How to find the right Robotic Pipette Tips AI guide
Written by an AI model from its trained knowledge.
What the AI looks for in Robotic Pipette Tips
- Instrument and deck compatibility
- Buy tips specified for your exact liquid handler and channel head (for example Hamilton CO-RE, Tecan LiHa or MCA, Beckman Biomek, Opentrons), including the matching rack format Robotic tips must seat, seal and eject at fixed positions. A slightly different collar or rack height causes pickup failures, leaks or crashed runs.
- Conductive vs non-conductive
- Use conductive (carbon-filled, usually black) tips if your system uses capacitive liquid level detection; clear tips are fine for pressure-based or no detection Capacitive level detection needs a conductive tip to sense the liquid surface. Clear tips will not trigger it.
- Filter or barrier
- Choose filtered tips for PCR, NGS, cell work or volatile or infectious samples Filters protect the channels and stop aerosol carryover between samples on a shared head.
- Volume and rack density
- Match the tip volume range and the 96 or 384 layout to the method and head; avoid running near the bottom of a tip's range Accuracy drops at the extremes of a tip's range, and 384 heads need 384-format racks.
- Purity certification
- For molecular work, look for sterile tips certified free of DNase, RNase, human DNA and pyrogens, with lot documentation Contamination in automated runs spreads across whole plates at once.
- Lot-to-lot dimensional consistency
- Prefer manufacturers that state tight geometric tolerances and validate tips on your platform Small variations in tip straightness or length cause misaligned pipetting into 384- and 1536-well plates.
Brands that matter
- Hamilton: OEM CO-RE tips for STAR and Vantage systems, available in conductive, filtered and sterile versions.
- Tecan: OEM DiTi tips for Freedom EVO and Fluent, with conductive options for level detection.
- Beckman Coulter: OEM Biomek tips for the Biomek series of liquid handlers.
- Opentrons: Tips made for OT-2 and Flex robots; other tips need custom labware definitions.
- Agilent: OEM tips for Bravo and other Agilent automation platforms.
- Corning Axygen: Established third-party maker of robotic tips that fit major platforms.
- Biotix: Third-party automation tips marketed as alternatives to OEM tips for common liquid handlers.
What to avoid
- Generic tips that do not name your exact instrument and head in the compatibility spec
- Clear non-conductive tips on a system that relies on capacitive liquid level detection
- Non-filtered tips for PCR or NGS setup on shared multichannel heads
- Switching tip suppliers mid-validation without re-checking accuracy and pickup reliability
Questions
Do I have to buy tips from my robot's manufacturer?
No, but third-party tips must be explicitly listed for your model and head. Validate them on your methods before routine use.
Why are some robotic tips black?
Black tips contain carbon, which makes them conductive. Systems need this for capacitive liquid level detection.