2010 Geno/Grinder
Page 15 of 28 SPEX® SamplePrep LLC July 2014
6.1.2 Titer Plates
Titer plates are made by many companies and are sealed in various ways. The Geno/Grinder
is designed for use with the vast majority of currently available titer plates. Plates can be
sealed using a variety of formats. For PCR and DNA/RNA work a heat sealer is suggested, so
as to minimize the possibility of contamination between wells.
1. A minimum of two titer plates must be run as the clamp lid requires a level surface
upon which to rest. If running a set of 2 titer plates, simply place 1 plate in the front
of the clamp and one in the rear and follow the instructions above for closing the
clamp.
2. Titer plates can also be stacked in the clamp to increase throughput. A maximum of
4 deep-well plates can be run in the 2189 clamp, stacked two high in the front and
rear of the clamp. Shorter plates can be stacked 3 high for a total of 6 plates.
3. When stacking titer plates, it is necessary to use the 2189T nesting trays. These
provide a rigid surface at the top of the plate to prevent the grinding balls from
perforating a film used to seal the plate. The nesting trays must also be used if
plates are sealed with cap mats as these hold the cap mats securely in place and
prevent leakage from the plate wells.
4. The 2189T nesting tray set consists of one tray that has nests on one side only and
two trays that are nested on both sides.
5. Place the single-sided nesting tray in the bottom of the clamp base, as shown in
Figure 9, with the nests facing up.
6. Place a set of 2 titer plates in the clamp base (front and rear) making sure that the
plates are properly seated in the nests (Figure 10).
7. Place a double-sided nesting tray onto the titer plates in the clamp and stack a
second row of plates on top, again making sure that the plates are properly seated
in the nests (Figure 10). It is not necessary to place a nesting tray on top of the
upper row of titer plates.
8. Secure the clamp lid to the loaded clamp (Figure 11), following Steps 2 – 5 in Section
6.1.1, and run the Geno/Grinder.
NOTE: Never run the Geno/Grinder with the clamp unfastened or with titer plates held
loosely in the clamp. Damage and leakage will result. When processing samples in
only one titer plate, load an empty titer plate on the other half of the clamp
assembly. Similarly, if less than a full rack of vials is used, be sure to place an
equal number of vials on the front and rear of the clamp, to ensure that the load is
balanced and tightly clamped. Empty vials can be used as place holders if an
uneven number of samples are run.
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