The AutoMATE™ 96 is Accuris's automated 96-channel pipetting station — a benchtop liquid-handler designed to fill 96-well and 384-well microplates from reservoirs in a single dispense cycle, replacing the multi-cycle, repetitive-strain-injury workflow that manual multi-channel pipetting produces. Where a manual 8- or 12-channel pipettor needs 12 or 8 cycles to fill a 96-well plate, the AutoMATE 96 fills the plate in a single automated dispense. Plus a 4-position motorized platform that automatically aligns tips to the appropriate plate / reservoir at each protocol step, motorized tip loading and ejection (no manual tip box swap), and an included touchscreen tablet for protocol programming and operation. Important: the pipette head is sold separately — pick the volume range (1–20 µL, 5–200 µL, or 100–1,000 µL) per workflow.
Voltage options: This unit can be ordered with European voltage requirements (230V/50Hz). Contact us to order.
Key Specifications
| Channel count | 96 simultaneous pipetting channels |
| Plate formats accepted | 96-well and 384-well microplates, PCR plates, reservoirs |
| Platform | 4-position motorized; precise alignment of tips to plates / reservoirs |
| Tip handling | Automated loading and ejection (motorized; no manual tip-box swap) |
| Pipette heads available (sold separately) | MP9600-20PH (1–20 µL) / MP9600-200PH (5–200 µL) / MP9600-1000PH (100–1,000 µL) |
| Operating modes | Manual Mode (per-step interactive) and Automated Program Mode (full protocol execution) |
| Display / control | Included tablet with touchscreen, intuitive app interface |
| Protocol storage | On-instrument; protocols save and recall by name |
| Footprint | Bench-mountable; fits inside a biosafety cabinet |
| Power input | Universal voltage |
| List price | $17,254 (chassis only — head ordered separately) |
Application Profile
Microplate filling for high-throughput screening. Drug-discovery primary screening, kinase-assay reagent dispensing, microplate-format extraction workflows — anywhere the workflow involves filling 96 or 384-well plates with reagent from a reservoir, the AutoMATE 96 reduces the per-plate fill time from minutes (manual multi-channel) to seconds (single automated dispense).
PCR / qPCR plate setup. Reagent master mix, primer mix, and template additions to PCR plates — the automated tip loading + 4-position platform handles multi-reagent plate setup without operator intervention between dispenses.
ELISA reagent dispensing. Substrate addition, stop-solution addition, and any per-well reagent step in microplate-format immunoassays. Reproducibility advantage over manual multi-channel for assays where dispense-time variability across the plate biases the result.
Cell-based assay reagent addition. Drug-treatment dispensing onto adherent-cell plates with controlled volume and timing — important for kinetic and short-exposure cell-based assays.
Hand-strain injury prevention. Repetitive multi-channel pipetting is a documented cause of upper-extremity repetitive strain injury in molecular-biology cores. The AutoMATE 96 is positioned in part as a workplace-ergonomics intervention — operator sets up the protocol, presses start, and walks away.
Reagent mixing and blow-out. Automated mixing (aspirate / dispense cycling) and blow-out steps that are awkward with manual multi-channel pipettors execute precisely on the AutoMATE 96.
Design Architecture
96 simultaneous channels. Single mechanical dispense fills all 96 wells of a 96-well plate (or selected wells of a 384-well plate via positioning offset). The mechanical advantage over manual 8- or 12-channel pipetting is throughput plus volume-consistency across all 96 wells in a single dispense.
4-position motorized platform. Accommodates source reservoir(s), source plate(s), tip box, and target plate(s) at separate positions. The platform slides automatically to align tips with each position per protocol step — no manual plate-handling between aspirate and dispense.
Automated tip loading and ejection. Tip box at one platform position; the head loads tips at protocol start and ejects at protocol end (or between protocol stages if multi-stage tip swap is programmed). Eliminates the manual tip-box-swap step that breaks operator's hands-free workflow.
Three interchangeable pipette heads (sold separately): the MP9600-20PH (1.0–20 µL) for fine-volume work such as low-volume reagent dispensing, primer addition, and sub-µL master-mix work; the MP9600-200PH (5–200 µL), the workhorse range for ELISA wash buffer, PCR master mix, and cell-culture reagent addition; and the MP9600-1000PH (100–1,000 µL) for high-volume reagent dispensing and large-volume buffer transfer. The head is hot-swappable between protocols — the operator can run a low-volume protocol, swap heads, and run a high-volume protocol on the same plate handling cycle.
Two operating modes. In Manual Mode, each function — load tips, aspirate, dispense, mix, blow-out, eject tips — is selected individually from the tablet interface, useful for method development and protocol-step debugging. In Automated Program Mode, a full protocol is scripted as a sequence of steps and the instrument runs to completion without operator input between steps.
Tablet-based control. Included Android tablet with the AutoMATE app — touchscreen programming, protocol storage, real-time run monitoring. Tablet connects to the instrument via Bluetooth or USB.
Compact bench-mountable chassis. Fits onto a standard lab bench or inside a biosafety cabinet — important for sterile-workflow automation (cell-culture reagent dispensing, sterile assay setup).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many channels does the AutoMATE 96 have? 96 simultaneous pipetting channels — it fills a 96-well plate in a single automated dispense.
Is the pipette head included with the MP9604? No — the head is sold separately. Options are the MP9600-20PH (1–20 µL, $8,354), MP9600-200PH (5–200 µL, $8,354), and MP9600-1000PH (100–1,000 µL, $9,391).
If I order only one head, which should it be? The MP9600-200PH (5–200 µL) covers the broadest range of microplate-fill workflows.
What plate formats does the AutoMATE 96 accept? 96-well and 384-well microplates, PCR plates, and reservoirs.
Does the MP9604 fit inside a biosafety cabinet? Yes — the compact bench-mountable chassis fits inside a biosafety cabinet for sterile-workflow automation.
Ordering & Configuration
Standard configuration. The MP9604 ships with the instrument chassis, included tablet with AutoMATE app, 4-position motorized platform, 115 V power cord, operator's manual, and packaging materials. Pipette head is not included — must be ordered separately.
Compatible pipette heads (sold separately):
- MP9600-20PH — 1–20 µL pipette head ($8,354)
- MP9600-200PH — 5–200 µL pipette head ($8,354)
- MP9600-1000PH — 100–1,000 µL pipette head ($9,391)
A typical first-time AutoMATE 96 install includes the chassis plus 1–2 pipette heads chosen per the dominant workflow volume range. Many cores eventually own all three heads to cover the full volume range across multiple workflows.
Voltage variants. The MP9604 ships with a 115 V plug (this SKU).
Use the quote request to specify: voltage and plug type, pipette-head selection (1–20 µL / 5–200 µL / 100–1,000 µL — at least one), tip-box compatibility (confirm against your existing tip inventory), training (on-site protocol-development support typical), biosafety-cabinet integration if relevant, and lead time. The chassis-plus-head combined-line pricing is the more meaningful procurement number.
Warranty: Manufacturer's standard Accuris warranty applies.
Pipette-head selection guidance:
- MP9600-20PH (1–20 µL) — primer addition, low-volume master mix, sub-µL reagent dispensing
- MP9600-200PH (5–200 µL) — the workhorse for most ELISA, PCR, and cell-based assay workflows
- MP9600-1000PH (100–1,000 µL) — buffer transfer, large-volume reagent dispensing, plate-prep workflows
If you order only one head, MP9600-200PH (5–200 µL) covers the broadest range of microplate-fill workflows.
