How do I incubate labware?

There are two ways to incubate labware on the Microlab Prep, depending on your requirements and the configuration of your instrument. If a Hamilton Heater Shaker is integrated with your Prep, you can incubate or shake labware from 5°C above room temperature up to 105°C. If you do not have an HHS, you can perform an ambient incubation using a Wait step.

This article provides a step-by-step walk through to perform incubation, either in the ambient environment or with a Hamilton Heater Shaker.

Requirements

• Hamilton Heater Shaker for incubation at controlled temperature (optional)

Procedure

The following procedures assume that a protocol has been created already. For help creating a deck layout and a basic transfer, review this article on setting up a plate-to-plate transfer.

Hamilton Heater Shaker Incubation

1. Tap New Step and select Heat/Shake. This step can only be added when an HHS is integrated with the Prep.
2. Tap the plate you want to incubate and tap Next. During a run, the 2 Independent Channels will pick up CO-RE Paddles and transport the plate to and from the HHS.
3. Set the duration of the incubation using the hours, minutes, and seconds fields. Tap the +/- buttons to increase or decrease the value by 1, or tap the field to enter a value on the number pad.
4. Make sure heating is enabled, and set the desired temperature in °C. Tap and drag the dial or tap the field to enter a value.
5. Set the heating behavior using the drop-down menu below the temperature field. The Prep can wait until the HHS heats up to the target temperature before starting the protocol, or it can start the protocol and pause before the Heat/Shake step if the HHS has not reached the target temperature. Select the option that makes the most sense with your workflow.
6. Set a rate to shake your labware or disable shaking for this step. The HHS can shake up to 2500 rpm when shaking is enabled.
7. Tap Finish to complete the step. Verify the protocol to check for errors. All changes are saved automatically, so you can exit the protocol without losing progress after finishing the step.

Ambient Incubation

1. Tap New Step and select Wait.
2. Make sure “Pause for set time” is selected. Otherwise, the run will be paused until an operator resumes it.
3. Set the duration of the incubation using the hours, minutes, and seconds fields. Tap the +/- buttons to increase or decrease the value by 1, or tap the field to enter a value on the number pad.
4. Enter a message by tapping the text field above the time. A short description like “Ambient incubation” will help an operator understand why the run is paused. In general, if a message field is available, use it to help communicate with the person who might run your protocol.
5. Tap Finish to complete the step. Verify the protocol to check for errors. All changes are saved automatically, so you can exit the protocol without losing progress after finishing the step.