The LabManual 50 press for experimentation and prototyping at the AMS Institute

AMS Institute is an internationally leading institute where talent is educated and engineers, designers, and both natural and social scientists jointly develop and valorize integrated metropolitan solutions.

AMS Institute was founded in 2014 by three universities: Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It’s exactly the combination of expertise and interdisciplinary nature of the three founding universities combined, that makes AMS Institute uniquely positioned to research, design and propel urban innovation.

LabManual 50: ideal tool for experimentation and prototyping

With its focus on research and innovation, AMS Institute purchased the Fontijne Presses LabManual 50 to be used in its makerspace for experimentation and prototyping of biobased composite materials from municipal waste-streams. 

The biobased materials are derived from sources from wastewater purification (cellulose and kaumera) and organic waste streams (e.g. fruit and vegetables).

The AMS Institute eco-system of scientists, staff and students  is the biggest asset and foundation of the institute.

Thanks to its compact design and very straightforward interface and ease of use, the hydraulic LabManual 50 press can also be made available for students for experimentation and future research. 

Robust design and ease of use

Fontijne Presses’ LabManual 50 – a manually operated hydraulic laboratory press, is the right choice:

• for applications that need accuracy and consistency, but where the number of samples to be processed is moderate, allowing manual operation
• for applications where samples need to be pressed multiple times in order to get a homogenous material or to get rid of moisture

In such cases, straightforward and quick operation, as offered by the LabManual 50, is an important added value. 

Mariet Sauerwein, Research Fellow Biobased Materials at AMS Institute, explains why the Institute choose the LabManual 50 for their research lab: 

“We got to know about Fontijne Presses through our consortium partner. This partner produces biocomposites and has a laboratory press from Fontijne Presses for small scale production and testing. Before purchasing our own press, we first did some testing with this machine and it looked very robust and reliable. 

Furthermore, we liked that Fontijne Presses is a Dutch company so that direct contact is possible and easy in case of maintenance”. 

Another very important advantage of the LabManual press for the AMS Institute is its compact, very robust design and that the press is very easy to use. This makes it a suitable laboratory instrument to work with with students; it needs little explanation and cannot break down easily.

LabManual 50 Series

After sales and training

The staff and students from AMS Institute did not need training for the Fontijne Presses LabManual 50 laboratory press as they could easily start working with the press right away and use all of its functions. The staff was very pleased with the after sales trajectory from Fontijne Presses.

“ The LabManual 50 press is very straightforward and easy to use. However, Fontijne Presses took the time to explain everything and answer all questions. The personal contact with Fontijne Presses was very pleasant. Our contact persons were helpful and kind.”

Future projects

AMS Institute hosts a diverse range of activities that all contribute to improving the urban environment. 

The Fontijne Presses LabManual 50 is an established  equipment in the Makerspace laboratory and allows experimentations with biobased materials. The biobased materials are developed within the projects COMPRO and FABULOUS to showcase and test the transformation of waste streams into valuable design solutions.