A fan-out unit for a data communication system includes: a plurality of optical fibers; and a faceplate with a plurality of ports arranged in at least one row, each of the ports being optically interconnected with a respective one of the optical fibers and configured to received a mating optical fiber. Detectors are used to control the pumping so as to keep the unsettledunseparated mixture away from the flow paths. So as to implement a particularly space-saving, robust and reliable design, in at least one embodiment the admission segments are interconnected in an articulated fashion to form an admission plate chain which can be rolled up. Each relay unit assembly of each electromagnetic relay except for the fixed contact member thereof is secured to the common base plate such that a movable iron piece is driven in parallel with a surface of the common base plate. The device is thus operable to slice harvested tissue into strips, and further into fine particles, that can be used for transplantation onto a wound site.