Precision nano- and micro-volume liquid handling without touch-off.

Contact-free dispensing releases liquid from the tip without touching the destination surface or vessel wall. The sample is blown off cleanly rather than dragged or dabbed off. This removes touch-off variability, prevents well-to-well carryover, and delivers the full intended volume, which is critical for accuracy in small-volume and high-density plate work.

A hanging drop is liquid that clings to the tip instead of releasing. When part of the sample stays behind, the delivered volume is short and inconsistent, and the residue raises contamination risk. At microliter and nanoliter scale, even a tiny retained droplet is a large percentage error, which forces replicates and wastes reagent.

Differential Displacement™ uses two pistons of slightly different diameters operating in one chamber. The small difference between them gives fine resolution for accurate low-volume aspiration, while preserving enough flow force to blow the sample off cleanly and contact-free. The mechanism is protected by U.S. Patents 11,491,477; 11,813,606; and 11,951,470.

DRD instruments cover nanoliter-to-microliter ranges, with per-channel coverage demonstrated across roughly 0.25 to 10 microliters and standard deviation near 0.02 microliters at low volume in DRD’s SLAS 2026 highlight data. The same differential core can also move larger volumes quickly when a workflow needs it.

Yes. The µL Magic 96 demonstrated contact-free delivery into 384-well plates with zero missed wells in DRD’s highlighted run. Contact-free release is especially valuable in dense 384- and 1536-well formats, where clearance is tight and touch-off contamination between neighboring wells is a real risk.

Yes. DRD offers pump modules, a dual-resolution syringe, and integrated liquid-handling cores, including 96-channel heads, for manufacturers building their own instruments. Engagement models include OEM supply, technology licensing, and strategic partnership, so the differential core can sit inside third-party automated platforms.

Traditional air-displacement pipettes rely on an air cushion and often require touch-off, which leaves hanging drops at small volumes. DRD’s dual-piston differential mechanism aspirates accurately through rugged sealing and delivers completely without contact. The result is cleaner delivery, better reproducibility, and fewer replicates, with no wall-dragging workaround.

The biggest gains come in miniaturized, high-density work: high-throughput screening, 384- and 1536-well assays, cell-based assays, diagnostics sample prep, NGS and genomics library prep, and immunochemistry. Any workflow where reagent cost, reproducibility, or contamination control matters benefits from accurate, contact-free small-volume delivery.