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Hardware Overview

This section will help you to understand the Mantis hardware, including V3 and V4 systems, LC3, and chip types.

Mantis Systems V3 vs V4

See the classification below to identify and locate the Mantis V3 and V4 components.

Front View

Mantis V3

Front View of MANTIS V4

Mantis V4

Part Description	V3	V4
Automatic Chip Changers The Automatic Chip Changers (ACC) allow the Mantis to dispense up to six reagents automatically without user intervention. Chips can be placed in any ACC position and will be automatically detected by the RFID system.	✔	✔
Tube Holders The tube holders are compatible with 50 mL Falcon tubes, ideal for large volume dispenses or frequently used reagents. Adapters are available for 15 mL Falcon and Eppendorf tubes.	✔	✔
Deck The deck supports all SBS plate types and deep well blocks. Available adapters allow dispensing into non-SBS labware.	✔	✔
LED Status Bar The LED status bar provides a real-time view of the instrument's operational state: Multi-color/Rainbow — The system is idle and ready for a task. Blue — Mantis is performing a non-dispense task, such as priming, recovering reagents, or returning home. White to Green — Mantis is running a dispense. Green — The dispense was successfully executed. Red (blinking) — An error has occurred. Yellow — A warning notification requires operator input. White (bouncing) — Mantis software is disconnected. The LED indicator will display a small, white light that moves back and forth.	✘	✔
Arm The arms control the hand movements during dispensing, loading, and unloading chips.	✔	✔
Hand The hand contains magnets that attach to the magnets in the chip, allowing it to pick up the chip from the ACC and hold it securely during operation. It also houses the airlines that connect to the small orifices on the chip to drive its functions.	✔	✔
Plate Clamp Located on the lower-right corner of the deck, the plate clamp aligns and secures the plate during the dispensing process. Note: The Mantis V4 comes with an adjustable-force plate clamp to prevent bending of soft or flexible plates and ensure proper alignment of heavy plates.	✔	✔

Back View

Back View of MANTIS V3.3

Mantis V3

Back View of MANTIS V4

Mantis V4

Part Description	V3	V4
Wash Station Sources The wash station sources hold the wash solutions and water used during the chip washing process. If you are running a 3-step Wash, fill the Wash Station 1 Source with water and the Wash Station 2 Source with your chosen wash solution.	✔	✔
USB Ports The USB ports hold the Mantis USB flash drive and provide extra ports for future expansion. The USB Type-B port at the bottom is used for connecting the Mantis instrument to your computer.	✔	✔
Power Switch The power switch turns the Mantis on and off.	✔	✔
Power Port The power port is to plug the power cable into the Mantis.	✔	✔
Waste Station The waste station collects waste liquid during priming, pre-dispensing, and QC activities.	✔	✔
Optional: Drop Detection QC Station The drop detection QC station is located at the Mantis V4 Waste Station to detect liquid drops leaving the chip during priming or QC checking. See Mantis Smart Detection Sensor System for more information. QC Station	✘	✔

Large Capacity Chip Changer (LC3)

The LC3 is an optional upgrade that allows the Mantis to hold up to 48 chips and work with many more reagents than its typical setup.

LC3 Front View

LC3 Front View

LC3 Back View

LC3 Back View

Locating Plates

LC3

The LC3 is the base for the chip changer carousel. It has several components: power ports, USB ports, and a barcode scanner port.

Carousel

The chip changer carousel consists of chip stations and tube holders with 24-chip or 18-chip capacity.

Tube Holders

The tube holders are compatible with either 15 mL or 50 mL Falcon tubes, depending on the type of LC3 carousel.

Automatic Chip Changers

The carousel’s automatic chip changers can hold any type of Mantis chip.

LED Status Bar

A blue LED status bar indicates that the instrument is ON and ready for use.

USB Ports

There are four USB ports: three Type A and one Type B. The Type B port is used for connecting the LC3 to Mantis, while Type A ports can be used for USB flash drives.

