Table 1.
A comparison of microarraying platforms for selected areas.
| Microarraying Characteristics | Acoustic Dispensing |
Pin Spotting | No-Contact Dispensing (Piezoelectric) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact With Sample / Substrate Surface |
No / No | Yes / Yes | Yes / No |
| Low Volume Spotting (< 5 nL) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Variable Volume Transfers | Yes | No | Yes |
| Spot Size Consistency / Array Geometry |
Excellent / Very Good |
Good / Excellent |
Excellent / Excellent |
| Drop1on1Drop Capability | Yes | No | Yes |
| Washing and Maintenance Steps | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clogging of Tips or Nozzles | No | Yes | Yes |
| Surface Patterning and Flexible Array Design |
Yes | No | Some |
| Uniform Sample Transfer | Yes | Sample Dependent |
Sample Dependent |
| Throughput | Low - Medium | Increases with number of pins |
Medium - High |
| Special Plate Requirement | Yes | No | No |