How to Choose a Manual Pipette Based on Ergonomic Knowledge?
Studies have shown that more than 40% of laboratory professionals are experiencing physical discomfort caused by pipetting. Damage to the hand or arm limits work performance and may therefore affect the accuracy, accuracy, and reliability of the results.
In order to achieve the best ergonomic benefits, you should pay attention when selecting a pipette:
Required pipetting force
Larger pipetting forces increase the risk of recurrent strain injuries (RSI). In addition, it reduces the accuracy and precision of long-term pipetting. Usually, the force required to push the plunger to the first gear is between 3 and 15 N. The force required to press the plunger to the second gear is as high as 40 N. You can squeeze the two plungers against each other for a simple test to compare the pipetting forces of the two pipettes. The plunger with lower pipetting will be retracted first.
Tip popping force
Tip ejection usually requires more force than pipetting. Manual pipette tips have a high pop-up force and pose a risk of damage, especially when performing repetitive pipetting.
Tip mounting
The tip mounting is similar to the force required to pop the tip during pipetting. The tip mounting force is the force required to securely attach the tip to the pipette. Unsuitable tips require tapping, shaking or even hand tightening by hand to ensure proper sealing. This force can be reduced by using a suitable tip.
Grip design and balance
The pipette should fit snugly on the palm of your hand, and the finger support points should be effortless when holding the pipette. In addition, the balanced, well-designed pipette with a central center of mass maintains stability and greatly reduces hand muscle strain and wrist torque.
Weight and length
The lighter the pipette, the shorter the length, the more ergonomically designed.
Capacity adjustment
Adjusting the pipette capacity should be convenient and ergonomic. To avoid unnecessary thumb strain, use both hands to adjust the volume as much as possible, holding the pipette in one hand and rotating the adjusting wheel in the other.
Capacity display
To avoid holding the pipette in an awkward position, the capacity should be easily readable during normal pipetting.
Adaptability for left-handed and right-handed users
For left-handed and right-handed users, pipettes must be comfortable to use. Both directions should have the same function. In addition, the display should remain easy to read, no matter which direction it is used.
Sartorius ergonomically designed pipettes will bring you convenience and protection!
How to prevent pollution?
In order to avoid the aerosol or droplet spread of the sample when the tip is ejected, it is necessary to ensure that the pipette with a soft tip is selected. If the tip is soft when it is ejected, the remaining liquid droplets or aerosols are less likely to spread over a wide range.
If you want to quickly and easily carry out the decontamination step, select a pipette that can be autoclaved without disassembly. This also applies to multi-channel models.
You should choose a pipette that can use the filter on the tip cone. The tip cone filter prevents aerosols and liquids from contaminating the internal components of the pipette. They are also an economical and practical way to prevent sample contamination. Alternatively, a filter tip can be used.
