Gear reducers configurations

The screw-crammer system uses a conical hopper with a screw that is driven by a separate gear reducer and variable-speed drive motor. The output and effectiveness of the crammer are determined by the screw configuration and the available speed. The ram-type system, on the other hand, uses a pneumatic ram to stuff material into the screw. The ram is a piston-driven unit with the stroke timing adjustable by setting a series of timers located in the control panel. The feed section used by the ram system has an opening that is 12-14 times larger than that of a standard screw extruder. This allows low-bulk-density material to flow freely into the feed throat where the ram can compress it into the screw. Depending on the extruder size, the ram can compact materials with a force of 2000-9000 psi. 

It is important to note at this point that cell sorting performance should not be judged solely on speed. Conventional flow cytometers are very expensive to purchase and operate, and are therefore only found in large research facilities or hospitals. Microfluidics has demonstrated that cell sorting, in multiple formats geared for tailored applications, can become available to all researchers and clinicians since these devices can be made cheaply and configured with commercially available instrumentation. In addition many of the microfluidic technologies allow for disposability which reduces the problem with sample cross-contamination, sterility, and biosafety (when... 

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