product focus | planned pipette care
REPEATABLE ACCURACY DEPENDS ON THE RIGHT MAINTENANCE
PLANNED PIPETTE CARE
by Mike May, PhD
A
ll of the changes in life science labs over the
past few decades make some improvements less
appreciated than they should be, and pipetting
might be one of those. The tools for pipetting evolved
from clunky to sophisticated in fairly short order. These
tools now allow for working accurately and repeatedly
with multiple samples across a wide range of volumes.
To get those high-tech capabilities, though, the tools
must be properly maintained.
To stay precise and perform as desired, pipetting tools
must be clean. “Have a standard everyday care protocol,”
says Melissa Waldroup, product manager, life science at
Cole-Parmer (Vernon Hills, IL). “If you use acids, for
example, make sure to clean your pipettes daily.”
Even simple improvements in care can make a
difference. “One of the key things that we recommend
is to hang up your pipettes in their holders,” says
Savio Gadelha, service product manager at Rainin
Instrument, a METTLER TOLEDO company in
Oakland, California. “That way, gravity pushes down
any liquids.” He adds, “That’s simple, and it doesn’t
cost you a thing.”
Many things can contaminate these tools. Waldroup
says, “Contamination or breakdown of the pipette can
happen over time, because inorganic acids and alkalines
will break down plastics.” Some applications require
special care. As an example, Gadelha says, “Forensics
users tend to be the most common users of DNA
decontamination services.”
Keep it calibrated
“Calibration is key,” says Waldroup. “If you don’t
calibrate the device, then the accuracy and precision
could be off.” Sometimes a measurement that is off
by even a little matters. “When an inaccurate pipette
is used to make FDA-regulated products, there may
be a hold on product shipments or even a recall,”
says Gadelha.
Some scientists calibrate their own pipettes, and
Waldroup says, “You can calibrate your own devices
for the vast majority of mechanical and electronic
pipettes.” Still, it can take some getting used to, because
the tool must be taken apart, and “you need to make
sure the adjustments are right, and you need to do
repeat testing,” Waldroup explains.
54 Lab Manager December 2015
Some companies recommend sending pipettes in for
service rather than doing it yourself. “For the most
part,” Gadelha says, “we don’t recommend that people
open the pipettes, because there are lots of parts inside
that they might not be familiar with and not know how
they go back together.” He adds, “We offer a variety of
services, including preventive maintenance, which is
mostly general maintenance, and we replace some key
parts that are tied to about 95 percent of the failures.”
How often a pipette needs calibration depends on how
much it gets used. At the University of Wyoming in
Laramie, molecular biologist Jesse “Jay” Gatlin uses
a range of pipettes in his lab, and he gives them to
Indianapolis-based Integrated Instrument Services
for an annual cleaning and calibration. Paul Mooney,
a graduate student in Gatlin’s lab, says, “Integrated
Instrument Services will clean, repair, and calibrate
single-channel pipettes for $18 per pipette.”
When looking for someone to care for your pipetting
tools, Nicole Anderson—service operations manager at
Gilson (Middleton, WI)—gives some suggestions. First,
she says, “Performing regular service and maintenance
is the best way to ensure a pipette remains accurate
throughout its life span.” She adds, “Regular maintenance
includes replacing wearable parts, such as O-rings and
seals. After maintenance is performed, the pipette should
also be checked for accuracy and calibrated.”
As an example, Gadelha says that Rainin has “six- and
seven-digit balances, which are required to calibrate [2-
and 10-microliter] pipettes, and multichannel balances for
multichannel pipettes.” He adds, “When we service Rainin
pipettes with dry seals, we upgrade them to the new lip
seal free of charge.” In fact, Rainin pipette service includes
“up to $50 in parts and/or labor for repairs,” he says.
Reducing user error
Getting an accurate result depends on the user as well.
“You have to follow best practices—for example, how
you hold the pipette,” Waldroup says. Following proper
use protocols is especially important with micro volumes.
“With larger volumes, you can almost visualize as a
double check,” Waldroup says. “For 0.1, you can’t eyeball
it, and you need to know that it’s 100 percent accurate.”
Experience and training also matter. Anderson says, “It takes
considerable time and resources to train new employees on
proper pipetting technique.” She adds, “Misuse can lead to
inaccuracies and even damage to a pipette.”
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