Liquid Handling · 2024
Automated Liquid Handler from a 3D Printer
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Efforts to encourage laboratory automation through student access to and usage of commercial equipment are hampered by prohibitive acquisition costs. Here, an automated liquid handler using manual pipettes was developed to operate on a commercial hobbyist 3D printer at a cost of US $325.
Performance the paper reports
1 of 5- Motion—Motion accuracy: not reported
- Volume—Volumetric accuracy: not reported
- Viability—Cell viability: not reported
- Unattended—Unattended operation: not reported
- StandardISO 8655Standard compliance: reported
- Reported against a written standardISO 8655
Calibration of multi-channel pipettes using gravimetric method in accordance with the ISO 8655−6.
How hard this is to adopt
3.3 of 5, higher is easierEach score is shown against the range the other 59 builds actually occupy, because no criterion uses the full 1–5 scale. These describe how reproducible the build is, not how good the science is.
Resolution
2/1–5Only 75 and 100 uL transfers demonstrated with a 10-100 uL manual pipette, and the volume is set by hand rather than programmed.
Throughput
3/2–5Single-channel manual pipette at one fixed volume with no tip change or wash station; automates a full 96-well plate transfer, which caps the score at 3.
Parts sourcing
3/2–4Part sourcing complexity not explicit; assigned moderate default.
Skill needed
4/2–4Build/operation described as low-skill or basic assembly.
Facilities needed
3/2–4Requires accessible but nontrivial lab/maker equipment.
Documentation
4/2–5Open resources include several build or operation artifacts.
Validation effort
4/2–4Gravimetric test at two volumes with n=30 each, explicitly benchmarked against manual pipetting, plus a full-plate positional and spillage check; water only.
Cycle time
3/1–4No timing comparison reported; only accuracy was compared between manual and automated modes, never transfer or cycle duration.
2 further criteria are recorded but not shown
- Application Level — scored 4 (75% of records share one value), so it cannot separate one build from another.
- Build Time (scored for only 6 of 60 records), so it cannot separate one build from another.
Both remain in the published dataset.
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Record metadata
Publication data
Matched by doi · retrieved 2026-07-21
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Efforts to encourage laboratory automation through student access to and usage of commercial equipment are hampered by prohibitive acquisition costs. Here, an automated liquid handler using manual pipettes was developed to operate on a commercial hobbyist 3D printer at a cost of US $325. Full abstract at the publisher
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