Can TECAN Fluent Control be programmed to return expensive reagent "waste" back to original source

From my screenshot, I’m dispensing magnetic beads from column 3 of a 12 column reservoir microplate into various destination plates via a loop. After reagent dispensing, the “Empty Tip” liquid class is called on, and directed to the “FCA Thru Deck Waste Chute_1”. I have been successful when utilizing this function in a tube format, however with microplates it always seems to return to well #1, A1, or likely in this case Column 1. After this movement, I then transfer a different type of magnetic beads from column 4, etc. Is there syntax to have the system return the sample to the original source location?

“Selection Reagents (Col 3)”
“Selection Reagents-Well3”

Great question, I imagine that there’s a way to specify well but haven’t tried myself.

With that said, do you move this plate around or have reagents in other columns?

You could set this up as a carrier holding 12 individual troughs and then each trough gets a specific name so you can still run reagent distribution and return it to that column by defining it as a trough. Make sense?

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You could define a LC for EmptyTipContents to “DoNothing” to prevent blowout to waste.

Furthermore, you could modify a trough like a 100mL reservoir to accept waste and use this as a special liquid waste station (e.g., “$$Waste”) to name in the EmptyTipContents Labware.

I think the first step would save quite a bit of volume, but the second step would retain the absolute max volume. If you want absolute control, utilize a variable pipetting loop instead of reagent distribution.

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i had a similar issue
if you create a nest for the base trough, and then individual sites for the different reservoirs, adding a custom labware for each reservoir with the appropriate naming will allow you to empty tips back to a specific reservoir

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Thanks, the plate is set in place and thankfully not being moved around. I thought about the workaround you mentioned, which would 100% work, but…wow, a lot of work, lol.

@Optimize , yes, I thought this would also be a good setup. I was hoping a Tecan rep would chime in and say it is possible. Maybe in Fluent Control 4.0! Fingers crossed.