Tubes
A thin-walled microplate suitable for use in the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique comprising a plurality of thin-walled tubes or wells arranged in a fixed array, each well having an upper portion with an open top and a lower, frustoconical portion having a substantially flat bottom.
1 . A thin-walled microplate for use in the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique comprising a plurality of wells arranged in an access array, each well having an upper portion with an open top and a lower, frustoconical portion having a substantially flat bottom.
2 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat bottom of each of the wells in the array has a surface that extends in substantially the same horizontal plane such that an inner bottom surface of each well is substantially equidistant from the top of a microplate in order that items, such as cells, retained along said inner bottom surface of said plurality of wells in the array are in a focal plane that is substantially the same when viewed from above through the open top of the respective wells.
3 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 2 , wherein a distance from the open top to the inner bottom surface of each well is the same to within +/−0.1 mm.
4 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 2 , wherein a distance from the open top to the inner bottom surface of each well is the same to within +/−0.05 mm or better.
5 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the flat bottom surface of each well has an external diameter in the range 2.0 mm to 4.5 mm.
6 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 5 , wherein the external diameter is in the range 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm.
7 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat bottom surface of one or more wells in the array incorporates a machine-readable code.
8 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 7 , wherein the machine-readable code is readable using an optical vision system.
9 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 7 , wherein the machine-readable code is on the external surface of the substantially flat bottom.
10 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein an external surface of the substantially flat bottom on each well incorporates a protection ring or bead.
11 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 10 , wherein the protection ring or bead is located substantially on an outer circumference of the substantially flat bottom.
12 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat bottom of each well is formed from substantially clear material, such that each well has a flat, optically-clear window.
13 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the array of wells are held in a substantially rigid frame.
14 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 13 , wherein the substantially rigid frame is formed from a first plastics material and the tubes or wells are formed from a second plastics material that is suitable for PCR use.
15 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 13 , wherein the wells are not integrally fixed in the rigid frame but can be individually removed from the frame and are therefore randomly accessible.
16 . The thin-walled microplate according to claim 13 , wherein the wells are substantially permanently fixed in the rigid frame and are therefore not randomly accessible.