QIAcube HT Plasticware

It is an automated DNA extractor machine that can extract DNA from 96 samples in 90 minutes. But prior to that you have to load the plate with blood samples, added to the appropriate reagent and that takes a minimum of 2hr30mins. Post run we have to clean the machine and and reagent through which takes another 1hr30min. So ideally to extract DNA from 96 samples we need 5 hrs. By doing it this way, still I feel that it can save lot of manpower and time to isolate DNA using this machine. We felt that the Robotic arms of this machine were not smooth moving and there was some jerking that might cause cross contamination issues. So we complained to the service person. To our surprise we also had some leakage of blood samples in this machine. The technician was analyzing several components in the machine and said it was due to no fault in the machine, and it is normal for the robotic arms movement. To our surprise we realized that there was an issue with the tips that were provided with this plasticware kit. The tips were uneven and edges of the tips were cut which might most probably caused the leakage, the technician suggested. We have been waiting for the tips to be replaced for a long time, but it is not done yet. I am just wondering, for a high end machine like this, how can QIAGEN provide tips of such low quality. This is disappointing and wasting a lot of our time. Now I really don't know whether it is the problem of kits or problem of the machine. The DNA isolated by this machine will be used for several downstream analysis. If this machine creates problems then all of my samples and experiments and time is ruined.

Review Date: 14 May 2018 | QIAGEN