Power Switch

The power switch turns the LC3 on and off.

Power Ports

There are two power ports: one connects the LC3 to the Mantis (to power itself from the LC3), and the other connects the LC3 to an external power outlet.

Locating Plate

The function of the locating plate is to align the LC3 with the Mantis.

There are three different locating plates: Left, Right and Right-Left. The locating plate shipped with your Mantis depends on your specific order.

Optional: RFID Reader

If you use LC3 with RFID, the RFID reader scans the chips attached to the carousel and provides information about the chip usage and the dispensing process.

Chip Overview

FORMULATRIX offers a variety of chip types for a wide range of volumes and chemical compatibility to achieve the desired Mantis dispense performance. If you wish to purchase the Mantis chips and chip nozzles, please visit the Mantis web shop or contact FORMULATRIX sales representative at sales@formulatrix.com. .

Here is the list of Mantis chip types, chip specifications, and the available chip nozzle sizes.

Chip Types and Specifications

Chip Type	Default Prime Value		Default Pre-dispense Value		Diaphragm Volume	Minimum Volume	Maximum Volume	Pulses per second	Dead Volume	Accuracy Error Spec (LD)	Accuracy Error Spec (SD)	CV Spec	Related Chip Lifetime (cycles)
Chip Type	Tube	Pipette Tip	Tube	Pipette Tip	Diaphragm Volume	Minimum Volume	Maximum Volume	Pulses per second	Dead Volume	Accuracy Error Spec (LD)	Accuracy Error Spec (SD)	CV Spec	Related Chip Lifetime (cycles)
Silicone Low Volume (LV)	100.4 µL	6 µL	0.6 µL	0.6 µL	0.1 µL, 0.5 µL	0.1 µL	∞	At 0.1 µL= 10, At 0.5 µL = 7	6 µL	10%	10%	<3%	1,000,000
Silicone High Volume (HV)	264 µL	16 µL	6 µL	6 µL	1 µL, 5 µL	1 µL	∞	At 1 µL= 10, At 5 µL = 4	15 µL	10%	10%	<3%	1,000,000
Low Volume PFE (LVP)	100.4 µL	6 µL	0.6 µL	0.6 µL	0.1 µL, 0.5 µL	0.1 µL	∞	At 0.1 µL= 3, At 0.5 µL = 2	6 µL	5%	8%	<3%	750,000
High Volume PFE (HVP)	264 µL	16 µL	6 µL	6 µL	1 µL, 5 µL	1 µL	∞	At 1 µL= 6, At 5 µL = 4	15 µL	5%	8%	<3%	750,000
Silicone Continuous Flow (CF)	250 µL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	As low as ~5 µL	∞	Up to ~600 µL/sec	~150 µL	N/A	N/A	<3%	1,000,000
Continuous Flow (CF) PFE	250 µL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	As low as ~5 µL	∞	Up to ~600 µL/sec	~150 µL	N/A	N/A	<3%	1,000,000
Silicone High Viscous Continuous Flow (HVCF)**	250 µL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	As low as ~10 µL	∞	Up to ~160 µL/sec*	~150 µL	N/A	N/A	<3%	1,000,000
Low Volume (LV) Hi-Fi**	100.4 µL	6 µL	0.6 µL	0.6 µL	0.1 µL, 0.5 µL	0.1 µL	∞	At 0.1 µL= 10, At 0.5 µL = 7	6 µL	5%	5%	<2%	1,000,000
High Volume (HV) Hi-Fi**	264 µL	16 µL	6 µL	6 µL	1 µL, 5 µL	1 µL	∞	At 1 µL= 10, At 5 µL = 4	15 µL	5%	5%	<2%	1,000,000
XL Volume PFE (XLP)***	300 µL	150 µL	150 µL	50 µL	50 µL	50 µL	∞	50 µL/0.735 secs	50 µL	5%	5%	<2%	750,000

*using 100% glycerol or ±700 cP reagent

**Compatible for Mantis 5.1 Software or newer

***Compatible for Mantis 5.2.1 Software or newer

Fluid Channel Dimensions:

The following information contains the diameter of the chip’s fluid channel at its narrowest point.

