's files are open, so you can repair or modify it; a commercial pump comes as a finished, supported product.
Can I run it on battery?
The paper only covers mains-powered 24 V DC supplies: a lab power supply set to 24 V, or a 24 V, 2.5 A plug-in supply for the integrated stepper motor. A battery would need to deliver a stable 24 V at that current; the authors did not test it. The motor is controlled over USB from a Windows PC.
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The paper measured about 2 percent flow variation between the eight channels, and under 1 percent pump-to-pump across three separately built pumps. What would trip you up first: dialling in the printer, or getting the tubing and lids right?
Alexander Jönsson, Arianna Toppi and Martin Dufva
Alexander Jonsson, Arianna Toppi and Martin Dufva are at DTU Health Tech, Technical University of Denmark. They published the FAST Pump in HardwareX in 2020 as an open-source alternative to commercial multi-channel peristaltic pumps, which cost thousands of dollars and are a barrier for many labs doing microfluidics and organ-on-chip research.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM17d agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the files are on the Open Science Framework at doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3R7H4, not a GitHub repository, and the HardwareX paper is the primary source for assembly and calibration. There is no Arduino in this design: the pump runs on an integrated NEMA 17 stepper with its own driver, connected over USB and powered from a 24 V supply, and that motor is about three quarters of the roughly 362 dollar parts cost. That figure is from 2020 and prices will have moved, but the paper's own comparison, a Watson-Marlow 205U at 6,200 to 9,000 dollars, or at least 17 times the cost, still makes the point. The single biggest success factor is print quality: the paper says the spread between channels is driven mainly by the fit between printed parts, so a well-calibrated SLA printer matters more than anything else. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.