Does anyone know if there is an alternative to the Mantis (MANTIS® - Microfluidic Liquid Dispenser - FORMULATRIX®) I know about this one (D2 Microplate Dispenser - UK Robotics) or the combiNL but they dont have the ability to dispense from a pipette tip for low dead volume applications
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Maybe the idot is an option?
No pipette tip here either but you wouldn’t have to prime any tubing for this one. Mini is new since I looked at the platform and does a single reservoir into a plate which may be what you’re looking for.
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What’s your use case(s) for exploring the alternative?
Thats true maybe the idot, its just the price went crazy now.
Our mantis is broken, we just need to transfer 100nL of 4 different solutions or so into a 384 destination form 200uL sources
Maybe the Certus Flex might fit your needs? I haven’t used it personally, but @DanielYip made a nice summary of in this thread. It looks like the smallest it can take is a 3 mL syringe, compared to the 5 mL syringes the D2 dispenser could work with.
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Probably cheapest to repair the Mantis in this case? Unless there are other reasons why you’d want to move to a different platform.
If you’re doing pipette tip dispensing, I’d wager it’s something like the solenoid bank which may be easily serviced by yourself. Without doing some troubleshooting it’s hard to say though. Worth getting a quote for the work at any rate IMO.
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What is your budget and how many source channels do you require?
The IDOT Mini is at 30k$, and contains a 500 µL source volume.
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I would perhaps look into a Tecan/HP D300. Basically an inkjet printer with up to 8 different colors but designed for science instead of color.
The cartridges are expensive, the instrument is reasonably priced. But if you’re regularly just dispensing 4 reagents you can probably get by without purchasing too many cartridges. Worth looking into anyways.
We worked with the BioFluidix pipejet. We were not as interested in low dead volume, but certainly the low nL and up volume range. Their technology uses an annular piezo to dispense in the volume range you seem to be interested in, and it uses pipette tips where I am pretty sure the sample remaining can be recovered… You might give them a look.
Hi Thomas here from BioFluidix.
To work with the PIPEJEt technology on MTPs, we have the BIOSPOT, printhead with 8 dispenser, volume range from 2-70 nL (Drop On Demand Tech) and 6 MTPs on deck (possibility also to aspirate from source plate).
Also, our CV regardless of liquid classes is way below 3% (typically even < 1%).
Do not hesitate to get in touch for more infos 
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Hi @tom Thomas,
With the Biospot, can you keep the plates cooled or on a cooled carrier ? Our goal would be to automate flow cytometry staining workflows and one constraits we have is to keep reagents (in a source plate) at 4°C.
Thanks,
@josequiroz More than happy to discuss the different options. But if the Mantis is just “broken” then I agree it will be way cheaper for you to get Formulatrix to repair it instead of buying a whole new liquid dispenser.
Unless there’s another application or use case that’s driving the need to purchase a new device.
Buy a uk. As long as you can work with two reagents at a time and have some time to calibrate for a screen on a particular liquid it’s a great solution. And they’re accurate to nL scale as well.
You also can use a 5mL syringe adapter for very precious reagents.
I prefer the 50mL conical adapters tho.
You also can get like I dunno 6 of them for the price of a mantis and have 12 reagent dispenser landenporium
Calibration is a pretty painless process. If you buy the automated scale it makes it less painless.