Pipette Tip Handling Apparatus Using Deep Well Plate and Stacked Trays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for handling pipette tip flats are inefficient and pose risks of contamination or injury, particularly when handling large quantities or hazardous materials, as they require manual alignment and handling, which can be difficult and risky.
Innovation Solution
A pipette tip handling apparatus featuring a deep well plate with individual wells and trays that allow pipette tips to be securely stored and stacked, enabling automated handling and reducing the risk of contamination or injury through a robotic system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling of pipette tip flats is used, then flexibility in operation is maintained, but handling efficiency is low and risk of contamination or injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the handling process into distinct functional modules: the deep well plate holds and stabilizes pipette tips, trays organize and present tips in groups, and the robotic system executes standardized pick-and-place operations. This segmentation enables automated high-speed handling while maintaining flexibility through modular component design.
Solution Approach 2:
The deep well plate acts as an intermediary between storage and usage, providing a stable platform that isolates pipette tips during handling. The trays serve as intermediaries that present tips to the robotic system in an organized manner, eliminating direct manual contact with the tips themselves and reducing contamination risk.
2Ease of operation
If manual alignment of pipette tip flats with racks is performed, then adaptability to different configurations is maintained, but operation complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Pipette tips are pre-organized in trays that are themselves pre-positioned on the deep well plate with correct alignment features. The robotic system receives pre-prepared trays rather than raw pipette tips, eliminating the time-consuming alignment step while maintaining adaptability through programmable tray positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional manual alignment on a flat surface to three-dimensional stacking of trays on the deep well plate. Vertical stacking provides stable, pre-aligned positions that are automatically recognized by the robotic system, eliminating complex horizontal alignment operations.
3Productivity
If individual pipette tips are handled, then precision in placement is achieved, but handling efficiency and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pipette tips are merged into single organizational units (trays holding multiple tips), which are then handled as single entities by the robotic system. This combining approach maintains placement precision through standardized tray positioning while dramatically increasing productivity by reducing the number of individual handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses standardized tray designs that can be replicated and interchanged. Each tray serves as a copyable unit with identical alignment features, allowing the robotic system to efficiently handle multiple trays using the same positioning and placement procedures, maintaining precision across all operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A pipet tip handling apparatus comprises a deep well plate that has a plurality of wells. Each of a first plurality of pipet tips has a head portion and a shank portion. A first tray is seated on the deep well plate and has openings for receiving the first pipet tips. The shank portions of the first pipet tips extend through the openings in the first tray and into the wells of the deep well plate. Each of a second plurality of pipet tips has a head portion and a shank portion. A second tray includes openings for receiving the second pipet tips. The shank portions of the second pipet tips extend through the openings of the second tray and into the head portions of the first pipet tips. The head portions of the first pipet tips support the second tray.