Where washing or tip changes occur in the instrument
For reusable probes, clean both internal and external wetted surfaces and confirm wash liquid, coverage, contact time and drainage. For disposable tips, control contamination through tip-change, consumable and disposal rules rather than applying a probe-washing procedure.
For reusable probes, manage internal and external wetted surfaces. For disposable tips, manage pickup, changes and disposal. Use sample sequences and blanks to determine whether the strategy is adequate.
Product responsibilities in this operation
The needle or vessel interface brings metering, supply and aspiration to the actual location. Confirm tip geometry, motion and washing conditions for the vessel in use.
For automated pipetting, confirm fixed-probe or tip architecture, wetted surfaces, tip-change rules and contamination targets.
Organize the sequence by actual architecture
- Choose the sequence for the installed architecture. For a reusable probe, identify internal and external wetted surfaces; for disposable tips, identify the permitted tip, pickup position and sample-to-tip assignment.
- With a fixed probe, coordinate internal flushing, external wash coverage, contact time and drainage. Check station accumulation and liquid remaining at the needle opening before the next sample.
- With disposable tips, establish pickup and sealing at the intended rack position before aspiration. After the assigned transfer, eject to the designated waste location and confirm release before picking up the next tip. Use only observations supported by the workstation to establish these states.
- Verify the next actual delivery and the method-required contamination sequence. For fixed probes this follows the complete wash; for tips it follows pickup, use, ejection and replacement, including a failed pickup or interrupted change.
Define operating conditions for this task
| To define | Details |
|---|---|
| Actual operating conditions | Fixed-probe or tip architecture, wetted surfaces, tip-change rules and contamination targets |
| Acceptance target | For fixed needles, check washing and blank recovery. For tip-based architectures, check pickup sealing, tip replacement and contamination across sample sequences. |
| Fault localization | Insufficient wash coverage, a missed tip change or a failed seal may affect the next sample |
Compare product configurations by the roles on this page
| Product | Configuration option | Conditions to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Custom sampling probe | Sampling interface between source container and fluidic path | Compare custom geometry by minimum liquid level, probe-tip clearance and actual sample |
Validate operation results at the receiver
For fixed probes, check washing and blank recovery. For tip-based systems, check pickup sealing, tip changes and sample-sequence contamination.
Measure delivery with actual liquids, tips and well positions, including idle periods, refills and multiple dispensing.
Locate abnormalities and restore the next operation
Insufficient wash coverage, a missed tip change or a failed seal may affect the next sample.
For fixed-probe washing, stop the affected sequence, restore wash supply and drainage, and verify blank recovery. For failed tip pickup, sealing or ejection, hold the affected channel and establish which tip is attached and which samples or wells have already been contacted. Correct the mechanical or consumable state, replace the tip through the defined sequence and verify the next transfer. Review uncertain earlier samples separately instead of silently repeating their additions.
Nominal capacity and volume per step do not establish the minimum reliable pipetting volume. Disposable tips and reusable probes require different cleaning strategies.