Pumps, valves, probes, fittings, tubing and sensing components for precise sample preparation, reagent handling and instrument fluidics.
Wash Probes for Reaction Vessels and Microplates
Application guide · Vessel washing
Reaction-vessel washing is a balance among jet coverage, liquid removal, residual volume and damage to any retained solid phase. The wash head, supply pump, aspiration geometry and vessel motion must be qualified as one station.
Engineering example: four wash cycles of 300 μL per well use 1.2 mL before overfill and line prime. If 20 μL remains after each aspiration, the residual fraction after one exchange is about 6.25% of 320 μL; actual carryover also depends on mixing and surface adsorption.[1][2]
01Define the liquid, receiver and complete duty before selecting the component
Translate the analytical task into an engineering duty
Use case
Inputs to define
Decision supported
Reaction-cup rinse
Cup shape, contamination and permitted residual
Cover walls and aspirate the bottom zone
Plate washing
Well count, simultaneous channels and retained beads
Balance branches and protect the solid phase
Flow-cell/cuvette wash
Optical surface and bubble sensitivity
Restore baseline without trapping gas
02Calculate the working point and the margin the instrument really needs
Calculations to complete before prototype selection
Quantity
How to define it
Why it matters
Liquid per cycle
fill volume × exchanges × vessels
Sizes wash and waste reservoirs
Residual fraction
residual ÷ post-fill total volume
Shows why aspiration matters as much as fill
Branch balance
lowest outlet flow ÷ mean flow
Identifies manifold or nozzle mismatch
Use minimum, routine and maximum conditions rather than one nominal point. Include the first cycle after priming or idle, the lowest source level, the highest expected restriction and the actual receiving geometry. A nominal capacity, free-flow value or theoretical command increment is not an acceptance result.
03Map the task to a FOREACH configuration and the rest of the fluid path
04Program the full liquid cycle, including prime, wash and recovery
Position vessel/head→Start aspiration→Deliver wash with defined coverage→Mix or soak if required→Aspirate to residual target→Repeat and verify final state
A complete method cycle is more than the active delivery step
The exact physical order and parallel actions depend on the instrument. Retain each state in the control and verification plan.
Record valve states, motion, dwell, sensor windows and rejected recovery cycles. This makes throughput and liquid consumption auditable and prevents a fast component movement from being reported as the complete analyzer cycle.
05Design abnormal-state diagnosis before the fault occurs
Observed result, likely mechanism and useful next action
Observed condition
Likely mechanism
Engineering response
High residual
Aspirator height or foam
Change geometry/timing before adding exchanges
Uneven wells
Manifold imbalance or blocked nozzle
Measure each branch and service outliers
Signal baseline remains high
Surface adsorption or incomplete exchange
Use method-compatible chemistry and verify optics
The controller should distinguish a recoverable event from a result-invalidating event. A retry is useful only after the original cause has been removed and the liquid path has returned to a verified state.
06Accept performance where the liquid is actually used
Minimum qualification plan for the integrated channel
Result
Where or how to measure
Acceptance question
Residual volume
All positions and vessel lots
Within method limit
Cleaning result
Tracer or analytical blank
Meets carryover/background target
Solid-phase retention
Bead/pellet recovery where applicable
Wash does not remove required material
Test the exact liquid and complete wetted path at minimum, routine and maximum conditions.
Separate first-cycle, steady-state and post-idle results; do not average away recovery behavior.
Challenge the relevant fault and confirm the controller prevents an invalid result from being accepted.
Retain the configuration, software sequence, consumables and receiving-position result together as the qualification record.
