About the dispensers
How does a LabTIE dispenser work?
You fill the dispenser body with seeds, beads or powder, place it onto your plate, tray, tubes or vials, and pull the slider once. An exchangeable mesh plate holds exactly one dose above every position, and the single slide releases them all at the same moment. A full plate takes about 8 to 45 seconds depending on the format.
What is a mesh plate and why is it exchangeable?
The mesh plate is the part that decides the dose: its hole size and pattern are matched to your seed, bead or powder volume. Because it slides out, one dispenser body can serve many protocols. Changing seed type, bead size or powder volume takes seconds, like changing a pipette tip.
How accurate is it?
Dispensing error is below 1%, which is accurate enough to trust across a full plate on every run. Because every position is filled by the same mechanical action, variation between wells is far lower than manual loading or weighing.
How much can a LabTIE dispenser fill at once?
One operation loads a full 96-well plate simultaneously. With a 2 ml tube block, the 96-well platform fills 45 tubes per loading cycle. Overall throughput then depends on how quickly you refill and reposition.
Is the dispenser manual or automated?
Manual, by design. You get close to automation speed without the automation price tag, the footprint or a service contract. There is nothing to calibrate, nothing to program and nothing that can go offline mid-run.
How do I clean and sterilize it?
Wash with soap and water, then wipe down with ethanol. That is enough for sterile work in most laboratories. Keep mesh plates clean so holes stay clear, and dry everything fully before reassembly.
Choosing a configuration
Which formats are available as standard?
24, 45, 48, 96 and 384 positions, working with microtiter plates, deepwell plates, tubes, vials, petri dishes, germination trays and cryoboxes. See the full range for what is available per dispenser line.
My container is not standard. Can you build for it?
Yes. A custom dispenser is two parts: a mesh plate matched to your seed, bead or powder, and a converter that fits your exact container. Our tech division has built for GC vials, cryoboxes, deep well racks, PCR strips, beakers, 15 and 50 ml centrifuge tubes, rectangular well plates and confidential canisters. Tell us the container and the sample and we design around it.
Which bead size should I use?
As a rough guide: 0.1 to 0.5 mm for bacteria and yeast, 0.5 to 1.4 mm for fungi and organic debris, 1 to 3 mm for soft animal tissue and leaves, and 3 to 7 mm for seeds, grains and fibrous tissue. Full sample-by-sample guidance is on the bead dispenser page.
Which bead sizes fit a 384-well plate?
Practically, 2 mm and below, most commonly 0.5 to 1.5 mm zirconia. Material finer than 0.3 mm is dispensed with the powder dispenser rather than a bead mesh plate.
How many seed types does the seed dispenser handle?
More than 120, from very small seeds such as Arabidopsis thaliana and teff up to larger crop seeds like lettuce and onion, in the 0.2 to 9.0 mm range. The mesh plate is what adapts to the seed.
Ordering and support
How do I get a price?
Use the quotation form. Tell us the dispenser line, the container and roughly how many samples you run, and we price your exact configuration. For anything unusual, a photo of your rack or plate helps a lot.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. More than 120 laboratories and companies worldwide work with LabTIE, across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Shipping terms are confirmed with your quotation.
Can I see one before buying?
Ask for a demo through the quotation form and mention it in your message. You can also watch a dispenser load a full plate on the photos and videos page.
Where do I find manuals and documentation?
On the product documentation page. If a document you need is missing, email info@labtie.com and we will send it.