Information about usage of the plate filler, including videos on cleaning and changing tubes, can be found at the bottom of the Media Plate Filler product page.

The Reshape Media Plate Filler comes with a built-in cleaning program, which is versatile and allows various cleaning and sterilisation agents to be used. Using this cleaning program, the tubes will not need to changed between uses.

By far the most commonly cleaning method, and the one we recommend, is using exclusively freshly boiled demineralised water. A very simple setup consisting of an electric kettle and a blue cap bottle can be set up next to the machine and used both for pre-heating and cleaning of the system. Running one to three cleaning cycles with freshly boiled water after filling plates will clear out the tubes of any residual agar, clean them and kill any microorganisms that might have entered the tubes during handling.

If desired, further cleaning steps involving ethanol, hydrogen peroxide or acid/base cleaning can be performed. However, all application data has shown that using freshly boiled demineralised water by itself reduces contamination rates below those of a laboratory technician.

If the tubes are not cleaned in a reasonable time frame after filling or if the machine is stopped during filling, the tubes might clog. In this case, we recommend using a blue-cap bottle with freshly boiled demineralised water, and submerging as much of the tubes into it as possible. Then, run the cleaning program many times in quick succession. After a few cycles, all the agar should be dislodged and the tubes will be clear and ready for use.

Tube changing can be performed in cases of extreme clogging of the tubes or as part of a preventative maintenance schedule. One set of tubes can last for tens of thousands of plates without being changed or re-calibrated.