This article lists different dispense modes in FluentControl™ defined within a Liquid Class.
Liquid handling and liquid transfer can be done in many ways. A good choice strongly depends on the task and the specific requirements of the application. Depending on which mode is selected, the highest precision and accuracy or maximum throughput can be achieved. In FluentControl, we offer three dispense modes based on the Z-height where liquid is dispensed. The three modes are Free dispense (in which the tip does not contact the liquid in the destination well), Contact dry dispense and Contact wet dispense.
- Free Dispense or ‘out of air’ is the standard Tecan method of pipetting. The tip does not contact the well or the provided liquid when dispensing. Within the dispense section of the liquid class “Detection & Positioning”, the liquid level detection is set to ‘None’ and Z-Offset is set to 0mm. The Z position for the dispense is set to Z Dispense. (Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Settings in the liquid class for free dispense modeThis liquid dispense mode provides good quality and high throughput.
- Contact Dry Dispense is a way of dispensing the liquid at the bottom of an empty well, which is similar to dispensing of viscus liquids with manual pipette at the bottom of the labware. Before dispensing, the dispense tip is moved to the Z-max position; then, once the dispense starts, the tip starts moving (tracking) up. Same as in previous example, liquid level detection is set to ‘None’ and here Z position is set to Z Max. (Figure 2.)
Figure 2. Settings in the liquid class for contact dry dispense modeThis liquid dispense mode provides high quality and low throughput.
- Contact Wet Dispense is a way of dispensing the liquid into any liquid already present in the destination well/labware. This mode is used for small volumes of reagents to be added to the buffer. It is recommended to follow with the mixing cycle to allow the solution to homogenize. Here in the “Detection & Positioning” liquid level detection is set to “cLLD” with the submerge dept of 1 mm. The liquid is then dispensed 1 mm inside the liquid. In the settings Z position is grayed out as it is given by “cLLD” detection. (Figure 3.)
Figure 3. Settings in the liquid class for contact wet mode.This liquid dispense mode provides high quality and low throughput.
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