A tubephragm pump includes a tubephragm that has a pump head portion that forms a pump chamber, a driving head that holds the tubephragm and expands and contracts the pump chamber by directly pressing and pulling the pump head portion in a direction intersecting with a transfer direction of a transfer fluid, a driving unit that drives the driving head back and forth in a driving direction to expand and contract the pump chamber, and a control unit that controls the driving unit. The tubephragm is in a flat shape with a cross-sectional shape intersecting with the transfer direction of the transfer fluid of the pump chamber having a length in a direction intersecting with the driving direction longer than a length in the driving direction. A pair of liquid contacting surfaces opposing in the driving direction of the pump chamber move while maintaining a parallel state.

A fluid control apparatus includes a first major plate, a piezoelectric device, a second major plate, a peripheral plate, a first film, and a second film. The first film is provided on a side of the first major plate that faces a pump chamber. The first film is provided on a first major surface in such a manner as to have a movable portion one end of which serves as a movable end. The second film is provided on a side of the second major plate that faces the pump chamber. The second film is provided on a third major surface in such a manner as to have a movable portion one end of which serves as a movable end. The first film and the second film are positioned between a first opening provided in the first major plate and a second opening provided in the second major plate.

A miniature pump including a first chamber, a second chamber, a deformable membrane provided within the second chamber that divides the second chamber into first and second sub-chambers, the second sub-chamber defining a reservoir configured to contain liquid to be dispensed, a passage that connects the first chamber to the first sub-chamber, and an outlet in fluid communication with the reservoir, wherein pressurized fluid within the first internal chamber flows through the passage and into the first sub-chamber to compress the deformable membrane and cause liquid contained within the reservoir to flow out from the reservoir through the outlet and wherein the deformable membrane does not generate significant restoring forces when it is deformed and, therefore, will not return to its initial undeformed shape unless the reservoir is refilled.

A diaphragm for use in a pump includes a cover configured to contact fluid to pump the fluid and a backing disposed at least partially within the cover. The backing includes a flexible plate that extends outward relative to a core of the backing, the flexible plate configured to flex during reciprocation of the diaphragm. The cover is formed from a first polymer and the flexible plate is formed from a second polymer.

A diaphragm structured for use in a diaphragm pump useful to pump a working fluid includes a first non-planar layer and a second non-planar layer. The second non-planar layer is independent from the first non-planar layer, but engaged to the first non-planar layer so that the first non-planar layer and the second non-planar layer form a closed space therebetween and travel together while flexing in an intake direction or a discharge direction within a pumping assembly of a diaphragm pump.

A wobble plate for a sequentially activated multi-diaphragm foam pump includes three or more wings, a wobble plate shaft, and an aperture located in each of the three or more wings. A first wing is configured to have a first distance from first contact surface of a first pump diaphragm. A second wing is configured to have a second distance from a first contact surface on a second pump diaphragm, and a third wing is configured to have substantially the second distance from a first contact surface on a third pump diaphragm.

A fluid transportation actuator is disclosed and includes a silencing jet orifice plate, a chamber frame, an actuator, an insulation frame and a conductive frame. The silencing jet orifice plate includes a silencing plate, a suspension plate and a central aperture. The suspension plate is permitted to undergo a bending vibration. The central aperture is formed on a center of the suspension plate. The silencing plate is disposed and fixed in the central aperture disposed at the center of the suspension plate. The chamber frame is stacked on the suspension plate. The actuator is stacked on the chamber frame. The actuator generates the bending vibration in a reciprocating manner as a voltage is applied thereto. The actuator includes a piezoelectric-thin-plate pin. The insulation frame is stacked on the actuator. The conductive frame is stacked on the insulation frame and includes a conductive-frame pin.

In the cell culture device, a volume of a space defined by a diaphragm of the diaphragm pump and a plane at an outer edge of the diaphragm is 1 cm.sup.3 or more and 20 cm.sup.3 or less, in a case where an angle formed by a straight line connecting a foot of a perpendicular line from the apex to the plane to each point in the diaphragm and by the perpendicular line is denoted by an angle A, a thickness H of the diaphragm is within a range of 0.5 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less where the angle A is from 0° to 75°, and in a case where a thickness of the diaphragm at the apex is denoted by H.sub.T, the thickness H satisfies a relationship of 1≤H.sub.T/H≤1.75 at any point where the angle A is from 0° to 75°.

Disclosed herein are robust disposable alternating tangential flow (ATF) housing and diaphragm pump units and associated methods of manufacturing, testing, wetting, and using the same.

A multi-chamber wobble plate pump that includes a housing with an inlet port, an outlet port and a plurality of pump chambers. The pump further includes a plurality of inlet valves each located within one of the pump chambers to control fluid flow from the inlet port to the pump chambers. The pump also includes a plurality of outlet valves that control fluid flow from the pump chambers to the outlet port. A wobble plate is coupled to a diaphragm and a plurality of pistons. Rotation of the wobble plate moves the pistons within the pump chambers to draw in and force fluid out of the chambers. The diaphragm has at least one flex area with a leading edge and a trailing edge. The trailing edge of the diaphragm is thicker than the leading edge. The diaphragm may also have a plurality of diaphragm piston openings each with a diaphragm piston opening centerline. The wobble plate may have a plurality of wobble plate piston openings, each wobble plate piston opening having a wobble plate piston open centerline that is offset from one of diaphragm piston opening centerlines.