Lab-on-a-Chip Handling Platform / Incubator

Liquid supply and thermal control are the key features for a convenient use of microfluidic devices with a microscope. The Lab-on-a-Chip Handling Platform makes this easy!

ChipShop offers a large variety of microfluidic devices in the microscopy slide format. All of them have defined positions of the mini Luer liquid interfaces in common, making the connection to the Lab-on-a-Chip Handling Platform easy. The core element of this platform is a metal stage in which the microfluidic devices are placed and clamped. This chip holder is very handy when needing to create 1/32" OD rigid (PTFE, PEEK...) connections without leakage.

The Lab-on-a-chip Handling Platform can be placed under a microscope for live observation.

Multiple connection possibilities

Two versions of the Lab-on-a-Chip Handling Platform are available, each with or without a heating element:

• The standard handling platform for polymer chips (in PC, PMMA, COC, COP,...). The connection is made through special connectors within the chip holder to ensure leak-free connections with the mini Luer ports of the chip.
• The special handling platform for thru-hole glass chips: because connecting a glass chip without connectors to your fluidic system can be tedious, this chip holder makes it easy to create a connection to thru-hole interfaces.

The Handling Platform is designed for three microfluidic interface configurations using ChipShop's popular Mini Luer interfaces: two interface configurations with the fluidic interface at the shorter sides of the microfluidic chip and one at the longer side, addressing openings with a 4.5 mm spacing exactly matching the spacing of a 384 well microtiter plate.

2 x 4 pattern	2 x 8 pattern	2 x 16 pattern

Connection to your fluidic setup is made through leak-proof connectors to 1/32" OD rigid (PTFE, PEEK,...) tubing.

Plug and play easily with the lab-on-a-chip handling platform

The appropriate adapter plate is placed in the stage, the chip is inserted and the device is clamped together. The fluidic interfaces of the stage are connected through respective tubings with the envisaged pumps and valves. Fluidic interfaces where no liquid connection is foreseen, remain not addressed by the handling frame. In this configuration, the stage is pre-equipped to exchange the microfluidic devices without any handling steps besides the insertion of a further microfluidic chip.

Finally, the Lab-on-a-Chip Handling Platform is placed under a microscope and ready to run the experiments.

Heat your lab-on-a-chip with a high precision

On each of the handling platform versions, you can add a heating element to precisely control the temperature e.g. for enzyme assays or cell culture. The heating element of the stage is electrically connected to a controller and a power supply.

For long-term experiments, like cell culture, the platform can be removed from the microscope and placed in a rack, whilst remaining connected to the power supply to ensure e.g. incubator-free cell culture.

Temperature range from RT to 45°C.