| 摘要 |
The invention provides a method of printing, onto a substrate (12), an array (14) of spots of reagent compositions for use in a chemical and/or biochemical analysis. The method includes displacing an array of reagent composition containing capillary tubes (22) arranged alongside one another from an inoperative position to an operative position in which open ends of the capillary tubes (22) simultaneously impinge against a substrate and thereafter displacing the array of tubes (22) from the operative position back to the inoperative position. The invention extends to a printing apparatus (10), a method of printing a layered array of spots of reagent compositions, a method of introducing reagent compositions into the tubes, a reagent introducing device for introducing reagent compositions into the tubes and a printing installation which includes the printing apparatus (10) and the reagent introducing device. |
| 主权项 |
1. A method of printing, onto a substrate, an array of spots of reagent compositions for use in a chemical and/or biochemical analysis, which method includes
displacing an array of reagent composition containing capillary tubes arranged alongside one another and each having at least one open end, with the open ends of the tubes being aligned, from an inoperative position to an operative position in which the open ends of the capillary tubes simultaneously impinge against a substrate, so that at least some reagent composition from the capillary tubes is thereby deposited on the substrate as spots, thereby to form an array of spots of the reagent compositions on the substrate; and thereafter displacing the array of capillary tubes from the operative position back to the inoperative position,the method including, before the displacing of the array of capillary tubes from the inoperative position to the operative position, forming the array of capillary tubes by supporting the capillary tubes on or against a plurality of stackable supporting elements, with each supporting element supporting a plurality of the tubes, and stacking the supporting elements side-by-side into a print head assembly, the displacing of the capillary tubes being effected by moving the print head assembly, with the supporting elements each defining a plurality of grooves for receiving the tubes, and with the tubes being received by the grooves, one groove for each tube, and being displaceable along the lengths of the grooves. |
