November 2005

This month we will take a look at several new dispensing options.

Recently we received several requests for Teflon-coated needles. In the past we have sent our stainless steel needles out to be coated but the thickness of the coating is difficult to control making the inside and outside needle dimension hard to keep within a tight tolerance range. Our research has lead us to a much preferred solution: needles made using solid PTFE Teflon tubing. This solution accomplished our goal by providing an affordable non-stick needle available in standard sizes with dimensions that are held to tight standards. 

The p/n is 100-10-17-xx where xx represents the gauge. Currently, we offer the PTFE needle in 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 gauge sizes and sell them in packs of 3 at $14. All sizes are in stock and we plan to keep them in stock in all sizes. The length is a standard 2" but can be trimmed back or cut to length using a razor.

If you have a ramé-hart Automated Dispensing System and wish to use the PTFE Teflon needle with this option, you will need to have adapter p/n 100-22-37. This adapter will allow you to use any ramé-hart needle with the Automated Dispensing System.

PTFE Teflon Needle

In addition to the Teflon needle, we have also introduced a Polypropylene Taper-Tip Needle. These can be reused or can be used as disposable needles for both manual and automated dispensing. They are 1.25" long and are available in the following sizes: 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 gauge. We keep 22 gauge in stock. All other sizes are available in a couple of days and may become standard "in stock" items if demand warrants.

Polypropylene Taper-Tip Needle

The part number for the Polypropylene needle is 100-10-16-xx where xx represents the gauge. The taper-tip reduces dripping. These needles are sold in packs of 10 and are currently $15 per pack.

Lastly, we have also introduced disposable 304 stainless steel needles. These are also sold in packs of 10 and are available in 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, and 27 gauge. We keep 22 gauge in stock; other gauges require 2-3 days for manufacture but may become standard "in stock" items if demand justifies it. The p/n is 100-10-15-xx where xx is the gauge. These sell for $15 per 10 pack.

Our most popular needle is our standard straight (reusable) 304 stainless steel needle. The p/n is 100-10-12-xx. We currently stock every size from 10 to 30 and plan to keep all sizes in stock. Note that 22 gauge is our standard size. If you are interested in a list of gauges and their dimensions, please refer to our needle chart located at: http://www.ramehart.com/pdf/needles.pdf. This chart lists all of the needles we current offer along with their ID and OD and length dimensions.

We also sell an inverted stainless steel needle as shown below. The p/n is 100-10-13-xx and is available in 10 to 28 gauge. We keep 18, 21, 22, and 25 gauge in stock. All other sizes require a couple of days to be manufactured.

Inverted "J" Stainless Steel Needle

The inverted, or "J" needle, is used for captive bubble, liquid/liquid, and sessile drop studies.

All of the dispensing needles and options mentioned above can be purchased online at our store: http://www.ramehart.com/shop/ Note that the minimum order for online sales is $50; $100 for phone orders or Purchase Orders.

If you have any questions regarding the needles or  manual and automated dispensing options that we offer -- or if you have a special request, please contact us.

This month our focus is on our DROPimage Standard and Advanced software. One of the issues that arises from time to time is a problem with missing windows. All versions of DROPimage were written and optimized to take advantage of the Windows interface. There are, however, several tricks that can help make using DROPimage easier:

1. Always run DROPimage in "windowed" mode in order to keep windows visible and on the screen. If you're not sure what "windowed" means, click the middle button of the three in the upper right corner of your DROPimage program. If the screen enlarges to occupy the entire desktop, it's in full screen mode. We recommend you click it again to switch to "windowed" mode.

2. Then resize the window so that it's only slightly larger than you image window.

3. When  you use the contact angle tool or the calibration tool, move the dialog box to the side so that it's not on top of the image window. Setting up your desktop in this manner will prevent your application window from jumping on top of your auxiliary dialog boxes when you are required to select in the imaging window or another dialog box.

4. If you loose a dialog box, it's probably underneath another one. Try moving them around and you will find where it's hiding.

5. We recommend that you set your screen size and leave it alone. But if you change it from a higher resolution to a lower one, it's possible to loose a dialog box (although it rarely happens). If you suspect this may have happened, simply switch back to the higher resolution, locate the dialog box, and move it to the upper left part of the screen. It will now be visible when you lower your resolution and then you can move it back to where you want it.

6. We recommend a resolution of 1024x768 and 16-bit color.

If you have any questions or comments regarding DROPimage, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Carl Clegg
Director of Sales
Phone 973-448-0305
www.ramehart.com
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