Lab Report 5: Setting Tolerances for Pipettes in the Laboratory

The Performance of mechanical action pipettes must be tested periodically to ensure accurate liquid delivery

The results of such testing then may be compared with pre-established tolerances, and out-of-tolerance conditions corrected. Tolerances that are too strict can cause a large number of so-called “false failures,” where a pipette in good working order produces test results that are out of tolerance. Tolerances that are too broad can degrade the quality of the laboratory’s analytical work.

Further complicating the situation is the fact that pipette performance is dependent upon factors beyond the mechanical condition of the pipette. Balancing this interplay of factors can make it a challenge to develop achievable tolerance limits for pipettes. This Lab Report reviews the key issues that should be considered when establishing tolerance limits for the working laboratory, and recommends a set of achievable tolerance limits for single and multi-channel pipettes of various sizes.