Microtitre Plate Relieved Perimeter for Robotic Tip Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microtitre plates with thickened perimeters hinder robotic handling when only a subset of wells needs to be accessed, as the perimeter blocks the downward movement of fluid dispensing tips, limiting flexibility in testing protocols.
Innovation Solution
A microtitre plate design with a horizontally relieved perimeter, allowing fluid dispensing tips to be lowered over a subset of wells by scalloping the long sides, enabling robotic handling of individual tips, rows, columns, or entire arrays without mechanical conversion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the perimeter of the microtitre plate is thickened to provide structural support, then the plate strength is improved, but the robotic handling flexibility deteriorates when accessing only a subset of wells
Solution Approach 1:
The perimeter is segmented into different height zones: the corners maintain the full thickness for structural support, while the mid-sections between corners are relieved to a lower height. This segmentation allows the plate to simultaneously provide structural strength at critical points while enabling robotic tip access to subsets of wells in the relieved regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the perimeter are given different heights locally: corners have full height for strength, while mid-sections have reduced height for accessibility. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing each region with the specific property it needs without compromising the overall structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the perimeter is thickened to maintain structural integrity, then the plate stability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates when only subset of wells need to be accessed
Solution Approach 1:
The perimeter structure is segmented into stable corner regions and accessible mid-section regions. The corner segments maintain full thickness to provide structural stability, while the mid-section segments are relieved to allow easy robotic operation for subset well access.
Solution Approach 2:
The perimeter exhibits local quality variations where corners have high structural properties for stability while mid-sections have reduced structural properties for operational ease. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between stability and ease of operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the perimeter is relieved to enable subset well access, then the robotic handling flexibility is improved, but the plate strength may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The perimeter is divided into relieved mid-sections for flexibility and unrelied corner sections for strength. This segmentation ensures that structural integrity is maintained at critical corner points while enabling flexible robotic handling in the relieved regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the perimeter have different heights: corners maintain full height for strength while mid-sections are reduced for flexibility. This local quality approach allows the plate to simultaneously achieve both strength and flexibility where needed.
4Ease of manufacture
If standard microtitre plate design with thickened perimeter is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the productivity deteriorates due to longer handling strategies
Solution Approach 1:
The perimeter segmentation into corner and mid-section regions can be efficiently achieved through molding or machining processes, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while dramatically improving productivity by enabling direct access to subset wells without requiring longer handling strategies.
Data Source
AI summary
A microtitre plate having a relieved perimeter includes a plate defining a plurality of wells and the perimeter of the plate is horizontally relieved. Alternatively, a microtitre plate may include a base and a holding section extending from the base. The holding section defines a plurality of wells and the perimeter thereof being horizontally relieved.