Chip Type	Diameter
Low Volume (LV)	0.25 mm
High Volume (HV)	0.38 mm
Continuous Flow (CF)	0.8 mm
High Viscous Continuous Flow (HVCF)	1.1 mm
XL Volume PFE (XLP)	0.89 mm

Chip Tubing Dimensions:

The following information provides the inner and outer diameters of the chip tubing.

Chip Type	Tubing Type	Inner Diameter (mm)	Outer Diameter (mm)	Color
High Volume (HV)	-	0.76	1.59	Green Translucent
High Volume High Fidelity (HV Hi-Fi)
High Volume PFE (HVP)
High Volume 3 PFE (HV3PFE)
Low Volume (LV)		0.4	1.59	Natural (Translucent)
Low Volume High Fidelity (LV Hi-Fi)
Low Volume PFE (LVP)
Low Volume 3 PFE (LV3PFE)
Continuous Flow (CF)	Tubing Liquid	0.76	1.59	Natural (Translucent)
Continuous Flow (CF)	Tubing Air Pressure	1.02	2.16	Clear (silicone)
Continuous Flow (CF) PFE	Tubing Liquid	0.76	1.59	Natural (Translucent)
Continuous Flow (CF) PFE	Tubing Air Pressure	1.02	2.16	Clear (silicone)
High Viscous Continuous Flow (HVCF)	Tubing Liquid	2.38	3.97	Clear
High Viscous Continuous Flow (HVCF)	Tubing Air Pressure	1.02	2.16	Clear (silicone)
XL Volume PFE (XLP)	-	0.76	1.59	Green Translucent

Material Composition:

Mantis chips are made from polypropylene plastic or FEP, and either silicone or PFE diaphragms.
See our recommendations for chip selection by downloading our chemical compatibility chart from FORMULATRIX Micro-Diaphragm Chip Chemical Compatibility.

Nozzle Selection:

Mantis chips come with removable and swappable nozzles. Any chip can be combined with any nozzle to meet unique application needs.
See the Chip's Nozzle Kits Catalog for more information about Mantis chip’s nozzle type and size options.

For instructions to test Mantis chip dispense volumes, see Testing Mantis Chip Dispense Accuracy.

Chip’s Nozzle Kits Catalog

Note: All sizes of nozzle strip can be used with Low Volume, High Volume, and Continuous Flow chips.

Image and Nozzle Type	Description
Image and Nozzle Type	Color*	Inner Diameter Size (mm)	Part Number	Notes
	Red	0.1	232994
	Dark Brown	0.15	232289	For use with the Low Volume PFE Standard and CF PFE Standard chips. Use this nozzle to calibrate reagents for use with the Continuous Flow (PFE) chip.
	Blue	0.2	232995	For use with the Low Volume Standard chip.
	Yellow	0.3	232996
	Dark Brown	0.3	232518	For use with the High Volume PFE Standard chip.
	Peach	0.4	232997	Recommended to use with HVCF chip.
	Green	0.5	206237	For use with the High Volume Standard chip. Recommended to use with HVCF chip.
	Maroon	0.6	232998	Recommended to use with HVCF chip.
	Brown	0.8	836771A	For use with the XL Volume PFE chip.
	Translucent	1	819023A	Recommended to use with HVCF chip.
Mantis Nozzle Kit - Silicone (2 each)	Assorted	0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6	233036

*The color of the actual nozzles might be slightly different from the images displayed above.

Note: Should you experience any dispensing issues after changing nozzles, see Troubleshooting or contact support@formulatrix.com for further assistance.