background image

 

F

LEXCELL

®

 

I

NTERNATIONAL 

C

ORPORATION

 

 

 

14 

The 

x-axis scale

 allows for a time interval to 

be set between 0.1 and 1000 seconds. Click on 
one of the two small double-arrow buttons at 
either end of the axis to change this scale. The 
button with  arrows pointing away  from  each 
other increases the axis scale, while the button 
with  arrows  pointing  toward  each  other 
decreases the scale. 
 
The 

Input data

 box allows the user to switch 

the  data  in  the  graph  from  raw  data  to 
averaged  data.  If  the 

Raw  data 

option  is 

selected, the graph will plot the 

kPa pressure 

over  time,  in  seconds,  for  the  selected 
regimen.  If  the 

Moving  average

  option  is 

selected,  the  graph  will  plot  the  average 
pressure  over  the  designated  time  period  (in 
seconds, range of 0.1-1000 seconds) shown in 
the 

Time (s)

 box.  

 
The 

Start time

 box can be set so that the data 

viewed in the plot begin at the specified time 
entered here. Use the timeline at the top of the 
graph to navigate through the regimen. Users 
can  move  the  slider  function  within  the 
timeline  to  manually  progress  through  the 
regimen plot. If the user clicks on the arrows 
at  either  end  of  the  timeline,  the  plot  will 
progress to the next time period as set by the 
x-axis scale. For instance, if the scale is set to 
show 20 seconds of data and the user clicks on 
the right arrow button, the plot will progress 
to the next 20 seconds of data.  
 

3.16 S

HUTTING 

D

OWN THE 

S

YSTEM

 

 
A  system 

drying  filter

  (Fig.  13)  has  been 

supplied with the Flex Jr.

. This device must 

be  used  whenever  the  system  has  been 
operated for more than  one day  and  will not 
be operated again for more than one day. If the 
system  will  be  operated  again  immediately 
after a one-day run or if the regimen runs for 
a longer period of  time,  the  drying  filter can 
be used at the conclusion of the usage period. 
The  device  and  shutdown  program  will  help 

to  remove  any  moisture  entrained  into  the 
valves  during  normal  operation.  This  will 
greatly  prolong  the  life  of  the  valves  and 
reduce  expensive  repairs.  If  the  system  is 
going to be unused for more than a day, we 
recommend closing off the ports on the rear 
of the FlexLink

®

 with the white plugs used 

during shipping (see Fig. 4). Only use white 
plugs after a drying regimen has been run. 

 

Figure 13.

  Setup of a drying filter in-line 

with the Flex Jr.

 Tension System.

 

 
To connect the drying filter to the FlexLink

®

 

(Fig.  13),  first  remove  the 

FLEX  IN

  and 

FLEX  OUT

  tubing  from  the  back  of  the 

FlexLink

®

.  Connect  the  blue  polyethylene 

¼” OD tubing from the drying filter to the 

FLEX IN moisture indicator

 on the back of 

the 

FlexLink

®

Connect 

the 

blue 

polyethylene 

3

/

8

” OD tubing from the drying 

filter to the 

FLEX OUT

 port on the back of 

the FlexLink

®

.  Assign the 

Drying

 regimen 

under the 

Shutdown

 user, using the 

Drying 

Filter 

platform. 

 
If the 

Drying

 regimen is not in the system or 

is  erased,  create  a  regimen  with  the 
following specifications:   

Waveform Shape:

 

Square 

Min % Elongation: 

10.0 

Max % Elongation: 

15.0 

Summary of Contents for Flex Jr.

Page 1: ...sion 13 1 Culturing Cells in a Mechanically Active Environment Flexcell International Corporation 2730 Tucker Street Suite 200 Burlington NC 27215 800 728 3714 919 732 1591 FAX 919 732 5196 www flexce...

Page 2: ...k 5 2 8 Using Additional Flex Jr Tension FlexLinks 5 3 Operation Instructions 6 3 1 Starting the Flex Jr Program 6 3 2 Using the Flex Jr Tutorial 6 3 3 Main Display Window 7 3 4 Configuring Users 8 3...

Page 3: ...than our factory or distributor Breaking the seal and opening the unit case or violating unit components will void the warranty Failure to run the drying regimen as recommended in this manual will vo...

Page 4: ...ument case Doing so will void the warranty provided through Flexcell International Corporation The Acer Aspire Laptop that is provided with the Flexcell Dynamic Culture System Flex Jr Tension system c...

Page 5: ...to a properly grounded power outlet and used with the power cord supplied with the unit s unmodified 3 The unit must be operated with the factory installed cover in place 4 No modifications of the equ...

Page 6: ...ngth of 9 5 mm tubing to the baseplate labeled BPLT side of the water trap c Cut the tubing to a length that will reach the baseplate in the incubator and attach the provided quick disconnect to the o...

Page 7: ...The plate should begin flexing Make a visual check to verify membrane movement 19 To pause or stop the regimen click on Pause or Stop at any time Otherwise the program will stop when the regimen is c...

