Abstract: A pipetting head for a liquid dispensing apparatus has a pipette tip connection mechanism and a plunger clamping mechanism having a plurality of mounts for holding the plungers of the array of pipettes during use, a plurality of clamping rods, each extending inside one of the mounts, and a clamping drive mechanism operable to drive relative movement between the mounts and the clamping rods to selectively engage the clamping mechanism. The mounts each have a radially extending feature configured to form one half of a snap-fit connection. The clamping region of each of the clamping rods is axially adjacent to the radially extending feature of its associated mount when in a clamping position, and is axially offset from the radially extending feature of its associated mount when in the release position. The clamping rod prevents the snap-fit connection with the plunger from being released when in the clamping position.

Abstract: A pipetting head (100) for a liquid dispensing apparatus (10) for use with an array of removable pipettes (1010) is provided. The pipetting head has a pipette body mounting assembly (120) for holding the pipette bodies (1100) of the removable pipettes. a plunger mounting assembly (140) for holding the plungers (1200) of the removable pipettes, and a dispense drive actuator assembly (160) with a dispense drive mechanism (162) for moving the plunger mounting assembly along a drive axis. The pipetting head also includes a pipette body clamping mechanism (130) having a clamp drive mechanism (133) which includes a linear actuator (133) and a clamp drive linkage having at least one standoff (135) fixed to a clamping plate (125) and extending axially between the clamping plate and the actuator. The actuator moves the at least one standoff axially to selectively engage the pipette body clamping mechanism.

Abstract: A pipetting head for a liquid dispensing apparatus is provided. The pipetting head has a pipette tip clamping mechanism and a plunger clamping mechanism. The pipette tip clamping mechanism and the plunger clamping mechanism each include a mounting plate having a plurality of mounts, a clamping plate having a plurality of clamping members each associated with one of the mounts, and a drive mechanism comprising an actuator operable to drive relative movement between the clamping plate and the mounting plate in an axial direction to selectively engage the clamping mechanism. The pipetting head further includes a drive actuator operable to move the plunger clamping mechanism in the axial direction towards or away from the plates of the pipette tip clamping mechanism to aspirate or dispense liquid during use. The drive actuator is configured to operate independently of the pipette tip clamping drive mechanism and the plunger clamping drive mechanism.

Abstract: A pipetting head for a liquid dispensing apparatus is provided. The pipetting head has a pipette tip connection mechanism and a plunger clamping mechanism having a plurality of mounts for holding the plungers of the array of pipettes during use, a plurality of clamping rods, each extending inside one of the mounts, and a clamping drive mechanism operable to drive relative movement between the mounts and the clamping rods to selectively engage the clamping mechanism. The mounts each have a radially extending feature configured to form one half of a snap-fit connection. The clamping region of each of the clamping rods is axially adjacent to the radially extending feature of its associated mount when in a clamping position, and is axially offset from the radially extending feature of its associated mount when in the release position. The clamping rod prevents the snap-fit connection with the plunger from being released when in the clamping position.