World Precision Instruments PUL-1000 User manual

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WORLD
PRECISION
INSTRUMENTS
PUL-1000
Microprocessor-controlled 4-Step
Micropipette Puller
Serial No._____________________
www.wpiinc.com
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
082318

PUL-1000
World Precision Instruments iii
CONTENTS
QUICK START .................................................................................................................................. IV
ABOUT THIS MANUAL ................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1
Features....................................................................................................................................... 2
Parts List...................................................................................................................................... 2
Unpacking................................................................................................................................... 3
INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................ 3
Program Sequence................................................................................................................... 5
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS......................................................................................................... 5
Load the Glass in the Carriages....................................................................................... 5
Program Run Sequence..................................................................................................... 6
Programs............................................................................................................................... 6
Program Parameters.......................................................................................................... 7
Glass Capillary Softening Test................................................................................................ 8
MAINTENANCE ................................................................................................................................ 9
Replacing a Filament ................................................................................................................ 9
Choosing a Filament...............................................................................................................10
ACCESSORIES.................................................................................................................................10
SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................................................................10
TROUBLESHOOTING ...................................................................................................................11
APPENDIX A: EXAMPLE SEQUENCES ......................................................................................12
My Sequences..........................................................................................................................12
WARRANTY .....................................................................................................................................15
Claims and Returns ................................................................................................................15
Repairs.......................................................................................................................................15
Copyright © 2018 by World Precision Instruments. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or translated into any language, in any form, without prior written permission of World
Precision Instruments, Inc.

iv World Precision Instruments
QUICK START
1. Push the carriages together toward the center.
2. Mount the glass capillary onto the carriage, and secure it with the glass
clamps.
3. On the LCD display, choose the correct sequence. If you do not have a
sequence yet, choose one from the program storage.
NOTE: Program sequence 00 is designed for OD 1.0mm borosilicate
capillary glass (WPI# 1B100-4), and sequence 01 is designed for OD 1.14mm
borosilicate capillary glass (WPI# 4878).
4. Close the cover.
5. Press START, and the puller will do the rest. Each pull results in two
identical micropipettes.

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World Precision Instruments 1
ABOUT THIS MANUAL
The following symbols are used in this guide:
This symbol indicates a CAUTION. Cautions warn against actions that can cause
damage to equipment. Please read these carefully.
This symbol indicates a WARNING. Warnings alert you to actions that can cause
personal injury or pose a physical threat. Please read these carefully.
NOTES and TIPS contain helpful information.
Fig. 1 The PUL-1000 is programmable.
INTRODUCTION
PUL-1000 is a microprocessor controlled, four-stage, horizontal puller for making
glass micropipettes or microelectrodes used in intracellular recording, patch clamp,
microperfusion and microinjection. The puller was designed with tight mechanical
specications and precision electronics for complete control of the pulling process
and accurate reproducibility. It oers programmable sequences of up to four steps
with heating, force, movement and cooling time. This allows graduated cycles for a
variety of applications.
NOTE: This is not a production puller designed for continual Use. If the puller stops in
the middle of a pull, allow time for it to cool down.

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When pulling glass tips ner that 1 um, you should rst wash the glass capillaries in
ltered acetone (or ltered distilled water and ltered 95% alcohol) then allow the
uids to evaporate in a clean dust free environment. This assures that submicron
tips are not immediately clogged with glass particles from the manufacturing of the
capillaries.
A glass capillary is heated by a platinum/iridium lament and pulled by a controlled
force. The PUL-1000 is capable of producing a vast array of pipette shapes.
Pipettes–PUL-1000 can produce pipettes with tip diameters from less than 0.1µm to
10+ µm. Microprocessor settings control the pulling automatically.
Pulling pipettes is an art, and reliable results depend on factors like the operating
environment, the type of glass used and your technique. Understanding how the
puller works is critical to manufacturing the pipettes you want. Glass capillaries
can even be slightly dierent for every lot. Each time you open a new vial of glass
capillaries, recalibrate the puller heat parameters for the new glass.
Programming–The settings for a 4-stage pull may be stored in memory. Up to 95
user-selectable programs can be permanently be stored in memory for later recall.
The instrument contains two factory installed and tested programs. Choose from the
factory installed programs or create your own.
Construction–The cover of the pulling chamber is made with tempered glass to
minimize the eects of humidity and air currents on the reproducibility of pulled
pipettes.
Power Supply–PUL-1000 has a switching power supply for use anywhere in the
world without worry about the line voltage dierences. Pulling reproducibility is
unaected by line voltage uctuation. Heating voltage can be controlled to within 0.1%
accuracy even when line voltage uctuates from 100–240VAC.
Features
• Microprocessor controlled
• Program sequences up to four pulling steps
• Produce micropipettes with a tip diameter less than 0.1µm or greater than 10µm
• Store up to 95 programs in memory
• Two factory programs installed
• Tempered glass cover reduces the eects of humidity and air currents on puller
reproducibility
• Switchable power supply for any line voltage 100–240VAC ensures that line
voltage uctuations don’t aect reproducibility
Parts List
After unpacking, verify that there is no visible damage to the instrument. Verify that all
items are included:
(1) PUL-1000 Puller
(1) TW100-4 - Thin Wall Glass Capillaries, 4 in., 1 / 0.75 OD/ID, package of 500
(1) MF34G-5 package of MicroFil
(1) Instruction Manual

