Development of PRF extractor using thermoelectric element and temperature sensor

•PRF extractor using of the thermoelectric elements to temperature control.•The sensor for temperature control uses PT100 Ω and a separate sensor module was manufactured.•Precise temperature measurement and control were possible using the PT100 Ω and sensor module.•With six thermoelectric elements, PRF extractor was possible to achieve a temperature of less than 4 °C.

Recently, Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) centrifuges have been used in PRF separation for autologous PRF procedure that can lower the financial burden to patients treated with dental implants. When autologous blood is used to separate PRF, temperature maintenance acts as one of the important variables for high-efficiency PRF extraction. Therefore, in this study, we developed a PRF centrifuge that could control temperature by thermoelectric element and temperature sensor. In order to implement precision temperature control, a circuit was constructed using a PT100Ω temperature sensor. We developed our own sensor module for the PT100Ω. A 1 mA constant current circuit was constructed for the temperature control module, and a constant voltage regulator was used. The current and voltage were not affected by the external circuit, and the temperature sensor could detect only the temperature imposed upon it. This made it possible to sense the temperature with high sensitivity. Thermoelectric elements were controlled based on the sensed temperature using the PT100Ω. The thermoelectric element and temperature sensor module were used in developing the PRF extractor to precisely control the temperature. The temperature change according to the number of thermoelectric elements was confirmed. As a result, the desired temperature could be reached using a total of six thermoelectric elements.