Tubes

1. A thin-walled microplate for use in a Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR technique comprising a plurality of wells arranged in an access array in a rigid frame, each well having a short upper portion with an open top, a longer, lower, frustoconical portion of thickness of about 0.25 mm, and a flat bottom, the sidewall of the frustoconical portion being of material and thickness having heat transfer properties suitable for PCR, and the flat bottom of each of the wells in the array having a diameter of an external flat bottom surface in the range of 2.0 mm to 4.5 mm and an internal flat bottom surface that extends on a horizontal plane such that the internal flat bottom surface of each well is equidistant from the top of the microplate, wherein the wells are not integrally fixed in the rigid frame but can be individually removed from the frame and are therefore randomly accessible, and wherein the flat bottom surface of each well in the array incorporates a 2-D machine- readable code that is readable using an optical vision system.

2. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 further comprising a protection ring or bead that extends axially down from the external flat bottom surface to protect the external flat bottom surface.

3. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 2 , wherein the protection ring or bead is located on an outer circumference of the substantially flat bottom and the diameter of the external flat bottom surface is measured to the inside edge of the ring or bead.

4. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 wherein the each well is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of available thermal cyclers, including the lower, frustoconical portion being angled at about 17 degrees.

5. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 wherein the each well is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of available thermal cyclers, including the lower, frustoconical portion being angled at about 17 degrees, each well further comprising a protection ring or bead that extends axially down from the external flat bottom surface to protect the external flat bottom surface, the protection ring or bead being located substantially on an outer circumference of the flat bottom. and the diameter of the external flat bottom surface is measured to the inside edge of the ring or bead.

6. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the external flat bottom surface is in the range of 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm.

7. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of the frustoconical portion is 0.25 mm. +/− 0.025 mm.

8. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable code is on the external surface of the flat bottom.

9. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 configured such that a single cell in the tube can be viewed through the top of the well.

10. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein a distance from the open top to the inner bottom surface of each well is the same to within +/− 0.1 mm.

11. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein a distance from the open top to the inner bottom surface of each well is the same to within +/− 0.05 mm.

12. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 , wherein the wells are held tightly in the rigid frame.

13. The thin-walled microplate according to claim 1 wherein each well comprise an indentation in the short upper portion to hold the well in the rigid frame.

14. A well for placement in an array within a rigid frame for use in a Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR technique comprising: a short upper portion with an open top; a longer, lower, frustoconical portion of thickness of about 0.25 mm; and a flat bottom; the sidewall of the frustoconical portion being of material and thickness having heat transfer properties suitable for PCR; the flat bottom of the well having a diameter of an external flat bottom surface in the range of 2.0 mm to 4.5 mm and an internal flat bottom surface that extends on a horizontal plane such that the internal flat bottom surface of each well is equidistant from the top of the microplate; the well is configured to be individually removed from the frame and is therefore randomly accessible; and the flat bottom surface of the well incorporates a 2-D machine- readable code that is readable using an optical vision system.

15. The well according to claim 14 further comprising a protection ring or bead that extends axially down from the external flat bottom surface to protect the external flat bottom surface.

16. The well according to claim 15 , wherein the protection ring or bead is located substantially on an outer circumference of the flat bottom and the diameter of the external flat bottom surface is measured to the inside edge of the ring or bead.

17. The well according to claim 14 wherein the well is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of available thermal cyclers, including the lower, frustoconical portion being angled at about 17 degrees.

18. The well according to claim 14 wherein the well is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of available thermal cyclers, including the lower, frustoconical portion being angled at about 17 degrees, the well further comprising a protection ring or bead that extends axially down from the external flat bottom surface to protect the external flat bottom surface, the protection ring or bead being located on an outer circumference of the substantially flat bottom and the diameter of the external flat bottom surface is measured to the inside edge of the ring or bead.

19. The well according to claim 14 , wherein the diameter of the external flat bottom surface is in the range of 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm.

20. The well according to claim 14 wherein the thickness of the frustoconical portion is 0.25 mm. +/− 0.025 mm.

21. The well according to claim 14 , wherein the machine-readable code is on the external surface of the flat bottom.

22. The well according to claim 14 configured such that a single cell in the tube can be viewed through the top of the well.

23. The well according to claim 14 , wherein a distance from the open top to the inner bottom surface of the well is the same to within +/− 0.1 mm.

24. The well according to claim 14 , wherein a distance from the open top to the inner bottom surface of each well is the same to within +/− 0.05 mm.

25. The well according to claim 14 wherein the well is configured to be held tightly in the rigid frame.

26. The well according to claim 14 wherein the well comprises an indentation in the short upper portion to hold the well in the rigid frame.