Micromanipulation

(See a comparison chart of our micromanipulators)

Sutter began making micromanipulators in 1985 with the MP-85, a refined version of the venerable Huxley-style manipulator. Seeing the potential of stepper motors, Sutter went on to develop the MP-285, our first stepper-driven micromanipulator. Both the MP-285 and MP-225 use stepper motors with a cable drive design. These have been proven over the last 25 years to be very reliable in the field. Both are available with the MPC-200 controller or their original stand-alone controllers.

More recently, we have developed a new series of manipulators using a lead-screw drive. The 3-axis MP-845 and narrow format MP-865 represent a new family of compact and reliable manipulators that interface with our proven controllers. These new designs offer a more compact footprint which creates additional space for setup and access around your microscope.

These are available with the TRIO™ MPC- 100 controller. The narrow format MP-865 is alternatively available with the MPC-200 controller when four or more manipulators are required.

Multiple motorized manipulators can be controlled with the MPC-100 or MPC-200 controllers. The MPC-100 controller is an inexpensive, all-in-one controller capable of operating two of our MP-845 or MP-865 series manipulators. The MPC-200 controller will control two of our MP-285 or MP-225 motorized manipulators and can be expanded to run four manipulators off a single ROE-200 input device. These highly flexible solutions allow the user to add components to their system in the future as needed.

The QUAD®, adds a motorized 4th axis to the MP-845 to move the pipette coaxially at the desired angle. This choice is perfect for users that need a true diagonal. The compact ROE and controller-in-one is easy to use, has built-in robotic capabilities and a USB port to program more complicated moves.

The TRIO™-235 eliminates the Z-axis in favor of an adjustable diagonal. This X-Y-D design is preferred by some as it makes for a very compact setup. Our TRIO-235 controller is capable of synthesizing an artificial Z-axis, in much the same way our 3-axis manipulators synthesize a diagonal.

Rounding out the line of manipulators is the MM-33 manual micromanipulator, an economical micromanipulator of sufficient resolution and control for impaling xenopus oocytes and other medium-fine manipulation tasks.

See also our range of stages, stands and translators for a complete electrophysiology setup compatible with a range of microscopes.