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.

Stages, Stands & Translators

(Click here to see Stages & Translators)

Mounting options include manipulator platforms that bolt directly to the frames of the most popular microscopes, and rock-steady, free-standing platforms that support the manipulators by clamping to the table beside the microscope. Our MT-70 stand, originally designed for stable support of the fifteen-pound Huxley manipulator, and the MT-75 gantry-style stand, are perfect free-standing columns for our manipulators. We have also designed the MD series microscope-specific platforms that bolt directly to the bodies of the most popular Olympus, Leica, Nikon, and Zeiss inverted microscopes. These platforms lend themselves to the low-drift recording configuration required when using Sutter manipulators for positioning patch-electrodes onto attached cells in culture.

The 3DMS, 3-Dimensional motorized stage, was designed for experiments that require rapid movement of a chamber or culture dish to multiple locations in a compact space. Two axes provide X-Y translation and the third axis provides built-in focusing with sub-micron accuracy. The 3DMS offers robotic programmability of complex motion sequences when used with the MP-285 controller.

A task specific platform for manipulators is the MT-1000 translation system. When coupled with MP-285 or MP-225 manipulators, the system forms a slice-patch workstation. The MT-1000 was born out of a technique now common in slice recording that moves the optical pathway while keeping the slice chamber and recording electrodes fixed. The translation system allows the user to move to multiple locations on the tissue at high resolution without disturbing recording electrodes. The MT-1000 workstation encompasses: an X-Y translator designed to move a microscope smoothly and accurately; two MT-75 gantry-type stands for positioning manipulators on one or both sides of the microscope; and a third gantry stand that becomes the fixed support for the chamber. The MT-2000 uses a motorized X-Y translator. In this design, stepper-motor driven lead screws provide smooth movement of the microscope.

Sutter's large motorized platform stages, the MP-78 and MPC-78, are perfect for multi-site experiments where the microscope cannot be translated and a wide field of view is necessary. The MT-78-FS large fixed-stage platform provides the same generous mounting surface for experiments dependent on X-Y translation.

Rounding out our company's 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.