MANTIS® Liquid Handler v3

This quick start guide is designed for the beginner or casual user who may need a refresher course in how to use the
MANTIS. If you have further questions, please refer to the MANTIS software help file, or contact support by emailing
[email protected].

5. Fill the wash container(s) with distilled water and/or wash

Arm
solution (if you are using wash solution, you must follow the
Hand
wash solution with a water rinse). Make sure that the wash
Chip Changer
container(s) contain enough water or wash solution and they
are properly placed in the wash stations located at the back
Tube Holders sides of the MANTIS.
Plate Holder
Plate Clamp 6. Make sure that the waste container is installed in the waste
station.

Prerequisites:

● You have prepared the FORMULATRIX Calibration Kit or Four

weigh boats.

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● You have prepared the reagent to be calibrated and the
required tools (either FORMULATRIX Calibration Kit or four
1. Connect MANTIS to a power outlet using the power cable and weight boats).
to a PC with the USB cable.

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2. Make sure the power supply adapter is ON. Find the switch at To calibrate a Continuous Flow chip:
the back of the power supply adapter.
1. Go to the Tools menu, click Continuous Flow Calibration.
3. Find the power switch located on the back of the MANTIS and
2. Next to Reagent Name, select the reagent you want to
turn it on.
calibrate.
4. Double-click the MANTIS software icon to run the software.
3. Select the Calibration Type by choosing from the following
options:

● To create a new calibration for the desired reagent, click

New Calibration, then proceed to step 4.
1. Place the MANTIS chip into the magnetic
chip pallet. Tube Input Adapter ● Click Use Default Data for 1 cP Liquid to calibrate any
reagent with approximately 1 cP viscosity, then proceed to
2. Put the chip pallets into the chip steps 6-8. Click Apply Calibration to apply the setup value,

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port stations. Chip then proceed to step 10.

3. Attach the reagent tubes or pipette ● Click Copy Existing Calibration Data to calibrate reagent
tips to the ingredient input at each chip. using the existing calibration data, then click Copy
Skip this step if you are using CF chips. Calibration, and then proceed to step 10.
If you are using a pipette tip, you will
4. Select the Reagent Viscosity for your reagent. MANTIS CF can
need to remove the black adapter Magnetic Chip
Pallet support viscosities from 1 to 25 cP.
from the chip’s input.
5. If you know the density of your reagent, select I know the
Note: It is recommended to cut your input tubing to a length of Reagent Density and type the Density for your reagent in g/L.
45 cm for High Volume and Low Volume chips. If you do not have the reagent density value and want to
measure it during the calibration process, clear the I know the
4. Place your plate on the plate holder using the alignment pins Reagent Density checkbox, if selected.
to guide it into place.

MAQ-V43R120
Copyright © 2020 FORMULATRIX. All Rights Reserved.
 MANTIS Quick Start Guide

6. Select the Nozzle Size of your chip from the available options, Low Volume 3PFE, or High Volume Continuous Flow chip), and
such as 0.1 mm - Red, 0.6 mm - Brown, and so on. enter the Prime Volume (optional), Primary Wash Volume,
7. Select the appropriate Bottle Pressure value from the Secondary Wash Volume (optional), Recovery Volume, and
Pre-Dispense Volume.

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following options: 3, 6, and 10 psi.

8. Select the Bottle Size accordingly: Small (100 mL), Medium 5. Drag the reagent name from the Dispense List to either the
(100-250 mL), or Large (250-500 mL). text box next to the chip position, or the chip position on the
image of the MANTIS. OR click the Assign To Input button
9. Click Start Calibration, and follow the on-screen instructions to assign all reagents from the Dispense List at once.
to proceed.

10.Click Finish when you’re done. Congratulations! You have

successfully calibrated the reagent for a CF chip.
Click the Run Dispense button or press F5.

Once you have set up the hardware, you will use the MANTIS
The optional reagent recovery process pushes the reagent out of
control software to either load a dispense list or design a
the chip into the input tube or pipette tip. Run Reagent Recovery
dispense.

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when you want to conserve reagent volume.

To recover reagent volume from all inputs:

To design a dispense:
● Click the Recover All Inputs button .
1. Choose from the following options:

● Create a new dispense list. Click the New Dispense List To recover reagent volume from individual inputs:
button . Select a plate type and click OK.
1. Right-click on a reagent in the Device Control panel and select
OR Attach Input to Hand.

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● Load an existing dispense list: Click the Load Dispense List 2. Click the Recover Input button .
button . Find your dispense list and click Open, then
proceed to step 5.

2. Add a reagent to the dispense list. Define the Reagent Name

and Dispense Location and click OK. If you want to add It’s important to clean the chips after each use to prevent cross-
additional reagents, click Add More. contamination and dried reagent buildup. Before you begin,
remove any reagent tubes from the reagent bottles and direct
3. Begin designing your plate dispense with the plate designer:
them to a waste container.

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● Click and drag your mouse over a group of wells to select
To clean all diaphragm chips:
them, or select a pattern from the Selection group under the
plate designer. ● To wash all inputs at once, click the Wash All button .

● For a constant volume, type in a volume and press Enter on

your keyboard. To clean an individual diaphragm chip:

● To use a gradient design, click the small down arrow next to ● To wash individual inputs, click a reagent on the Device
the grid button . You may choose between a horizontal Control panel and select Attach Input to Hand, then click the
gradient, vertical gradient, forward diagonal gradient, or Wash Input button .
backward diagonal gradient.

● To use a checkerboard dispense pattern, click the small To clean a Continuous Flow chip:
down arrow next to the grid button . You may choose
1. Remove the Continuous Flow cap from your reagent bottle
checkerboard 1 or checkerboard 2.
and screw it onto a different reagent bottle containing your
● To add a backfill volume, click the small down arrow next to wash solution.
the grid button, and click the backfill volume button .
2. Attach the chip to the MANTIS hand.
4. Click the Input button next to each reagent input.
3. Click the Prime Input button .
Select the Chip Type (Low Volume, High Volume, High
Volume PFE, Low Volume PFE, High Volume 3PFE,

MAQ-V43R120
Copyright © 2020 FORMULATRIX. All Rights Reserved.