Forming tool of sample loading layer and using method of forming tool

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of preparation of biological chips, and particularly relates to a forming tool of a sample loading layer and a using method of the forming tool, the forming tool comprises a main body and a forming cover, the main body is provided with a forming cavity used for forming the sample loading layer, a plurality of protruding hole forming blocks are arranged in the forming cavity, and the forming cover is matched with the main body in a mold closing mode. The using method of the forming tool comprises the steps that after materials are poured into the forming cavity, the forming cover is covered, and after drying, demolding can be conducted to take out the sample loading layer. The forming tool is provided with the main body and the forming cover, forming and demolding are facilitated, the hole forming block used for forming the square sample holes is arranged in the forming cavity of the main body, so that the sample loading layer and the square holes are synchronously formed, one-by-one punching is not needed any more, and the manufacturing efficiency and the distribution precision of the square holes are greatly improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of biochip preparation, and particularly relates to a sample loading layer forming tool and a use method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] A biochip is a kind of solid carrier (such as a glass sheet, a silicon sheet, a nylon film, etc.) on which biological molecules (such as DNA, RNA, protein, cells, etc.) are fixed in the form of a microarray to realize high-throughput and rapid analysis of biological samples. For example, a protein chip analyzes the expression profile of protein in cells or tissues in a high-throughput manner. The solid carrier of the protein chip is bonded with a sample loading layer. The sample loading layer is generally formed by pouring and baking PDMS material, and sample holes (for example, 2mm square holes, or other sizes, which can be produced according to experimental requirements) for loading samples are made. A variety of samples are loaded in the sample holes, each sample hole corresponds to a “micro experiment chamber”, and high-throughput microscopic observation and analysis can be realized to improve the detection efficiency. 2mm square holes, or other sizes, which can be produced according to experimental requirements) for loading samples are made. A variety of samples are loaded in the sample holes, each sample hole corresponds to a “micro experiment chamber”, and high-throughput microscopic observation and analysis can be realized to improve the detection efficiency.

[0003] At present, the sample loading layer is poured in a special forming tool, baked and shaped, taken out, and then sample holes are punched one by one. The sample hole production method is to use a punch pen, but the punching efficiency is low, and the punching is prone to misalignment, which affects the accuracy of detection and analysis during use. Moreover, different sizes of sample holes require different punch pens, and commercially available punch pens cannot meet the size requirements. If customized, the price is relatively high. Some use laser cutting to punch holes, but the laser temperature is high, the punching time and laser power are high, and it is not easy to adjust, which is prone to burning the PDMS material of the sample loading layer. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve the above problems, the application provides a sample loading layer forming tool, and sample holes are formed synchronously, which greatly improves the manufacturing efficiency of the sample loading layer. The technical scheme adopted by the application is as follows: A sample loading layer forming tool, comprising a main body and a forming cover, wherein the main body is provided with a forming cavity for forming a sample loading layer, a plurality of protruding hole forming blocks are arranged in the forming cavity, and the forming cover is matched with the main body in a mold clamping mode.

[0005] The sample loading layer forming tool is provided with a boss I on the forming cover, which is matched with the forming cavity in a clamping mode.

[0006] The sample loading layer forming tool further comprises a hole trimming plate, the hole trimming plate is provided with a boss II matched with the forming cavity in a clamping mode, a plurality of protruding punch knives are arranged on the boss II, and the punch knives are one-to-one corresponding to the positions of the hole forming blocks.

[0007] The forming tool of the sample loading layer, the forming cover is made of transparent material, the main body is made of metal material, and the hole repairing plate is made of transparent material.

[0008] The forming tool of the sample loading layer, the forming cover or the hole repairing plate is fixedly connected with the main body through a plurality of bolts.

