The core of Arrayjet technology, the JetSpyder enables the inkjet print head to be charged with multiple samples for microarray printing. The JetSpyder is designed to be compatible with commonly used plate formats for sample storage, including 96-well, 384-well and 1536-well plates. An array of capillaries at suitable spacings is dipped into the wells of the sample plate, and samples are drawn through the JetSpyder into the inkjet print head. The JetSpyder is then returned to its cleaning station prior to beginning printing.

Arrayjet currently offers three JetSpyder options:

The print head used by Arrayjet in its microarrayers is manufactured by Xaar in Cambridge, a company specializing in inkjet technology. This piezo-electric head is ideal for printing microarrays: samples are not heated during printing (as in bubblejet), enabling a wide range of arrays to be manufactured with confidence.

The print head has more than 100 nozzles, enabling high throughput printing yet with redundancy of print capacity – each nozzle has several “spares” associated with it, enhancing the flexibility of the platform. Drop volume is 100 picolitres, forming 100 micron diameter spots on a microarray slide (substrate dependent), permitting the production of high density arrays.