OB1 MK4

Microfluidic Flow Controller

1 to 4 channels pressure & vacuum microfluidic flow controller

PRESSURE AND VACUUM CONTROL

Accurately control pressure to push and pull liquid

FLOW CONTROL

Pair it with a flow sensor for accurate flow control

UNMATCHED PERFORMANCE

High precision and responsiveness for your flow regulation

MICROFLUIDIC AUTOMATION

Automate and control your microfluidic experiment

Talk to an expert

Features & Benefits

Cutting-edge Microfluidic Flow Controller

Designed by scientists for scientists, the versatile and powerful OB1 MK4 pressure controller provides the perfect flow control for all kinds of applications.
Whether you need pressure or vacuum, low or high flow rate, for short or week-long processes and experiments, the OB1 MK4 is the ideal instrument for your microfluidic needs.

OB1-schematics Check out our OB1 animation here!

the Best performance in the market: Piezoelectric Technology

The Elveflow OB1 MK4 is the only microfluidic flow control instrument worldwide to use piezoelectric regulators. The piezoelectric technology gives you 20 times more precise and 10 times faster flow control than any other flow controller on the market.

OB1 microfluidics flow controller pressure outlets elveflow

Customizable & upgradable: 1 Module, up to 4 channels, 5 pressure & vacuum ranges available

The OB1 MK4 can be configured according to your needs. In one piece of equipment, you can have up to 4 pressure and/or vacuum channels (and other customized options). If your needs change, the instrument can be upgraded later, in any way you want.

get the Fastest flow rate control when paired with a flow sensor

Connect the OB1 MK4 to a standard liquid flow rate sensor (MFS) or our premium Coriolis flow sensor (BFS, suited to both liquid and gas) to directly control the flow rate in your chip. The system continuously calculates the pressure and maintains the desired and constant flow rate.

Sensor reading unit for Elveflow products with software

Full control software, SDK, and UART communication

Single and intuitive software to get started in a few clicks and automate the most complex and long experiments. The SDK libraries allow you to control the OB1 MK4 using your own code while connecting it to other instruments. The MK4 is also equipped with UART communication protocol in addition to the ESI and SDKs control, allowing it to communicate with most control systems, such as Mac, Linux, Arduino, PLC.

OEM version available

The OB1 MK4 can be used on a bench setup or embedded in your own product. Elveflow has a solution for every step of your research & development. Discover our OB1 MK4 OEM solution.

Recirculation
Lab on a chip
Enhance oil recovery

Videos

Publications

For all the publications using our products, please click here.

For all the application notes and reviews based on our product, please click here.

This table summarizes the main specifications of the Elveflow® OB1 MK4 pressure controller. To provide quality & performance, all of our instruments are tested and calibrated independently (response time, stability, repeatability… ) after being assembled and all test results are kept.

OB1 Table

Non-contractual information, may be changed without notice

⁽¹⁾ Max pressure value might vary by +/- 2.5%
⁽²⁾ Pressure stability (standard deviation) measured over the full pressure range with an external high accuracy pressure sensor (Druck DPI150) ⁽³⁾ Time required to reach 5% of the setting point. Depends on the computer operating system ⁽⁴⁾ Time required to reach 95% of the set point. Volume dependent – Measurement was done on 12 mL reservoir for a set point from 0 to 200 mbar ⁽⁵⁾ A vacuum source is mandatory for calibration and use of dual channels even if the channels are to be used in pressure only.

