Out of the box, the OT-2 can support any automation-compatible, ANSI/SLAS compliant well plates, plus a wide range of snap-cap and screw-cap tubes up to a 50 mL conical with our 4-in-1 Tube Rack. You can see the full range of supported labware in our Labware Library.
You do not need to know how to code to use the Opentrons platform. Protocols can be created using Opentrons’ plug-and-play protocol design tools. We also have an Applications Engineering team that can build custom protocols for you.
You can find our community’s collection of OT-2 protocols within our Protocol Library. Feel free to search the library for a protocol that matches your lab’s workflows!
If you don’t see a protocol that matches your lab’s processes, we offer a couple different options for creating your protocol. Additionally, you can leverage our team of engineers for a custom protocol development.
Due to the open-source nature of the robot, many of our users have found success integrating the OT-2 with third party lab equipment.
Integrations such as these would be a DIY project taken on by your lab, and would not fall under the scope of the Opentrons Support team.
The OT-2 has the following certifications: CE, FCC, NRTL, ISO 9001, CB
Note that the robot is not IVD or GMP certified/validated
Labs within the Opentrons community have installed the OT-2 pipetting robot in biological safety cabinets (as well as in inert atmosphere glove boxes), including Labconco’s Logic Vue Class II enclosures and Baker’s AeroPROTECT 360 enclosures. We recommend you cross-check the dimensions of the OT-2 with those of your chosen biological safety cabinet.
Using Opentrons pipettes without the OT-2 is not suggested. The pipette interface contains connections to the pipette motor itself and an EEPROM that contains nothing more than the serial number of the pipette.
All of the motor control circuits and logic behind how much to drive the motor to aspirate fluid is completely contained within the circuitry of the robot.
In this sense, the user would be required to almost entirely reverse engineer our robot to operate the pipettes with any level of accuracy. Additionally, we cannot guarantee any level of performance when the pipettes are not used with our robot, this would have to be validated by the user.
The components of Opentrons pipette that might interact with liquid or vapor from your reagents are made from:
PC-ABS (external & internal housing)
NBR (internal plunger O-ring)
Silicone (external O-ring)
Opentrons pipettes are designed and tested to handle a wide range of aqueous solutions common to biochemistry. Our pipettes haven’t been tested for use with solvents and other non-aqueous chemicals.
We recommend the below chart to determine any possible interactions before using solvents on the OT-2. If you do not see the chemical you will be using below please consult a chemical compatibility database.
A – Excellent
B – Good: Minor Effect, slight corrosion, or discoloration.
C – Fair: Moderate Effect, not recommended for continuous use. Softening or loss of strength, and swelling may occur.
D – Severe Effect: Not recommended for any use.
E – Information not available.
Materials: Opentrons tips are made from 100% polypropylene (PP).
Recycling process: PP plastic will often have a printed ‘resin code’ (5 for PP), which is useful during recycling, as they indicate what type of plastic it is. This ensures the separation and efficient recycling of different plastic types.
Nonhazardous micropipette tips can be collected for recycling. Collect in a puncture-proof container. BL1 and BL2 tips must be decontaminated with bleach or alcohol before being deposited into a recycling bin. Pharmaceutical contamination would also prevent the recycling of tips.
Always check with the environmental, health, and safety office at your institution first. Sometimes finding a pipette tip inside a recycling collection container will automatically make everything considered “trash”. Your institution’s recycling program rules will be dependent on EPA, OSHA, local hazardous waste regulations, and the municipal recycling services that are available.
Materials: Opentrons P20 and P1000 tip racks are made out of ABS plastic.
Recycling process: Please see 3drific.com for more information on recycling ABS Plastic
ABS plastic uses recycling number 7.
ABS needs to be processed separately. On the industrial scale, this is automated via froth flotation, where a water-oil mixture helps sort the ABS from other particles.
At home, and at the municipal level, this will largely be done at the collection stage. ABS should be kept in a separate container and transported in the same compartmentalized manner. Some municipalities may employ workers to manually separate plastic, but this is clearly error-prone, and may not work as well as separation at the collection stage.
Once ABS plastic has been separated as much as possible, the next step in the recycling process is grinding.
Other resources like TerraCycle are specifically designed for tip racks.
Materials: Opentrons P300 tip racks are made out of polycarbonate plastic (PC).
Recycling process: Please see https://www.terracycle.com for more information on recycling PC plastic
PC plastic uses recycling number 7.