Page 8: ...computer and monitor 15 Surge protected outlet strip 16 Water Trap 17 Vacuum source optional 2 SETUP OF THE FLEXCELL FLEX JR TENSION SYSTEM Do not power up the Flexcell Flex Jr Tension system until al...

Page 9: ...of the system is 16 4 lbs 7 44 kg Figure 3 A Acer Aspire laptop right side view B Acer Aspire laptop left side view C Connected Ethernet cable 2 3 SETUP OF THE COMPUTER AND THE FLEX JR TENSION FLEXLIN...

Page 10: ...d securing clips Connect the system tubing as follows Fig 1 4 1 Connect the 9 5 mm O D green tubing from the pressure reservoir or vacuum source to the SYSTEM port on the back of the FlexLink 2 Attach...

Page 11: ...lex Jr tubing adapter 2 5 CONNECTING THE SYSTEM VACUUM LINES Connect the blue 9 5 mm vacuum inlet tubing to a vacuum source A vacuum pump capable of producing a maximum vacuum of 100 kPa and a flow ra...

Page 12: ...downloaded again It is recommended that the monitor be put in sleep mode when not in use and that the computer be allowed to run at full power during an experiment 2 7 LCD DISPLAY ON THE FLEX JR TENS...

Page 13: ...Jr System including limits of maximum elongation in the silicone elastomer membrane rebound of the membrane friction and frequency all waveforms cannot be reproduced accurately at every frequency and...

Page 14: ...beled Smoothing One expects data patterns to represent normal distributions of a function describing a straight line sinusoidal curve etc Therefore the plotted points of a mathematical function should...

Page 15: ...the FlexLink during regimen activity When using a platform configuration that uses vacuum to generate a downward stretching of the membrane elongation the vertical scale represents increasing elongati...

Page 16: ...sequence of steps below 1 Type a regimen name in the box labeled Regimen Name 2 Choose the desired waveform shape under Shape by clicking on the downward arrow and selecting an entry from the drop do...

Page 17: ...ick on the step in the window labeled Regimen Steps which contains the list of steps This will cause the step to be highlighted Then click on Remove Step at the bottom of the window Confirm the deleti...

Page 18: ...erall duration of the regimen will be calculated and displayed in the box labeled Duration next to the Step number box If the total duration exceeds the maximum allowable duration this value will be M...

Page 19: ...s the idealized pattern may appear to have some unusual elements e g rounded corners The purpose of these unusual elements is to accommodate for the lag time during sudden changes in pressure e g risi...

Page 20: ...form the user the regimen name and a sequence number If a tension regimen is run three times on FlexLink 1 then there will be three data files on the hard drive with numbers 000 001 and 002 respective...

Page 21: ...ta 3 16 SHUTTING DOWN THE SYSTEM A system drying filter Fig 13 has been supplied with the Flex Jr This device must be used whenever the system has been operated for more than one day and will not be o...

Page 22: ...n the drying filter turn pink the filter is saturated and the beads needs to be regenerated See Tech Report 200 Use of Water Trap and Drying Filter with the Flexcell Tension Systems for instructions o...

Page 23: ...hen the Water Trap becomes half full On the first trial monitor the Water Trap every 15 minutes for the first two hours to be sure that a significant amount of water is not accumulating If so there ma...

Page 24: ...he line Check the VENT port at the back of the FlexLink when the system is running to see if air is moving in or out If not it is possible that the valves are locked due to residue buildup Try applyin...

Page 25: ...ate See the solution to Problem 1 to correct this Be sure to empty the Water Trap frequently if this problem occurs Water accumulation in the FlexLink can damage the valves Problem 6 Cells are not att...

Page 26: ...x with a quick transition at the min Sine Wave This waveform provides a smooth physiological variation in pressure from min to max Triangle Wave This waveform provides a linear ramped rise to the max...

Page 27: ...ongation Applies a defined controlled static or cyclic deformation to cells in vitro Housed valving mechanism automatically regulates and maintains pressure to provide the specified strain regimen Cap...

Page 28: ...tion User manual Vacuum Source Connection User Manual Water Trap and Drying Filter Tech Report and other ancillary manuals for computer Surge protected power outlet strip FLEX JR TENSION COMPUTER SPEC...

Page 29: ...1 9 Maximum achievable elongation with the Flex Jr 13 4 StageFlexer 31mm Diameter Loading Stations equibiaxial strain Minimum achievable elongation with the Flex Jr 2 1 Maximum achievable elongation...

Page 30: ...n off the baseplate see 6 Application Notes 4 Open the water trap drain to remove any accumulated moisture and then close the water trap drain 5 Connect drying filter and run the 4 hour drying regimen...

Page 31: ...ect gmail com Australia New Zealand Cell Systems Biology enquiries cellsystemsbiology com www cellsystemsbiology com Taiwan Nature Opera Biotechnology Inc sales naturebiotech com tw www naturebiotech...

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