Agilent Introdues Microplate Seal Piercer

The Microplate Seal Piercer from Agilent Automation Solutions is a low cost automated microplate piercing station for screening and is compatible with a variety of seals and pin plates. The seal piercer is able to accurately pierce a variety of seals on 96- or 384-well microplates in four seconds of cycle time.

Specially designed piercing pins ensure a clean, controlled puncture on every microplate with a penetration depth of 3 mm, even with deep well microplates. The seal piercer can be used either as a stand-alone unit, or integrated into a robotic system through the ActiveX control and RS-232 serial port connection.

Indicator lights on the machine alert the operator of the machine status (ready, busy, stop, low air pressure), and a microplate alignment sensor ensures that the microplate is correctly positioned in the microplate locator before actuation.

A hardware interlock on the front door provides maximum safety to the operator. The piercing head is easily removed for cleaning. Reconfiguration between formats is accomplished in seconds by changing the pierce head.