| abstract |
The invention relates to a method for producing a heatable and refrigerable element (12) for a system handling small amounts of liquid and to an element manufactured by the method. The element comprises flow channels (11) and one or more liquid spaces (8) communicating with them, the channels being provided with valves (10) connected to a refrigerator (25) and a heater (18), for blocking the channels by freezing the liquid in them. The element (12) is produced by using a removable mould which serves as a substrate for deposition and by depositing one or more metallic materials by electroformation or an equivalent procedure in such a way that the deposited metal forms a shell (5, 7) by removing the mould from inside the shell by dissolving or smelting, and by connecting the shell at the spot of the valves to a refrigerator (25) and a heater (18). The deposition is carried out so that there is a higher thermal conductivity at the spot of the valves (10) than in the adjacent shell areas. |