New accessories for your Pioreactors: sterile sampling, cables, pump cues, and needles

We've spent the last month designing some small quality-of-life upgrades for your Pioreactors. The first is an approach to sterile sampling into the Pioreactor:

Self-healing plug for sampling

We've added a self-healing silicone pad into the G1/8 cap to allow for sterile sampling with a syringe needle. This new cap is fully autoclavable, and fits onto an existing Vial Cap A or Vial Cap S. The soft 3mm silicone pad can be pierced with a ≥ 21 gauge needle, and will close itself after the needle is removed. (This same principle is used in autosamplers like on a GC-MS). The silicone does have a finite life of 50-100 pierces, depending on the needle size - we recommend 21 gauge and up.

Peristaltic Pumps

New orders for our 12V peristaltic pumps will come with two new additions that will help users understand their liquid flow better. The first change is a new pump faceplate that labels the pump and how liquid moves through the head. 

You'll also notice the new indicator "tags" on the tubes, too. These are located at both ends of source and sunk tubing and near the pump head, to help determine where each tube should be placed. These indicator tags are autoclavable, too!

316 Grade Stainless Steel Needles

We also have new higher grade needles for your Vial Cap S. The default needles are grade 304, which is fine for most medias. However, if you are working with specifically very acidic, basic, or salty liquids, we suggest this upgrade to 316 stainless steel keep your needles from corroding. 

Cable assemblies for PWM outputs

We've partnered with a Canadian cable assembler to build cable assemblies for the Pioreactor's PWM outputs. These cable assemblies contain 22awg wire, and a connector that clicks into the PWM connectors on the HAT. They are specifically designed for controller motors, solenoids - basically any actuator! No more crimping!