Save Money + Reduce Waste
No additional consumables are needed to run or maintain the system.
Maintain Ingredient Integrity
Closed containers prevent contamination, evaporation, and the release of fumes.
Build Complex Screens
Use up to 34 ingredients to create custom screens to fit your experiment needs.
Build Crystallization Screens with Ease
The FORMULATOR® - Screen Builder is a next-generation liquid handler specifically designed for Protein Crystallography that uses patented microfluidic technology to dispense up to 34 different ingredients. A 96-nozzle dispensing chip can dispense any volume of any ingredient of any viscosity into any well.
Flexible Liquid Dispensing
- Low volumes, down to 200 nL with no upper limit
- Dispense a 100 μL, 3-ingredient, 96-well crystallization grid in 2.7 mins
- Supports all microplate types, even VDX/Linbro plates
Easy Operation
- Integrated barcode scanner automatically loads experiment and ingredient data
- Bottle sensors know where ingredients are located
- Design, Barcode, Scan, and Run
- The only screen builder integrated with ROCK MAKER - Crystallization Software
Dispense Viscous and Non-Viscous Ingredients
At the core of the FORMULATOR is a patented microfluidic chip that measures and dispenses discrete volumes of liquid. The chip has 96 outputs, each with its own microfluidic valve cluster. Each valve cluster has two micro-diaphragms (200 nL and 2.5 µL) that fill and dispense up to three times per second. By combining multiple dispenses of each micro-diaphragm, the FORMULATOR can dispense any volume down to 200 nL.
Easily Create Screens with Up to 34 Ingredients
Models to Fit Your Budget and Workflow
The FORMULATOR comes in 3 different models based on the number of ingredients you need to create your crystallization screens. The systems support both 125 mL and 250 mL Nalgene bottles, as well as, 50 mL conical tubes. All of the models have the same physical size and offer an optional secondary wash input for other wash solutions.
Easy Ingredient Switching
Adding ingredients is as easy as scanning the reagent barcode and inserting the bottle (with a specialized check-valve cap) into any open input on the top of the FORMULATOR. Bottle sensors tell the system where you positioned each reagent automatically, eliminating user error.
User-Friendly Software
The FORMULATOR software provides a straightforward, user-friendly way to run even the most complicated dispensing protocols through a visual representation of your plate that displays each ingredient’s dispense volume and well location.
Design dispenses that vary the volume of each reagent to every well on the plate, dispense the same volume to every well, and add a backfill if necessary.
ROCK MAKER® Integration
Quickly design experiments using the ROCK MAKER Crystallization Software. ROCK MAKER can provide a barcode to print and label your plate with. To run the dispense list, simply scan the plate label using the integrated barcode scanner before placing the plate on the FORMULATOR's plate holder. The dispense design will automatically load and you're ready to run the dispense.
Simply Design, Barcode, Scan, and Run
Testimonials
The FORMULATOR has been an essential tool for crystallography efforts here in our laboratory. The software is easy to use and contains many options for producing broad and fine reagent screens. The largest benefit has been the amount of time we are able to save by not having to pipette all the components of our 96-well screens individually. The only limitation that we have encountered is the number of reagents we are able to add into a particular screen. This is due to the number of ports on the unit that dispense reagents, however you can make a particular screen in quadrants which might help to facilitate this depending on your need.
Leanne Pedi
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
We buy a lot of products for FORMULATRIX such as ROCK IMAGER (both 4c system and RT system), FORMULATOR and NT8 for protein crystallization when using this machine we do face some problems and once I even want to return them back but people from FORMULATRIX always try their best to solve the problems. Finally, I think FORMULATRIX is really a responsible company and they always try their best to serve the customers. More important, the products are easy using.
Weifei Chen
Northwest A&F University
My supervisor is already impressed that our analysts have hit the ground running with the ROCK IMAGER and have been generating data much faster. Our group workload is increasing and we would like to complement our ROCK IMAGER and FORMULATOR with the NT8 so move our crystallization projects along even faster, and also become a showcase lab for you…we’ve also doubled our throughput in a few short months thanks to FORMULATRIX!
William Wittbold
Althea
Resources
Crystal structure of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in complex with a viral chemokine
Qin L, Kufareva I, Holden LG, Wang C, Zheng Y, Zhao C, Fenalti G, Wu H, Han GW, Cherezov V, Abagyan R, Stevens RC, Handel TM.
Science. 2015 Mar 6;347(6226):1117-22. doi: 10.1126/science.1261064. Epub 2015 Jan 22.
PMID: 25612609
Computer Requirements
Windows 7 Home Basic or Newer (Windows 8, Windows 10)
1 open USB port (compatible with USB 3.0 or older)
Dual-core 1 GHz processor
1 GB RAM
1 GB hard drive space
768 pixels vertical minimum screen resolution
Electrical Specifications
110-240 V, 50-60 Hz, 400 W max.
Waste Bottle
Minimum 2 L bottle for the waste solution, larger if possible.
Water/Wash Bottle
Minimum 2 L bottle of wash solution, larger if possible. Average wash solution consumption is 200 mL/reagent for aqueous solutions. A three-reagent dispense with one medium viscosity reagent uses an average of 500 mL wash solution.
Physical Dimensions
Width: 406 mm (16")
Depth: 434 mm (17")
Height without Bottle: 359 mm (14")
Height with Bottle: 482 mm (19")
Weight: 16 kg (35 lb)
The Formulator's microfluidic chip requires pressure and vacuum to actuate the micro-diaphragm pumps. There are three options to supply pressure and vacuum to the system, each with its own requirements:
Option 1: Formulatrix Pump Box:
- Connect the system to a pump box specifically designed to provide the required amount of pressure and vacuum.
- Pressure: Self Contained
- Vacuum: Self Contained
- Connectors: Provided
- Electrical Requirements: 110V, 60Hz, 290 W (Part PB110) or 230 V, 50 Hz, 290 W (Part PB230)
Option 2: Direct-to-Lab Air and Vacuum:
- Connect the system directly to your source of pressure and vacuum.
- Pressure: 30 PSI @ 0.15 CFM = 2.0 Bar @ 4.3 LPM
- Vacuum: 22 in Hg @ 0.2 CFM = -750 mBar @ 5.7 LPM
- Connectors: 5/32 in. or 4 mm OD tubing. Other connectors available upon request.
Option 3: Venturi Vacuum:
- Use your pressure source to generate the required vacuum with a Venturi vacuum pump
- Pressure: 80 PSI @ 1 CFM = 5.5 Bar @ 28 LPM
- Vacuum: Self-contained
- Connectors: Quick-disconnect hose coupling, industrial-shape, 1/4 in. NPTF male, ¼ in. coupling and 5/32 in. or 4 mm OD tubing. Other connectors available upon request.