Multichannel pipettes to make you smile
Multichannel pipettes have been on the market for a long time. Some of the great frustrations when working with them are misaligned pipette tips, tips that leak or, worst case, tips that fall off, resulting in wasted reagents or work that has to be repeated. These issues are due to the widespread use of unfavorable pipette tip and tip fitting designs that require excessive force to load tips across all channels. To ensure a secure fit, each tip often has to be hand-tightened; this is both time-consuming and increases the risk of contamination. In addition, jamming the tips onto the tip fittings can cause difficulties for tip ejection after use.
The solution
INTEGRA offers a wide range of multichannel pipettes, both manual and electronic, which do not suffer any of these adverse effects. Pipettes and pipette tips have been designed in combination in order to prevent tips from leaking or falling off, as well as to ensure they are all perfectly aligned at all times. When loading, INTEGRA GripTips snap on with an audible click and positive haptic feedback to ensure they are securely fitted. This means that no ‘hammering on’ is required, and tips can be easily ejected after use.
Learn more about INTEGRA GripTip pipette tips
How multichannel pipettes speed up your PCR set-up
Besides increasing productivity, multichannel pipetting also reduces the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) and errors occurring due to a fatigued hand or lack of focus. For example, setting up a 96 well plate PCR reaction with a single channel pipette can get very tedious. Assuming seven components needed to be added, that adds up to 672 (7 x 96) pipetting steps per plate. This not only leads to a fatigued hand and a greater risk for personal injury, it also demands a high degree of focus, meaning errors can quickly be introduced. Assuming that the template DNA is the only variable component, using an 8 channel pipette reduces the number of pipetting steps by 75 %, meaning 506 fewer steps!
INTEGRA multichannel pipette range
INTEGRA offers several multichannel pipette options from 4 to 16 channels: manual pipettes (EVOLVE), electronic pipettes (VIAFLO) and adjustable tip spacing pipettes (VOYAGER). Besides ensuring securely attached and perfectly aligned pipette tips, they are ultra-lightweight and have a well-balanced design for unsurpassed ergonomics.
EVOLVE manual multichannel pipettes
The EVOLVE manual pipettes feature three adjustable dials to rapidly set volumes. This revolutionary approach reduces repetitive stress injuries and allows users to set volumes in a fraction of the time it takes with a traditional manual pipette. EVOLVE pipettes are available in 8, 12 and 16 channel configurations.
VIAFLO multichannel electronic pipettes
INTEGRA electronic pipettes excel in terms of ergonomics, ease of use and productivity. Pipetting parameters are quickly and easily set by the touch-wheel interface. Instead of repeatedly pushing buttons or twisting fingers to modify volumes, you simply move your finger over the wheel. VIAFLO pipettes are available in 8, 12 and 16 channel configurations.
VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing pipettes
Many laboratory applications require liquid transfers between various labware formats, for example from tubes to microplates. Traditional multichannel pipettes are not designed to accommodate this wide variety of labware formats, forcing researchers to use single channel pipettes. VOYAGER pipettes offer a solution to this problem, offering electronically adjustable tip spacing that enables them to optimally access almost any labware by the touch of a button.
Automate your multichannel pipettes
The ASSIST PLUS pipetting robot streamlines routine pipetting tasks at an affordable price by automating electronic pipettes. Simply mount a VIAFLO or VOYAGER pipette onto the pipette holder, choose a pipetting protocol and press RUN.