FLOW CONTROL
Flow sensor compatibility	Compatible with the whole MFS and BFS range Monitoring and feedback loop flow control available
Flow rates	From 0,1 µL/min to 500 mL/min (indicative, please refer to the MFS and BFS series)
Liquid Compatibility	Non contact pump Any aqueous, oil, or biological sample solution.
CONTROL & MONITORING
Software control	Elveflow Smart Interface Windows 7, 8 and 10, both 32 and 64 bit versions supported
Software Development Kit	Librairies available: Matlab, Python, Labview, C++ Windows 7, 8 and 10, both 32 and 64 bit versions supported Serial/UART communication protocol on request
Data management	Possibility to log and extract data (.csv): channel and sensor detailed information using ESI
Input profiles	Possibility to load profiles: ramp, sine, triangle, square or custom
Automation	Generate step-by-step sequences using the ESI built-in sequencer Load and save custom configurations (.csv)
Screen	LCD screen showing pressure and sensor from the channel
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
USB connection	USB B
Sensor connection	One M8-4 pins connecter available per channel Compatible with Elveflow sensors: MFS, MPS, MFP, MBD Custom analog sensor supply: 5-24VCustom analog sensor readout : 0-10V
TTL trigger	In and out available 0-5V
OTHER
Power consumption	12 W (100 V to 240 V – 50 Hz to 60 Hz)
Casing dimensions (5)	(length x width x height): 240 x 223 x 80 mm
Weight	1.4 kg to 2.9 kg

Non-contractual information, may be changed without notice

ESI is Elveflow’s dedicated software interface, built to make experimenter’s life better. It is perfectly adapted for the control of simple and advanced setups and workflow automation. It integrates several modules that make time-consuming and painful tasks so simple. It comes with SDK libraries to control Elveflow system from your own code.

The OB1 control window allows to:

Visualize the key parameters of each channel:
- the command pressure
- the output pressure
Visualize sensor output when one is connected to the OB1 (a flow rate sensor on the first channel in the screenshot presented below)
Set any pressure or flow rate pattern (predefined or custom)
Easily switch in flow rate control mode (sensor mode)
Use the pause/play button to preset the parameters on each channel and launch them simultaneously
Save configurations to gain time in the future or automate your workflow thanks to the sequencer
Open a graph to visualize and save data
Launch and use dedicated modules to simplify specific experimental tasks

Testimonials

“We are using the device extensively at the moment and I have been quite impressed by its capabilities”
Dr. Hayden Taylor, University of California, Berkeley, United States
OB1 flow controller user
“I found the systems quite robust and easy to connect and use”
Martino Chiara - deMello Group, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Droplet pack user
“The OB1 is performing so well and we are very impressed by its behavior so far.”
Eric Pedrol Ripoll, Facultat de Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain
OB1 flow controller user
“The Elveflow OB1 enables us precise pressure and flow control and measurement in various microfluidic and lab scale projects from tissue engineering to membrane filtration analysis. ”
Arne Lüken, Chemical Process Engineering at RWTH Aachen, Germany
OB1 flow controller user
“We are the proud owners of an OB1 we bought about a decade ago. It is still going strong. We would like to ask for a quote for another OB1.”
Dr. David Tadres, University of California, Santa Barbara
OB1 flow controller user
“After an easy installation, we are now using the OB1 and flow sensors routinely and are very satisfied by both the flow stability and the software's user-friendly interface.”
Nelson BC Serre and Matyáš Fendrych, Cell Growth Lab, Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University, Czech Republic
OB1 flow controller user
“We have used Elveflow's products for about 9 years now and are big fans, and have made lots of recommendations to friends in Wageningen and the Netherlands. They are so easy to use, reliable and the pricing is sharp. We are very happy customers! ”
Prof. Dr. Joris Sprakel, Physical Chemistry and soft Matter, Wageningen university, Netherlands
OB1 flow controller user
“I've extensively used Elveflow systems in the World's most Brilliant X-ray source. Elveflow systems are precise, controlled and adaptive to many samples under adverse conditions.”
Pushparani Micheal Raj, PhD, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Lund, Sweden & MAX IV Laboratory, Bavaria, Germany
OB1 flow controller user
“We use Elveflow instrument in several projects and they are great to work with. The LabVIEW implementation was also very successful. I hope more people can get to know the OB1 system.”
Seongjin Park, Senior Engineer, Illumina
OB1 flow controller user