This is a notoriously difficult process, so we recommend selecting a company like TerraCycle or contacting your institution to review their recycling program’s rules.
Please contact us at support@opentrons.com or through Opentrons Messenger if you have more questions or suggestions about the above.
One Thermocycler Module can be used at a time on the OT-2.
The Thermocycler Module is intended for use with full-skirted, rigid, 96-well, 0.2 mL PCR plates. We recommend using Opentrons Tough PCR Plates.
We recommend leveraging the included Aluminum Block when running the Temperature Module. To check if your labware will fit on the aluminum block, consult the dimensions in the Temperature Module White Paper. For additional information on compatible labware, please reference our Support team’s labware compatibility article.
Please reference our Temperature Module White Paper for details on the module’s accuracy, uniformity, and time-to-temperature specifications, as well as technical drawings.
It is possible to use multiple modules of the same type on the OT-2. This is true for our Temperature Module, Magnetic Module, and Heater-Shaker Module. For a walkthrough on setting this up for your OT-2 and considerations when using multiple modules, please reference this guide.
The magnets used within our Magnetic Module are N52 Neodymium Magnets.
The Magnetic Module supports protocols with standard or deep 96 well plates with volumes ranging from 10 μL to 2 mL.
For more information on compatible labware and magnetic beads, please reference our Magnetic Module White Paper and our Support team’s labware compatibility article.
It is possible to use multiple modules of the same type on the OT-2. This is true for our Temperature Module, Magnetic Module, and Heater-Shaker Module. For a walkthrough on setting this up for your OT-2 and considerations when using multiple modules, please reference this guide.
The HEPA Module is not a biosafety cabinet, nor does it protect the user. The module is used to maintain a sterile working environment inside the OT-2.
The HEPA Module should never be used for pathogens. It should not be used for situations where there are volatiles, or any potentially hazardous aerosolized materials.
The HEPA Module uses positive pressure to provide a sterile working environment inside the OT-2, as shown in the illustration on page 2 of our HEPA Module Whitepaper.
The Opentrons HEPA Module is intended for use with our OT-2 robot, and can not be used as a standalone unit.
Yes! When carrying out multiple protocols on a Heater-Shaker Module, it may be required to have the module heat, but not shake. This option is possible on the Heater-Shaker Module.
The Heater-Shaker Module can assist in automating a variety of wetlab workflows. Here is an example of a DNA Extraction protocol leveraging the Heater-Shaker Module.
It is possible to use multiple modules of the same type on the OT-2. This is true for our Temperature Module, Magnetic Module, and Heater-Shaker Module. For a walkthrough on setting this up for your OT-2 and considerations when using multiple modules, please reference this guide.
Two options are available to customers who purchase an Onsite Support Set Up contract:
Option 1:
Option 2:
The following services are not included with your purchase of an Onsite Support Set Up contract:
Our Onsite Support Set Up is currently available for our customers within the continental United States.
The following hardware can be covered by Opentrons Protect:
All Opentrons customers (international & U.S.) can purchase a Protect plan for their Opentrons hardware!
An Opentrons Care contract can be purchased to cover the following hardware:
Opentrons Care is available to continental U.S. customers, and includes the following:
Opentrons Care International is available to all customers not located within the continental U.S. and includes the following:
By purchasing Remote Custom Protocol Development, you get the following benefits for your Opentrons system:
To determine the Remote Custom Protocol Development option that would work best for your protocol, please reference the following guidelines:
| Complexity | Price | Description |
| Complex Workflows | $2,250 | Typically require complex API command handling for high-level robot control and a longer time for protocol optimizations. Example applications are NGS, nucleic acid purification, nucleic acid extraction, protein expression, purification, etc. (If the assay requires the magnetic module, please use this option). |
| Moderately Complex Workflows | $1,750 | Typically require API command handling but moderate optimizations. Example applications might include ELISA, protein crystallization, Bradford Assays or BCA assays, transfection or transformation assays, drug discovery, MALDI spotting, microarray prep, flow cytometry, complex serial dilutions, workflows with multiple variables, or workflows with highly unique plate maps. |
| Simple Workflows | $1,250 | Typically require basic API functions and requires little development time and minimal optimizations. Example applications might include PCR setup, sample aliquoting, normalizations, cherry-picking, CSV file handling, media exchange, and mass spec sample preparation. |
| Amendments | $750 | Amendments to existing protocols in the Protocol Library. |
