Adhesive-backed pipette holder for Gilson pipettes (1×, 2×, 3×)

thingiverse

I absolutely hate storing my pipettes in the Gilson Carrousel holder because it wastes bench space and it stores pipettes so close to the benchtop that I can't temporarily hang a tipped pipette. This pipette holder (it comes in varieties storing 1, 2, or 3 pipettes in one unit) is designed to mount to a shelf or wall with double-sided tape. Go to the hardware store and get the good stuff, don't go with cheap double-sided tape; you don't want your holder falling off the wall and breaking the tip off your 2 μL pipette. The design of this holder is somewhat, uh, minimalist, but simple blocky shapes print rapidly compared to fancier shapes. My design prints one hour faster than this Gilson-like design. Compatibility Fits: Gilson Pipetman Gilson multi-channel Does not fit: Rainin multi-channel ThermoFisher Finnpipette Which holder do I want? The 2× and 3× holders store pipettes with about 20 mm (0.8 in) of space between them, which is both compact and usable. If you want more space between pipettes so that your hand can fit between them more easily, you should just print multiple copies of the 1× holder and space them as you like. Print Settings Supports: Doesn't Matter Resolution: 0.2–0.3, and at least 1 mm of total bottom thickness (5 layers) Infill: At least 20% Notes: This requires no additional support if you print it vertically (the default orientation). You can also print it horizontally (on its side) for extra strength, but you'll need to add supports. You really don't want this print to be warped on the base, so do everything in your power to prevent that (heated bed, clean platform, brim). I have tried to mount a print whose edges had curled up, and the curl just acted as a weak area of adhesion where the rest of the adhesive slowly peeled off under the weight of the pipettes. I recommend filing the base flat (check it with a straight-edge) and then sanding the surface smooth for best adhesion. If you do this, increase the number of solid bottom layers so that you can sand more material off. Post-Printing File the bottom surface completely flat, using a straight-edge to check in all directions. Sand the bottom surface smooth. A smoother finish will let your double-sided tape bond more securely. Wipe the back of the pipette holder and the mounting surface with 70% ethanol to remove any oils. Allow to dry completely. Place long strips of good-quality double-sided tape horizontally along the back of the pipette holder. Press the holder onto the surface. Check the manufacturer's instructions to see if there is a zero-load curing period for your tape, and follow it. I suggest that you temporarily clamp it to the wall somehow (with sticky tape, probably) and don't put any load on it for at least 24 hours. Change history 20 Nov 2016 Added a small flange sticking above the top of the holder. I noticed that in previous cases where the holder unstuck itself from the shelf, it was because the holder unpeeled itself over a very long period of time starting from the top — tape is weak to peeling. Now that there will be adhesive on this raised flange, I hope that the force on the tape will be more like pulling, which tape is strong against. Update: Yes, this change has worked! After filing and sanding the bonding surface flat and smooth, and clamping the holders to the shelf with masking tape for a week, these pipette holders have stayed firmly in place for two months with no peeling or drooping. Redesigned the holders to use simpler geometry in TinkerCAD. Shortened the holders just a little bit more and made them thinner to properly fit the tape strips. 6 Jul 2016 Shortened the holders to bring the pipettes closer to the wall/shelf, reducing the amount of peeling force they exert on the double-sided tape joint. Added mouse-ears to the corners of the model to combat warping. These mouse-ears should be removed before mounting. 17 Jun 2016 Initial release. Tinkercad source document https://www.tinkercad.com/things/h10cEeG7MRy-shorter-triple-pipette-holder