All the strip washers arrived with an 8 channel manifold for washing one 8 well strip at time, although 12 and 16 (2 by 8) channel manifolds were available as accessories. Three use syringe pumps to dispense buffers; the fourth, the Stat Fax 2600 from Awareness Technologies, employs a pressurized liquid dispensing system. Two or 2.5 liters are the standard volumes for waste, wash, and rinse reservoirs. Tri-Continent's MultiWash PLUS and the Stat Fax 2600 feature waste bottle fill-level monitoring systems, but the Stat Fax 2600 was the only instrument tested that also incorporates a standard empty warning mechanism for its wash and rinse reservoirs.
The ballet of plate and manifold movements comes in two choreographed modes. Tri-Continent's machine holds its plate stationary while moving the manifold across the wells. The others raise and lower the manifold while the plate travels under it on a moving table. The moving table ...
