New plate sealers launched

Two UK companies have launched new products to seal the tops of plates used in laboratories and prevent evaporation and contamination of their contents.

The Seal Pup, from Elkay​ is a benchtop unit that has a pressure sensing press that eradicates the need for adaptors and also has variable time and temperature settings.

It can deliver a reliable, consistent seal to any laboratory plate, according to the company , and is available with a range of foils that make it suitable for most applications.

A clear advantage of Seal Pup is that it does not need compressed air to operate and is portable so it can be used next to automated plating systems, according to Elkay. The product is being co-marketed by Elkay and Lablinks, with Elkay handling the UK market and Lablinks selling it across continental Europe.

Meanwhile, Porvair Sciences​has launched Mat Capper, a portable instrument for capping microplates with sealing mats.

The company said that Mat Capper greatly reduces the time that it takes to seal a plate. It uses a versatile shuttle table to produce an accurate and tight seal on a wide range of both deep and shallow well microplates, and an anti-slip base prevents movement while in use.

Porvair added that the product's APP (across plate pressure) system ensures perfect plate sealing.

"For laboratories that have to hand-seal large quantities of microplates the Mat Capper offers an affordable solution that removes the risk of repetitive strain injury"​ (RSI), according to Porvair.

Porvair Sciences also offers a range of silicone, EVA and Santoprene sealing mats that provide what they call a high integrity retention of liquids in microplates. The company says that both piercable and re-piercable versions are available.