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Unpacking
Upon receipt of this instrument, make a thorough inspection of the contents and
check for possible damage. Missing cartons or obvious damage to cartons should be
noted on the delivery receipt before signing. Concealed damage should be reported
at once to the carrier and an inspection requested. Please read the section entitled
“Claims and Returns” on page 15 of this manual. Please contact WPI Customer
Service if any parts are missing at 941.371.1003 or [email protected].
Returns: Do not return any goods to WPI without obtaining prior approval (RMA
# required) and instructions from WPI’s Returns Department. Goods returned
(unauthorized) by collect freight may be refused. If a return shipment is necessary,
use the original container, if possible. If the original container is not available, use a
suitable substitute that is rigid and of adequate size. Wrap the instrument in paper or
plastic surrounded with at least 100mm (four inches) of shock absorbing material. For
further details, please read the section entitled “Claims and Returns” on page 15 of
this manual.
INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION
Tempered Glass Lid
Capillary Glass Clamps
V-Shaped Glass Groove
Heating Filament
Carriage
Keypad
LCD Display
Fig. 2 The parts of the puller are identied.
Tempered Glass Lid–For safety, the lid should be closed whenever you are pulling
glass.

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Capillary Glass Clamps–These two clamps securely hold the glass when you are
pulling pipettes.
Heating Filament–The PUL-1000 comes with a platinum/iridium box lament, which
may be easily replaced, as needed. (See “Accessories” on page 10.)
V-Shaped Glass Groove–Slide a single piece of capillary glass into the groove from
one side or the other. The groove helps line up the glass to slide easily through the
lament and hold it in the proper position during pulling.
Carriage–The carriage should move freely. It slides apart as the glass is pulled. Then,
you can manually slide the two ends of the carrier together before the next pull.
LCD Display–This display shows the programming sequence and the dened
parameters. If you press the Stop key on the keypad, you can toggle to the Glass
Capillary Softening Test display.
Fig. 3 The front panel has an intuitive keypad.
Keypad–The keypad has the following keys:
• Arrows–Press the arrow keys to move the cursor in Edit mode. The Up or
Down arrow keys increment or decrement the last digit by 1. Press the Left
and Right arrow keys to increment or decrement the last number by 10. For
example, when you are in Edit mode, you could press the Right arrow to
increase the distance from 0.50 to 0.60 or to increase the force from 200 to
210.
• ENTER– Press to enter or exit the Edit mode.
• START/PAUSE–Press to begin running a pulling program. Press it again to
pause the program.
• STOP–Press to switch between windows or to terminate the pulling program
and return to the main window while the puller is running.

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Program Sequence
A saved program can be loaded into the PUL-1000 microprocessor. When the LCD
cursor is ashing next to the entry “LOAD”on the display, use the arrows on the
keypad to select a program.
NOTE: The puller is shipped with programs saved in memory locations 00 – 01.
See “Appendix A: Example Sequences” on page 12 for a list of recommended
program setting for WPI glass capillaries. You can start from these settings to get your
own ideal program setting.
For other type of glass capillaries, the rst step is to do a Glass Capillary Softening
Test. (See “Glass Capillary Softening Test” on page 8.) This helps you nd the
required heating power setting for that glass. Then, you can choose a sequence
to match. Finding the right sequence to get the desired glass pipette requires
experimentation.
The table below is provided to show some basic guidelines when setting up a
sequence.
Parameter Increase (↑) Decrease (↓)
Heat Longer Taper Shorter Taper
Force Smaller Tips, Longer Taper Larger Tips, Shorter Taper
Distance Smaller Tips Larger Tips
Delay Shorter Taper Longer Taper
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
When heat is applied, and the glass becomes soft, the carriages pull outward, drawing
the tube into a micropipette. A position sensor in the carriage assembly monitors
the movement. When the movement exceeds the programmed distance, the heating
stops.
Load the Glass in the Carriages
The glass capillary is held by clamps mounted on two movable carriages. Both
carriages synchronously slide as a program is executed. Manually slide them back
together when you are loading the glass.
1. To open the clamps, place your thumb under the clamp and depress the release
button with your index nger.

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Set Screw
Filament Block
Release Button
Fig. 4 Press the Release Button to open the clamp.
2. Slide the glass capillary into the V-Shaped Groove from one side. Slide it through
the center of heating lament onto the other side. If you want two equivalent
length micropipettes, be sure to center the glass in the llament.
3. Secure the glass capillary with the clamps.
CAUTION: The carriage has a narrow clearance above the body of the puller. If
foreign material such as broken glass becomes wedged underneath the
carriages, it can cause a bind between the carriage and the body. Remove
foreign material from this area using vacuum only. Use of compressed air may drive
particles deeper, making them more dicult to remove.
Program Run Sequence
The heating element uses a platinum/iridium lament that provides enough heat to
melt all common glasses except quartz. After starting the program, the lament begins
to glow and heats the glass. A solenoid gradually applies a moderate tension to the
glass. The small section of the glass capillary in the lament is heated until it is soft.
When the glass is soft enough, it begins to narrow and stretch longer and thinner. The
carriages moves because of the solenoid’s pulling force, and at some point, the two
halves separate, forming two micropipettes.
Programs
The temperature, tensile force, distance of movement and delay time between steps
are all programmable parameters. Each of these parameters is user-dened for each
step in a four-step sequence. A total of 95 sequences may be stored for recall by
program number. When the unit is powered on, the LCD screen displays the last used
sequence in the window. PUL-1000 is designed to form the pipette in four steps. A
basic program step (called a line) consists of four entries: