Its designers were concerned about the extra costs associated with retaining eight separate rollers on their own shaft using traditional fasteners, like screws, nuts and bolts. Limited space was also a consideration, along with the costs associated with assembling so many small components.
These pumps are used to move fluids along a tube in a variety of medical and industrial applications. They can pump sterile or harsh fluids without coming in contact with other components of the pump that can contaminate clean fluids or be damaged by acidic or viscous fluids. Common applications for peristaltic pumps include heart-lung machines to circulate blood during bypass surgery, and in hemodialysis systems.
The core of the pump in this design is a series of rollers that are fastened to a wheel. A tube containing the fluid comes in contact with the rollers as they turn. The rollers pinch the tube in order to force the contents in the tube to move along.
Instead, the clip offered the designers the following advantages:
- Less shaft preparation (no threading, tapping or drilling)
- Reduced weight and size of finished designs
- Lower costs of raw material and labour in assembly of components.
