Rectangular Pipette Tip Carrier With Ribbed Thin-Skirt Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipette carriers require high material usage and complex constructions to manage vertical loads, leading to increased carbon footprint and alignment issues during pipetting operations.
Innovation Solution
A rectangular shaped pipette tip carrier with a thin skirt and inter-cylinder ribs, optimized for mechanical stiffness and reduced material usage, featuring openings for spacer engagement and corner reinforcement to facilitate efficient load transfer and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a monoblock construction with multiple holes is used to increase mechanical strength, then the carrier can transfer vertical loads effectively, but the material usage and carbon footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
The monoblock construction is segmented into a plate with multiple holes, allowing the structure to maintain strength while reducing material usage. The holes create a lattice-like structure that provides mechanical strength with less material than a solid block.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier features varying wall thicknesses in different regions, with thicker walls at the rim and corners where strength is most needed for load transfer, and thinner walls in the center where less strength is required. This local differentiation optimizes material usage while maintaining necessary mechanical strength.
2Strength
If the carrier is constructed with sufficient material and stiffness to transfer vertical loads, then load transfer is effective, but the alignment precision deteriorates due to tolerance stack-up
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier has non-uniform wall thickness with thicker sections at the rim and corners that bear the vertical loads, while the center sections have thinner walls. This local differentiation allows effective load transfer through the thicker regions while minimizing the material that would contribute to tolerance stack-up in the center regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire carrier thick and stiff to ensure load transfer, the design inverts the approach by concentrating material only where structurally necessary (rim and corners) and removing it from areas where it would only contribute to tolerance accumulation (center regions).
3Strength
If a rectangular skirt is added to facilitate spacer-to-spacer loading, then the load transfer path is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rectangular skirt is merged with the main carrier body, forming an integrated structure rather than a separate component. This combining approach improves load transfer capability while avoiding the complexity of additional separate parts and assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The rectangular skirt serves multiple functions: it provides a load transfer path for spacer-to-spacer loading, defines the outer dimensions of the carrier, and works in conjunction with the rim and corners to distribute vertical loads. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components.
Data Source
AI summary
A rectangular shaped pipette tip carrier comprising a rectangular shaped top plate, a peripheral wall surrounding the top plate and connecting the top plate to a rectangular skirt vertically distanced from the top plate, a plurality of vertically oriented hollow cylinders defining a matrix of passages through the pipette tip carrier for detachably holding disposable pipette tips, a plurality of ribs connecting the hollow cylinders to another and a plurality of skirt ribs connecting the top surface of the rectangular skirt to the peripheral wall. The carrier further comprises at least one opening in the longitudinal side or the transverse side of the rectangular skirt providing a passage for a protrusion of a packaging or a passage for a protrusion of a spacer configured to be positioned on top of the pipette tip carrier.