[0009] The forming tool of the sample loading layer, the forming cavity has a depth of 3 mm, the boss I protrudes from the bottom surface of the forming cover by a height within 1 mm, the boss II protrudes from the bottom surface of the hole repairing plate by a height not more than 1 mm, and the punch knife protrudes from the surface of the boss II by a height not more than 0.5 mm.

[0010] The application also provides a use method of the forming tool of the sample loading layer, which comprises the following steps: S1) pouring the PDMS material into the forming cavity, and filling the PDMS material between the hole forming blocks to avoid slowing down the flow speed of the PDMS material due to the blocking of the hole forming blocks when filling on one side; and waiting for the PDMS material to self-level in the forming cavity for about 10 minutes; S2) aligning the forming cover and slowly covering the forming cover on the main body to avoid generating bubbles; S3) tightening the bolts, closing the mold, placing the tool in an oven, and drying the tool at 80 DEG C for 1 hour; S4) taking out the tool, removing the forming cover, aligning the hole repairing plate on the main body, pressing the hole repairing plate, then removing the hole repairing plate, and removing the residual film on the square holes; S5) separating the four edges of the sample loading layer from the forming cavity, and taking off the sample loading layer.

[0011] The application has the following beneficial effects: Firstly, the forming tool is provided with the main body and the forming cover, which facilitates molding and demolding; the hole forming blocks are arranged in the forming cavity of the main body, so that the sample loading layer and the square holes are synchronously formed, and the sample loading layer is no longer punched one by one, thereby greatly improving the manufacturing efficiency and the distribution accuracy of the square holes. The specifications of the main body and the forming cover can be adjusted to meet the manufacturing of different sample loading layers.

[0012] Secondly, the forming tool is also provided with the hole repairing plate, so that the residual film on the sample holes can be quickly punched off after the sample loading layer is formed, which is very convenient and efficient. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the main body of the embodiment of the application; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the forming cover (bottom surface) of the embodiment of the application; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the hole repairing plate (bottom surface) of the embodiment of the application; Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the use state of the embodiment of the application (the forming cover is transparent display) when forming; Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the use state of the embodiment of the application (the hole forming plate is transparent display) when repairing holes.

[0014] Reference signs: 1 - main body; 2 - forming cover; 3 - hole forming plate; 4 - bolt; 11 - forming cavity; 12 - hole forming block; 13 - notch groove; 21 - boss I; 31 - boss II; 32 - punch knife. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The technical solutions of the application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are exemplary, and the relative arrangement, numerical expression of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments should not be understood as limiting the scope of the application unless specifically stated otherwise. The following description of exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and in no way limits the application and its applications or uses in any sense. Techniques, methods and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail here, but in the case of applicable techniques, methods and devices, they should be considered as part of this specification.

[0016] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form, and when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in the specification, it means that the features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof are present. Unless otherwise stated, the terms "mounting", "connected", "connected" and the like in the application should be broadly understood, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected or integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected, it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0017] For the convenience of description, the terms "up", "down", "left", "right", "bottom" and "top" appear in the application, which do not limit the structure, but only facilitate the understanding of the structural principle of the application with reference to the drawings, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and cannot be understood as a limitation on the application.

[0018] The application is a forming tool for a sample loading layer, which comprises a main body 1 and a forming cover 2, as shown inFigure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 4 The main body 1 is cuboid and is provided with a molding cavity 11 for sample loading layer molding, and a plurality of convex hole molding blocks 12 are arranged in the molding cavity 11. The molding cover 2 is cuboid and matches the size of the main body 1 except the thickness. The molding cover 2 is provided with a convex platform I 21 matched with the molding cavity 11. After pouring the PDMS material in the molding cavity 11, the convex platform I 21 is clamped into the molding cavity 11 to realize the compression of the mold. The bottom surface of the sample loading layer (i.e. the surface attached to the bottom of the molding cavity 11) is a bonding surface and is used for bonding with the substrate of the biochip. In the embodiment, the hole molding block 12 is a square block and can be integrally formed with the main body 1, i.e. the hole on the sample loading layer is square and the size is 2 2mm. In other embodiments, the hole molding block 12 can be designed in other shapes such as cylindrical according to the requirements of the sample loading layer.

[0019] Specifically, in the embodiment, the depth of the molding cavity 11 can be 3mm, and the convex platform I 21 protrudes from the bottom surface of the molding cover 2 by a height of preferably less than 1mm, i.e. the molding thickness of the sample loading layer is about 2mm after the mold is closed. The planar size of the convex platform I 21 is the same as that of the molding cavity 11. On the one hand, after pouring the PDMS material, the convex platform I 21 of the molding cover 2 can assist the flow of the PDMS to uniformly spread in the molding cavity 11, reducing air bubbles. On the other hand, compared with a flat surface, the arrangement of the convex platform I 21 can also reduce the overflow of the PDMS between the molding cover 2 and the main body 1, facilitating the cleaning of the mold and the repair of the sample loading layer after molding. The convex platform I 21 is provided with numbers and letters for marking the square holes on the sample loading layer, which are preferably concave and can be engraved by laser processing or the like.

[0020] Further, the molding cover 2 and the main body 1 can be connected and fixed by a plurality of bolts 4, facilitating disassembly. After the mold is closed, the entire mold needs to be placed in an oven to make the PDMS material solidify and form. The molding cover 2 and the main body 1 will be slightly bonded to the sample loading layer. Therefore, the main body 1 is further provided with a notch groove 13, which can be assisted by a cutting knife, facilitating the separation of the molding cover 2 and the main body 1.

[0021] When the forming cover 2 and the main body 1 are pressed tightly, due to the fact that the boss I 21 and the hole forming block 12 of the forming cavity 11 cannot be 100% perfectly contacted, that is, there is a small gap between the two, a small amount of PDMS material will be between the two. In other words, when the mold is "opened", there is a layer of excess thin PDMS material on the surface of some of the grid holes on the sample loading layer in the forming cavity 11. Therefore, the excess material on the grid holes needs to be removed before the sample can be loaded. Therefore, the forming tool further comprises a hole repairing plate 3, wherein the hole repairing plate 3 is provided with a boss II 31 matched with the forming cavity 11, that is, the boss II 31 is consistent with the plane size of the forming cavity 11, and the protruding height of the boss II 31 relative to the bottom surface of the hole repairing plate 3 is not more than 1mm. A plurality of protruding punches 32 are provided on the boss II 31, and the punches 32 correspond one-to-one to the positions of the hole forming blocks 12. The protruding height of the punches 32 relative to the surface of the boss II 31 is not more than 0.5mm, preferably 0.1-0.2mm, which ensures that the total protruding height of the punches 32 and the boss II 31 relative to the bottom surface of the hole repairing plate 3 is slightly greater than the protruding height of the boss I 21, so that the hole cutting can be realized. Figure 3 and Figure 5 When in use, the hole repairing plate 3 is placed on the main body 1, the boss II 31 is clamped into the forming cavity 11, the hole repairing plate 3 is pressed gently, the punches 32 are aligned with the hole forming blocks 12 and the grid holes on the sample loading layer one by one, the PDMS excess material film on the grid holes is pressed and broken, and the grid holes are all through holes, which is convenient for loading samples.

[0022] Further, in order to facilitate the flow and observation of whether there are bubbles and the like during the pouring of PDMS, the forming cover 2 is made of transparent material such as acrylic, glass and the like; the main body 1 can be made of metal material such as stainless steel and the like, which can reduce wear. The hole repairing plate 3 can be made of transparent material, which is convenient for manual observation of whether the punches 32 and the hole forming blocks 12 are aligned, or can be made of metal material, which can ensure the alignment of the punches 32 and the hole forming blocks 12 through the clamping between the boss II 31 and the forming cavity 11 and the alignment between the side surface of the main body 1 and the hole repairing plate 3. It should be noted that when the hole repairing plate 3 is made of transparent material, the punches 32 can be integrally formed and do not necessarily have to be made of metal material. Since the PDMS material is baked and formed into a sample loading layer, the texture is relatively brittle and tough, and the excess material on the surface of the grid hole is only a thin film. Therefore, whether the punches 32 are made of plastic material or metal material, after the hole repairing plate 3 is pressed, the excess material of the grid hole can be removed, and then the thin film excess material can be manually cleaned.

