The P-97 Flaming/Brown type micropipette puller is ideal for fabricating micropipettes, patch pipettes and microinjection needles. While retaining many of the features of earlier models, the P-97 offers improvements in mechanical, electronic and software design. The result is better control of the pulling process and a higher degree of reproducibility. The P-97 combines a proven mechanical system with a sophisticated, programmable microprocessor controller. This programmable control of the pulling parameters allows the investigator to design application specific pipettes from a wide range of glass compositions and sizes.
A number of other features have been incorporated in the design of the P-97. Most apparent is the environmental chamber which surrounds the heating filament. This environmental chamber is designed to minimize the effect of changing humidity on the reproducibility of pulled pipettes. A 25% increase in power over the P-87 allows for the use of larger heating filaments, larger diameter glass and multi-barreled glass. The metal jaws that clamp the heating filament have also been redesigned to minimize heat retention. A gas delivery mode switch provides for extended cooling for large diameter and multi-barreled glass. A spring-loaded clamping mechanism has been added for easier loading of glass. A vacuum fluorescent display has been added that allows easy viewing.
Software improvements on the P-97 include a display of the total heat-on time to assist in program development and troubleshooting. Up to 100 programs can now be written and stored in memory, which makes the P-97 suitable for multiple users.