With the goal of making laboratory equipment accessible to a broad range of researchers, we have developed the Stringimeter, an open-source, cost-effective, and modular setup that can be built in laboratories (or even at home) for as little as €200 to study the extensional flow behaviour of complex fluids.

 

Established techniques such as the dripping-onto-substrate (DoS) method and commercial capillary-breakup extensional rheometer (CaBER) require precise control over filament formation and typically rely on high-speed imaging, making them costly and less accessible to newly established or budget-constrained laboratories. The Stringimeter integrates CaBER-like and DoS-like configurations within a single adaptable framework built from 3D-printed components, widely available electronics, microcontroller-based control, low-cost translation stages, and a moderate-speed camera.

 

With open science at the core of our mission, we provide:

(i) the manuscript highlighting the operational modes and functionality of the Stringimeter;

(ii) a list of key components and assembly guidelines;

(iii) CAD files for the 3D-printed parts;

(iv) Arduino code to control the Stringimeter;

(v) MATLAB code for image analysis, including a step-by-step guide and an example.

 

Download here!

 

Feel free to reach out,  vincenzo.calabrese@polymat.eu