Microplate having a lubricious surface and methods for making and using such microplates

A method for making a microplate, said method comprising the steps of:

• liquefying a non-toxic surface active material;
• coating pellets of thermoplastic material with said liquefied non-toxic surface active material;
• extruding said pellets of thermoplastic material coated with said non-toxic surface active material to create a melt blend;
• cooling said extruded melt blend;
• pelletizing said cooled melt blend;
• melting said pelletized melt blend;
• injecting said melted blend into a mold cavity of an injection molding machine, said mold cavity includes sections shaped to form said microplate;
• cooling the injected melt blend to create said microplate;
• and
• removing said microplate from the injection molding machine, wherein the non-toxic surface active material enhances a lubricious property of a surface of said microplate which makes it easier to remove said microplate from the injection molding machine and wherein said non-toxic surface active material has a percentage of weight relative to the thermoplastic material that was determined in order to minimize extraction of said non-toxic surface active material into wells of said microplate while said microplate is located within an operating thermocycler.

A method for making a microplate, said method comprising the steps of:

• liquefying a non-toxic surface active material;
• coating pellets of thermoplastic material with said liquefied non-toxic surface active material;
• extruding said pellets of thermoplastic material coated with said non-toxic surface active material to create a melt blend;
• cooling said extruded melt blend;
• pelletizing said cooled melt blend;
• melting said pelletized melt blend;
• injecting said melted blend into a mold cavity of an injection molding machine, said mold cavity includes sections shaped to form said microplate;
• cooling the injected melt blend to create said microplate;
• and
• removing said microplate from the injection molding machine, wherein the non-toxic surface active material enhances a lubricious property of a surface of said microplate which makes it easier to remove said microplate from the injection molding machine, wherein said non-toxic surface active material is a surfactant which is a polyoxyethylene fatty ether that has a molecular structure of CH3(CH2)17—(OCH2CH2)n—OH.

A method for using a microplate, said method comprising the steps of:

• placing the microplate into a thermocycler, said microplate includes:
• a frame having a plurality of wells formed therein, said microplate is manufactured from a combination of thermoplastic material and non-toxic surface active material;
• operating the thermocycler so as to cycle the temperature of contents within the wells of said microplate;
• and
• removing the microplate from the thermocycler, wherein the non-toxic surface active material enhances a lubricious property of a surface of said microplate which makes it easier to remove said microplate from the thermocycler and wherein said non-toxic surface active material has a percentage of weight relative to the thermoplastic material that was determined in order to minimize extraction of said non-toxic surface active material into the wells of said frame during the operation of the thermocycler.

A method for using a microplate, said method comprising the steps of:

• placing the microplate into a thermocycler, said microplate includes:
• a frame having a plurality of wells formed therein, said microplate is manufactured from a combination of thermoplastic material and non-toxic surface active material;
• operating the thermocycler so as to cycle the temperature of contents within the wells of said microplate;
• and
• removing the microplate from the thermocycler, wherein the non-toxic surface active material enhances a lubricious property of a surface of said microplate which makes it easier to remove said microplate from the thermocycler, wherein said non-toxic surface active material is a surfactant which is a polyoxyethylene fatty ether that has a molecular structure of CH3(CH2)17—(OCH2CH2)n—OH.