(Click to see larger image) This new device is so good, you can actually get excited about pouring Petri dishes. We periodically ask labs for their "wish lists", and on more than one occasion, researchers have said, "A good, inexpensive, reliable sterile media dispenser." Most devices on the market are either expensive, unreliable peristaltic pumps, or expensive unreliable motor-driven, syringe-based pumps.

     At Tritech Research, we designed a system combining simple, yet elegant, foot pedal controlled electronic dispensing circuitry with an inexpensive, detachable, miniature, high-tech electromagnetic pump that is easy to sterilize to make the PourBoy 4.  It can still be sterilized with alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and hot water.  See our Extra Pump-Tubing set (PB4-PTS) product description for more details. The standard Single-speed model dispenses at a rate of approx. 3 mL / sec. The Variable Speed option allows for slower rates than this. For higher flow rates, we have added a High Speed pump option. This higher-capacity pump runs at about 12ml/sec, and it is availabel with a variable speed option as well.

Great new features on the PourBoy® 4 include:

• easily user-calibrated to accurately deliver volumes from 0.1 to 999.0 mL
  
• user-settable pause interval from 0.1 to 999 seconds between each dispensing operation
• user memory to store common dispensing operations, i.e different Petri dish sizes
• microprocessor-controlled accuracy, and a fully digital, wipe-to-clean membrane keypad
  

Note: The PourBoy® 4 pumps are designed to pump smooth liquids, like aqueous solutions, hot molten agar, and oils, but not particulate materials like grits, grains, pastes, etc.  For example, it is great for dispensing hot agar growth media into Petri dishes and dispensing sterile cell culture media, but not suitable for dispensing oatmeal or Drosohila food.  The PourBoy 4 is a new improved replacement for the PourBoy III.  It uses less expensive pumps yet they are less prone to jamming, and it has built-in temperature compensation for improved calibration accuracy over a wide range of media temperatures.  The PourBoy 4 is the preferred device for C. elegans labs that need to dispense NGM medium and pour thousands of Petri dishes per week. Here is a recent publication referencing the PB4:

Re-replication of a Centromere Induces Chromosomal Instability and Aneuploidy. Stacey L. Hanlon, Joachim J. Li. PLOS Genetics. April 22, 2015.

Feel free to contact us for your special dispensing needs, such as integration with computer-controlled multichannel dispensers.  If you can think of it, we can probably make it!



Approximate specifications of the PourBoy IV:

Height: 14cm (5.5")
Width: 15.5cm (6")
Depth: 20cm (8")
Weight: 1kg (2.2 lbs)
Pumping rate, full speed, Standard Pump, normal conditions: 3ml / sec
Pumping rate, full speed, High Speed Pump, normal conditions: 12ml / sec

FAQ's

Q: I am having media contamination problems when using my PourBoy. How can I sterilize the pump tubing set? >click here<