Has anyone done positive pressure on an Opentrons in a 96 well format? I’ve been thinking of ways to design a manifold that could be used. Wondered if it had ever been done before.
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Are you looking for a vacuum manifold or something else here? We’ve integrated a vacuum manifold, and I’m happy to connect you to that team!
No, it would be the opposite of a vacuum manifold. Positive pressure is where you have a lid on top that is forcing stuff through by pressure. It pushes from the top instead of pulling from the bottom.
The advantage comes when wells don’t run at the same speed. In a vacuum manifold once one well has emptied, the vacuum escapes that well and the others don’t pull very well.
A PPM has an outlet above each well so every well gets full pressure all the time.
This is the device we are currently using, but we have to have someone move the plate from the robot to here manually for each step.
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I had envisioned taking something like this Waters unit where the plate rides in on a set of rails. I could extend those rails and motorize it so that the manifold could sit behind the robot and push the plate out into a position on the deck for pipetting and then move it back under the manifold for elution.
@Delta_G I highly suggest the [MPE]2 module from Hamilton. This can be a stand alone device which can run Venus protocols. This can be triggered by a cmd line script or an API call if on Venus 6 and you can have this easily integrated with your Opentrons device.
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Hey @Delta_G - checking on feasibility here!
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Here’s what our integration team said: It doesn’t look like this has any digital input so there is no control over it. It’s too big to just put on the deck or fit underneath. The person in the thread is describing accessing the flex from behind but there is no access from behind since that is where the boards are so they would need to put it up against the side or the front. If they put it up against the side then whatever they would add to this to automate moving the plate would need to be able to turn it 90 degrees.
I hope this is helpful!
Would it make any difference that I have the OT-2? I can pull the shield off and access from behind on it.
Yes, that takes away the last concern on there!
Hello Meghan,
In our lab we are using an Opentrons Flex, but we are experiencing difficulties with DNA purification using magnetic bead–based protocols. For this reason, we are considering integrating a vacuum manifold system to perform DNA purification using alternative, potentially more robust approaches.
Do you know of any groups or individuals who have tried—or are currently exploring—this type of integration with the Opentrons Flex?
Hey @vittoria - we have an integrated vacuum manifold on many Flex units. Please reach out directly, and I’d be happy to walk you through this! Meghan.ferzoco@opentrons.com