Spotlight Feature: Liquid Handling

All laboratories, whether industrial, research, diagnostics or chemical laboratory, need to dispense liquid. No matter if the laboratory is for research, service, production or quality control, dispensing needs to be done accurately, often repetitively with very small volumes. Dispensed liquid varies from blood and buffers to toxic chemicals and soil samples. Even if there are strict demands for performance, dispensing device selection is seldom a well thought out decision. From the wide selection of dispensing devices, it may be difficult to find the most suitable instrument. However, choosing the right products for each application enhances reliability, adds speed and diminishes crosscontamination. Every manufacturer emphasises ease-of-use and flexibility, but which dispenser should one choose? This clearly depends on volume(s), sample, application, and requirements for performance. In the following are listed a few criteria in choosing a dispenser.