[0023] The use method of the above forming tool comprises the following steps: S1) can be used with the tool, such as a gun, PDMS material pouring into the molding cavity 11, filling attention should be in several holes between the molding block 12, to avoid unilateral filling due to the hole molding block 12 of the barrier to slow the flow rate of PDMS material; waiting for the PDMS material in the molding cavity 11 self-leveling, about 10 minutes or so; S2) will be shaped cover 2 alignment and slowly cover to the main body 1, can be from left to right or from top to bottom to make the molding cover 2, namely the boss I 21 with the molding cavity 11 PDMS material contact (similar to the way the cell phone paste protective film), to avoid the production of bubbles; S3) tighten the bolt 4, mold, put the tool into the oven, 80 ℃ drying 1 hour; S4) remove the tool, remove the molding cover 2, put the repair hole plate 3 alignment on the main body 1, gently press the repair hole plate 3, then remove the repair hole plate 3; can be used tweezers gently clamp and remove the grid hole on the film excess material; S5) with cutting knife sample loading layer of the four edges and molding cavity 11 cutting separation, sample loading layer.

[0024] The above is only the preferred embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, in structure can also be made several changes or improvements, these changes or improvements should also be considered as the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A molding tool for a sample loading layer, characterized by: Including main body (1) and forming cover (2), the main body (1) is provided with forming cavity (11) for sample loading layer forming, the forming cavity (11) is provided with several convex hole forming blocks (12), the forming cover (2) is matched with the main body (1) mold.

2. The molding tool for a sample loading layer according to claim 1, characterized by: The forming cover (2) is provided with boss I (21) matched with the forming cavity (11).

3. The molding tool for a sample loading layer according to claim 1, wherein: Also including hole repairing plate (3), the hole repairing plate (3) is provided with boss II (31) matched with the forming cavity (11), the boss II (31) is provided with several convex punch knives (32), the punch knife (32) is one-to-one corresponding with the position of hole forming block (12).

4. The molding tool for a sample loading layer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The forming cover (2) adopts transparent material, the main body (1) adopts metal material, and the hole repairing plate (3) adopts transparent material.

5. The molding tool for a sample loading layer of claim 3, wherein: The forming cover (2) or and hole repairing plate (3) and main body (1) can be connected and fixed by several bolts (4).

6. The molding tool for a sample loading layer of claim 3, wherein: The depth of the forming cavity (11) is 3mm, the boss I (21) is convex relative to the bottom surface of the forming cover (2) and the convex height is within 1mm, the boss II (31) is convex relative to the bottom surface of the hole repairing plate (3) and the convex height is not more than 1mm, and the punch knife (32) is convex relative to the surface of the boss II (31) and the convex height is not more than 0.5mm.

7. A method of using a forming tool for a sample loading layer as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterised in that, Including the following steps: S1) pouring PDMS material between multiple hole forming blocks (12), waiting for PDMS material to self-level in the forming cavity (11); S2) aligning the forming cover (2) and slowly covering it on the main body (1), without generating bubbles; S3) placing the tooling into the oven, 80 DEG C, drying for 1 hour; S4) taking out the tooling, removing the forming cover (2), aligning the hole repairing plate (3) on the main body (1), pressing the hole repairing plate (3), then removing the hole repairing plate (3); removing the film excess material on the sample loading layer square hole; S5) separating the side edge of the sample loading layer from the forming cavity (11), and removing the sample loading layer.

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