HydroSpeed™ plate washer

Cell Protection™

Extra gentle cell washing with tuneable wash power

Loosely adherent cell lines, such as P815 and HEK293, are commonly used for a wide range of research applications, but are challenging to wash for typical plate washers.

Anti-Clogging™

Reliable operation through active prevention of needle clogging

Automated ELISA processing using a microplate washer is now a routine task for many laboratories, yet crystallization of wash buffer within the aspiration/dispense needles remains a common problem. The HydroSpeed's innovative Anti-Clogging function actively prevents needle clogging by automatically rinsing and soaking the wash head when the washer is idle for a user-defined period.

Patented design using dual magnets per well

Efficient bead settling and high bead recovery rates

Multiplexed assays using magnetic beads are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of applications, but achieving good wash results without loosing beads remains a challenge. The HydroSpeed washer protects magnetic beads by settling them away from the needles during aspiration, achieving low residual volumes while maintaining high bead recovery rates.

Ease of use

Integrated monitoring of liquid level in waste bottle

• Integrated pressure-based liquid level detection (pLLD) system informs operator when waste bottle is full
• Patent pending pLLD function avoids the risk of blockage common to swimmer-based LLD systems mounted in the waste bottle, increasing safety and eliminating additional cleaning steps

Plate assistant function

Patent-pending auto-adjust function for easy teaching of new plates

• Provides automated adjustment of the bottom aspiration position located inside the wells for optimized wash results
• Takes the hassle out of teaching plates with non-transparent wells typically used for reading of fluorescence or luminescence assays
• Handles different well geometries in 96- and 384-well plate formats, including flat-bottom, round-bottom and v-shaped wells

Selection of wash heads for optimized results

The HydroSpeed plate washer is available with a selection of wash heads optimized for cells, beads and ELISAs. An innovative Easy X-change system allows intense cleaning of the wash heads in an external ultrasonic bath:

• 96 indexing wash head for washing both 96- and 384-well plates, without swapping wash heads
• 96 high speed wash head for simultaneous washing of all 96 wells for optimum speed
• 384 high speed wash head for parallel washing of all 384 wells for fast results

Magnetic bead washing in 96- and 384-well plate formats

The HydroSpeed provides optimized magnetic carriers for a range of bead-based assays:

• MBS 384 carrier for efficient washing of magnetic beads, eg. Luminex® beads and Dynabeads® in 384-well plates
• Smart-2 MBS 96 carrier with patented design using two magnets per well for optimized wash results with Luminex beads
• MBS 96 carrier with one large magnet per well for washing of small magnetic particles such as Dynabeads MyOne™

Vacuum filtration in 96- and 384-well filter plates

The HydroSpeed plate washer offers an advanced vacuum filtration module for filter washing of non-magnetic beads:

• Sensor-controlled vacuum levels for high bead recovery
• Automation-friendly sealing of the filtration plate without manual intervention
• Automated vacuum release after filtration for fast unloading of plate
• Vacuum settings for filtration ranging from -50 to -300 mBar

Increased productivity and sparkling results

Tecan's HydroSpeed can be configured as a 4-in-1 microplate washer, providing you with increased productivity and sparkling results by accelerating key washing processes for a range of applications in 96- and 384-well plates, such as:

• Optimized washing of loosely adherent cells via extra gentle Cell Protection™ wash settings
• Gentle washing of magnetic beads using two magnets per well for high bead recovery
• Fast and reliable ELISA washing with integrated Anti-Clogging™ for active prevention of needle blockage
• Filter washing of non-magnetic, polystyrene beads via automated vacuum filtration

Highlights

Additionally, the HydroSpeed plate washer provides the following highlights:

• Convenient touchscreen interface for intuitive on-board operation and programming
• Moisture protection on the touchscreen designed for operation with gloves
• Pre-defined plate library and example wash programs for a quick start
• Integrated prevention of needle blockage and Easy X-change wash heads for intense, external ultrasonic cleaning
• Universal 96 indexing wash head processes both 96- and 384-well plates and supports washing of cells, beads and ELISAs
• Automated buffer switching of up to four wash buffers within a wash protocol

Ready to start

The HydroSpeed includes a predefined plate library, with typical settings for commonly used 96- and 384-well plates, allowing rapid set up of new protocols.

Liquid level monitoring in waste bottle

Integrated pressure-based liquid level detection (pLLD) system informs operator when waste bottle is full.

pLLD avoids the risk of blockage common to swimmer-based LLD systems mounted in the waste bottle.

An optional, liquid level detection system (LLD) is available for monitoring the filling levels in the liquid bottles, as well as the waste bottle.

Ready for integration on robotic workstations

The HydroSpeed plate washer incorporates an array of sensors, to ensure secure and reliable integration into automated platforms, such as Fluent and Freedom EVO.

Additionally, it is compatible with a range of third-party plate stackers, such as the S-LAB™ from paa, for semi-automated processing of plates.

Regulatory compliance

In combination with HydroControl software, it is  designed to meet the requirements of FDA 21 CFR part 11, including electronic records, electronic signatures and audit trail functionality.