Figure 2. A disassembled bead-maker showing all the
component parts.
1) Top
unit with side-arm to which a hand-held bulb-type air pump and gauge can be
attached for pressure regulation as needed. Above the side-arm is a plastic
adjustable valve that can aid in regulating air pressure, sealing the system
from the pump, and allowing for backfilling of air or other gas when pump has
been removed.
2) The upper three-point adjustable horseshoe clamp for holding
units 1 and 3 together.
3) This unit serves as the reservoir for the fluid
sodium alginate with mixed cellular material(s). The unit shown here has an
approx. 50 ml solution capacity, but is intended to be used with approx. 30 ml
samples. The height of this unit can be varied to accommodate larger volumes as
needed. Note that top and bottom O-rings are shown in place.
4) An aluminium
separation plate with pores for the flow of sodium alginate-specimen mixture. Through
these pores, the droplets of the mixture fall into a CaCl2 solution
below.
5) The lower three-point adjustable horseshoe clamp for holding units 4
and 6 together, and with the porous separation plate in-between, held by O-rings
on each of the glass units.
6) The bottom unit serving as a receptacle for the
alginate-specimen droplets that fall into a contained CaCl2 solution. The bottom part of the unit is bevelled outwards to provide a
self-supporting stand for the assembled system. A solid glass bottom is above
the expanded stand, and is also accessible from the inside for easy cleaning. |