SPI Supplies

ANOPORE™ Inorganic Aluminum Oxide Membrane Filters

Information about custom shapes and cutting the material

We have already described the brittle nature of the Anopore aluminum oxide membrane filter material in our discussion about the reasons for the polypropylene support ring on the Anodisc™ membrane filters.

We are frequently asked questions about either a) cutting the Anopore material or cutting of already cut discs and b) providing on a custom cutting basis the Anopore material to specific customer required sizes and shapes. We would now like to address these two issues, but always keeping in mind the brittle nature of the material in its cut form:

The membrane material can be cut by a laser cutter, and there are several manufacturers of such equipment but this represents a technology that is beyond this website page. We are also told that a water jet cutter would also work. The important thing is that there is just no point is trying to use a knife based approach, even with the finest surgical scalpel blades; the membrane will just shatter.

Others have reported the use of a precision diamond scribe: The approach is to literally score one side of the Anopore material, just as one would score a fragile glass cover slip they might want to cut down to some smaller size. So after making the "scribed mark", one would just crack it along the induced fault line. Using a glass slide with its relatively sharp edge produces best results.

However, we must emphasize that cutting successfully this material is somewhat of an "art", and like with any other instance where practice makes perfect, patience is also required.

For small scale production, probably the diamond scribe approach is the more practical, but for larger quantities, one would need either a laser or water based system.
We invite your requests for custom fabrication of non-standard sizes and shapes. Be sure to tell us the precise size required and any particular specifications on the tolerances. To the degree you can share such information with us, tell us something about the application. There is always a minimum size in dollar value of a custom order, and very frequently, the size of such orders exceeds the budgets of those seeking custom shapes and sizes. But even if you think you don't have the budget, some times we do have bits and pieces that could be converted on a more attractive basis. But remember, we are not talking about producing custom thicknesses or pore sizes or densities. We talk about taking one of the three standard Anopore membrane products and converting them into different sizes and shapes.

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Sunday October 12, 2008
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