User manual

4-12 VITEK
®
2 Instrument User Manual
510731-10EN1
Instrument Hardware Components VITEK
®
2 Instrument
chamber but is attached to an air pump. It is fitted with a filter (4) to prevent
particulate contamination.
Electromechanical Components (not shown). The electromechanical
components control how the system works.
1) When an AST card is detected, a valve opens to allow saline to travel
from its bag to the dispensing chamber.
2) An optical sensor detects when the chamber is full (2.5 mL) and closes
the valve.
3) The dispensing chamber rotates into position over the AST card’s test
tube.
4) The air pump is activated, forcing the saline into the tube at a controlled
rate that minimizes splashing.
Pipettor
The pipettor station transfers a preset volume of an organism suspension
from its test tube into the test tube of its mated AST card.
Figure 4-7: Disposable Pipettes
1 — Disposable Pipette Tips. To prevent contamination, VITEK
®
2 uses
single-use, disposable pipette tips.
2 — Container. The container holds up to 350 pipette tips. It has an internal
mechanism that ensures proper delivery of each pipette tip to the
displacement pump.
3 — Displacement Pump (not shown). The displacement pump withdraws
a specified volume of inoculum for dilution in the inoculum tube of an AST
card.
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