Standard Labware
The labware library contains many pre-defined labware types and base classes to create custom labware. Before building your own labware definition, check if what you need already exists; it likely does for common Hamilton carriers, Corning-Costar plates, and standard tips.
What's available
Standard labware is organized by vendor sub-package:
| Sub-package | Contents |
|---|---|
unitelabs.labware.hamilton | Hamilton plate carriers, tip carriers, trough carriers, tip types |
unitelabs.labware.corning_costar | Corning-Costar 96/384-well plates |
unitelabs.labware | Generic base types: Standard96Plate, StandardTrough, Standard50mLTube, etc. |
To see the full list of what is available in any sub-package at runtime:
from unitelabs.labware import hamilton, corning_costar
print(hamilton.__all__) # all Hamilton carriers and tip types
print(corning_costar.__all__) # all Corning-Costar plates
Hamilton carriers
from unitelabs.labware.hamilton import (
# Plate carriers (landscape, 5-slot)
PLT_CAR_L5MD_A00, # Medium density
PLT_CAR_L5AC_A00, # Anti-condensation
PLT_CAR_L5FLEX_MD_A00,
PLT_CAR_L5FLEX_AC_A00,
PLT_CAR_L5PCR_A00, # PCR plates
# Plate carriers (portrait, 3-slot)
PLT_CAR_P3MD_A00,
PLT_CAR_P3AC_A00,
# Tip carriers
TIP_CAR_288_A00,
TIP_CAR_480_A00,
)
Corning-Costar plates
from unitelabs.labware.corning_costar import (
Cos_96_FB, # 96-well flat bottom
Cos_96_RD, # 96-well round bottom
Cos_384_Sq, # 384-well square bottom
)
Generic standard types
These are available directly from unitelabs.labware and work across vendors:
from unitelabs.labware import (
Standard96Plate, # ANSI/SLAS standard 96-well plate
StandardTrough, # 300 mL reagent trough (96-hole access)
Standard50mLTube, # 50 mL conical tube
)
Importing a labware class, i.e. the tip carrier TIP_CAR_480_A00 from Hamilton is done with the following code:
from unitelabs.labware.hamilton import TIP_CAR_480_A00
In the same way, importing the 96-well flat bottom microplates from Corning-Costar looks like this:
from unitelabs.labware.corning_costar import Cos_96_FB
Inspecting labware properties
After importing a labware class, you can instantiate it. Using the dir( ... ) built-in function, all available properties and methods can be viewed. A selection is shown below:
from unitelabs.labware.hamilton import PLT_CAR_L5MD_A00
plate_carrier_1 = PLT_CAR_L5MD_A00()
print(plate_carrier_1.dimensions)
print(plate_carrier_1.height, plate_carrier_1.depth, plate_carrier_1.width)
print(plate_carrier_1.location)
print(plate_carrier_1.absolute_location)
print(plate_carrier_1.rotation)
print(plate_carrier_1.tracks)
print(plate_carrier_1.cols)
print(plate_carrier_1.rows)
print(plate_carrier_1.children)
This yields the following output:
Vector(x=Decimal('135'), y=Decimal('497'), z=Decimal('130')) # .dimension
130 497 135 # .height, .depth, .width
None # .location
Vector(x=Decimal('0'), y=Decimal('0'), z=Decimal('0')) # .absolute_location
0 # .rotation
6 # .tracks
1 # .cols
5 # .rows
[
CarrierSite(identifier='81625615', rotation=0, dimensions=Vector(x=Decimal('127'), y=Decimal('86'), z=Decimal('0')), location=Vector(x=Decimal('4'), y=Decimal('392.5'), z=Decimal('111.75')), orientation=<Orientation.LANDSCAPE: 'LANDSCAPE'>),
CarrierSite(identifier='90e13a32', rotation=0, dimensions=Vector(x=Decimal('127'), y=Decimal('86'), z=Decimal('0')), location=Vector(x=Decimal('4'), y=Decimal('296.5'), z=Decimal('111.75')), orientation=<Orientation.LANDSCAPE: 'LANDSCAPE'>),
CarrierSite(identifier='0e66b837', rotation=0, dimensions=Vector(x=Decimal('127'), y=Decimal('86'), z=Decimal('0')), location=Vector(x=Decimal('4'), y=Decimal('200.5'), z=Decimal('111.75')), orientation=<Orientation.LANDSCAPE: 'LANDSCAPE'>),
CarrierSite(identifier='d16d85e1', rotation=0, dimensions=Vector(x=Decimal('127'), y=Decimal('86'), z=Decimal('0')), location=Vector(x=Decimal('4'), y=Decimal('104.5'), z=Decimal('111.75')), orientation=<Orientation.LANDSCAPE: 'LANDSCAPE'>),
CarrierSite(identifier='b2b1ced8', rotation=0, dimensions=Vector(x=Decimal('127'), y=Decimal('86'), z=Decimal('0')), location=Vector(x=Decimal('4'), y=Decimal('8.5'), z=Decimal('111.75')), orientation=<Orientation.LANDSCAPE: 'LANDSCAPE'>)
]
When instantiated, labware does not have a location yet. Labware can be added to a deck or other labware. The location will then be calculated relative to its parent. More on deck building is explained in Building a Deck.
Labware can be custom-made using the base classes provided. More on custom labware is explained in the custom labware guide.