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Liquid Handling Dominates Lab Activities
Liquid handling equipment is used by more than 90% of lab researchers, according to an Internet-based reader survey performed in July 2010 by the editors of Laboratory Equipment. The type of liquid handling systems and devices used in today's modern research laboratories covers a broad range of equipment and components with dispensers, filters and filtration systems, mixers and stirrers, pipettes and syringes, pumps, and tubing and fittings each used by more than half of the survey respondents.
Nearly 60% of the respondents indicated they use their liquid handling equipment either continuously or several times daily. Another 25% use their systems several times each week.
Hielscher Ultrasonics' new glass flow cell. | No single specific application stood out for these liquid handling systems other than sample preparation, which is used for a range of specific applications that includes materials analysis, environmental studies, chemical and petrochemical analysis, and biomedical and biotechnology research. While the following applications receive a substantial amount of attention—biofuel research and development, forensics and toxicology, and microarray studies—they were not referred to as being strong users of liquid handling equipment. Each was chosen by less than 5% of our readers.
The primary features that research lab users look for in liquid handling equipment are ease of use (77% of the respondents), cost (75%), durability (65%), and precision (63%). Micro- and nano-scale capabilities (chosen by 8% of the respondents) and microprocessor control (5%) were some of the least desired features. Even ergonomics—a desired characteristic for pipettes and syringes to prevent user fatigue and a characteristic for numerous non-automated systems—was only chosen by 15% of the respondents, a relatively small ranking.
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