Modular Vacuum Manifold Maintains Plate Position
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum manifolds for multiwell plates experience variable plate movement due to gasket compression and vacuum pressure, making accurate and reproducible automated liquid handling difficult, especially for small volume transfers, and are prone to damage and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A modular vacuum manifold assembly with a base and collar design that maintains a constant stack height regardless of vacuum pressure, using removable inserts to position the multiwell plate securely, allowing precise liquid handling and preventing plate movement during vacuum application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a compressible gasket material is used to seal the filter plate in conventional vacuum manifolds, then sealing is achieved, but the plate position becomes variable due to gasket compression and vacuum pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold is divided into separate components: a base with a first gasket for sealing the plate perimeter, and a collar that attaches to the base and provides a second gasket for sealing the plate top surface. This segmentation allows each gasket to perform its specific sealing function independently, preventing plate movement while maintaining reliable sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar acts as an intermediary component between the base and the plate. It attaches to the base via a first gasket and seals against the plate via a second gasket, thereby mediating the sealing function and preventing direct contact between the plate and the base that would cause position variability.
2Productivity
If vacuum pressure is applied to drive fluid flow through the membrane, then filtration is achieved, but plate movement occurs due to gasket compression
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into two independent gasket-sealing interfaces: one between the base and collar, and another between the collar and plate. This segmentation distributes the vacuum pressure effects, preventing direct compression of the plate against the base and maintaining plate position stability during filtration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the sealing mechanism from a single compressible gasket interface to a two-interface system where the first gasket seals the base-collaar connection and the second gasket seals the collar-plate connection. This parameter change in the sealing system architecture eliminates the direct transmission of vacuum pressure to the plate, maintaining positional stability.
3Measurement precision
If the plate position varies during vacuum operation, then automated liquid handling cannot be programmed accurately, but using a fixed positioning system would prevent adaptation to different plate configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is designed with threaded engagement to the base, allowing it to be dynamically adjusted to different heights. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the collar to accommodate various plate configurations and thicknesses while maintaining a consistent sealing interface, thereby preserving both positioning accuracy and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a adjustable parameter (collar height via threading) that can be changed to accommodate different plate configurations. This parameter change allows the manifold to adapt to various plate types while maintaining fixed positioning during operation, resolving the contradiction between accuracy and adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and reproducible automated liquid handling, prevents plate damage, and ensures quantitative filtrate transfer, even with small volumes, by maintaining the position of the multiwell plate and collection system during vacuum operation.
Implementation Method 1
Multiwell plates, used in assays, often utilize a vacuum applied to the underside of the membrane as the driving force to generate fluid flow through the membrane
Implementation Method 2
all of the standard manifolds available today use a compressible gasket material to seal the filter plate, and during the evacuation of the vacuum chamber in the manifold, the plate moves as the gasket is compressed
Data Source
AI summary
A laboratory device design particularly for a multiplate format that includes a manifold wherein the position of the plate is not a function of gasket compression or vacuum rate applied. In one embodiment, the device has a modular design, wherein one or more removable inserts, preferably with different functionalities can be positioned between a base component and a collar component. The particular insert(s) chosen depend on the desired sample preparation or assay to be carried out. The insert(s) are stacked and are positioned between the base and collar as a unit, so that the stack within the manifold does not move during evacuation of the vacuum chamber. The consistent position of the insert(s) facilitates using vacuum sample processing with automated liquid handlers.