Low coast device for manufacturing borosilicate micropipettes

The manufacture of borosilicate micropipettes is a process based on the heating of a glass tube through a flame or electrical resistance associated with a longitudinal traction of the tube. The heating of the glass makes it malleable which causes it to suffer a linear deformation and consequent reduction of the cross section, allowing the production of micropipettes of internal diameters tip (ID), less than 10m. borosilicate micropipettes are used in various applications to inject micro-fluids or substances into microstructures. They are used in experiments that involve great precision and rigor and use microscopic amounts of substances notably in Analytical Chemistry and Microbiology. In Microbiology it can be used in IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), i.e., fertilization of the ovum occurs outside the female organism. Particularly in this area, the use of these devices has a high cost due to the high degree of precision and control of the internal dimensions of the part of the micropipettes that encounters the structures, in the specific case the ovule. In this case, the end of the micro capillary (tip or needle) must have rather small dimensions of the order of micrometers. The regular cost of each of these micropipettes is in the range of US$ 25.00 to US$ 30.00, which is a factor that costs the cost of the medical procedure highlighted. Aiming to reduce the burden of this operation, a process of manufacturing borosilicate micropipettes with the above characteristics was developed, at a maximum cost of US $ 0.17, that is, almost two hundred times smaller than the initial cost of a known micropipette. In this article, we will make a brief reference of the manufacturing process and the preliminary results achieved.