A modular open-hardware electrospinning platform with interchangeable collectors

Problem we address:

Commercial electrospinning devices cost €10,000–80,000 (industrial units up to €500,000) and are closed ‘black boxes’, making them inaccessible and non-adaptable for most research laboratories.

 Our biggest contribution is not only a new method, but a physically built, upgradeable prototype of a modular open-hardware platform. Swapping the collector target changes the product: a thin wire yields individual fibers, a rotating cylinder winds large-area membranes, with support for planar targets. The platform precisely regulates voltage (up to 30 kV), flow rate and needle–collector distance; a BME680 sensor monitors the microclimate and solvent vapors in real time, and a three-stage HEPA system enables safe work with toxic solvents (DCM, DMF). Build cost is ≈ €6,000 — up to an order of magnitude cheaper than commercial systems. The open Arduino platform with data logging makes it AI-ready (machine-learning morphology prediction, self-regulation). Proven: PCL fibers with indomethacin ≈ 500 nm, defect-free, drug in amorphous form (enhanced bioavailability), optimized by DoE and confirmed with five methods (SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, DSC).