The Sensific DropletONE is an integrated droplet generation and imaging platform that combines precision pressure control, flow sensing and real-time image analysis in a single benchtop instrument.
Available in two configurations: DGO200 with dual pressure control and single emulsion chip holder, DGO300 with triple pressure control and double emulsion chip holder.
Microfluidic chips, pressure supply and control computer are not included. Sorting is available on the DropletONE Sort versions.
General
Generate droplets and watch every one of them
Most droplet workflows separate production from analysis: you generate, you collect, you look at the result afterwards. DropletONE puts the imaging sensor directly on the chip, so droplet size, frequency and content are measured as they are produced. You see immediately whether your emulsion is uniform, and you adjust while the run is still going.
Everything in one instrument
Building a droplet platform usually means assembling a pressure controller, flow sensors, a microscope, a high-speed camera and an acquisition PC, then making them talk to each other. DropletONE ships as one integrated unit:
- Precision pressure controllers with flow sensing on every channel
- Integrated ODIN imaging sensor with on-board analysis
- Pulsed illumination synchronised with image capture
- Chip holder with reliable fluidic connections
- Single software interface for flow control, imaging and analysis
Typical applications
- Single and double emulsion droplet generation
- Single-cell encapsulation and Drop-Seq workflows
- Droplet-based assay development and screening
- Bacteria, yeast and algae encapsulation
- Spheroid generation
- Emulsion quality control and process development
- Microfluidic method development and teaching
Pressure control you can actually see working
Pressure resolution reaches 0.03 % of full scale with stability below 0.1 % CV, response times as low as 30 ms and settling under 70 ms. What matters in practice is that the imaging sensor measures the droplets those pressures produce, in the same instrument, at the same moment.
Drift in your emulsion shows up as a change in measured droplet diameter rather than as a surprise at the end of the run. Pressure ranges and flow sensor models are selected when you order, so the instrument matches the flow regime your chips actually need.
Real-time droplet analysis
Analysis on board, not afterwards
The integrated sensor images at up to 10,000 frames per second and extracts measurements with a latency below 200 microseconds, so nothing is queued for later processing.
- Two independent readout regions for two-stage processes or inline quality control
- Scatter and line plots with image link: click a point and see the droplet behind it
- Arbitrary polygon gating directly in the plot
- Smart Imaging Mode recording only what is relevant: all images, particles only, or one image per particle
- Unlimited recording in RAW, AVI, MJPEG or MP4, with data exported to XLS, XLSX or CSV
Features & benefits
- Cut your setup time: one instrument replaces a bench of separate controllers, sensors, optics and acquisition hardware, with no integration work on your side.
- Catch a failing run early: droplet size and frequency are measured live, so you stop or correct a drifting emulsion instead of discovering the problem in the collected sample.
- Keep your emulsion uniform: pressure stability below 0.1 % CV holds generation conditions constant across long production runs.
- Keep your chip supplier: the holder accepts Sensific droplet generation chips, and the platform is open to other microfluidic chips.
- Move to double emulsion without a second instrument: the DGO300 holds two chips for water-in-oil-in-water or oil-in-water-in-oil production.
- Store less, find more: Smart Imaging Mode keeps only the relevant frames, which makes long screening campaigns manageable.
- Add sorting later: the Sort versions of DropletONE share the same platform, so the workflow you develop here transfers directly.
Configured for your flow regime
Pressure ranges and flow sensor models are selected according to your needs, from 25 mbar to 2000 mbar and from nanolitre to millilitre per minute flow rates, including vacuum ranges. Tell us about your fluids, your chip geometry and your target droplet size, and we will come back with a configuration proposal.
Content
1x DropletONE platform with integrated imaging sensor, pressure controllers, flow sensors and illumination unit
1x Chip holder: CH1530 with 4 silicone rubber seals (DGO200) or CHD1530 with 8 silicone rubber seals (DGO300)
1x Control and analysis software
1x User manual (digital copy)
Chip holders are integrated in the instrument and are not currently sold separately. Microfluidic chips, external pressure supply and control computer are not included.
TO CONFIRM: tubing, fittings, power supply and cabling included in the delivery?
Specifications
Configurations
| |
DGO200 |
DGO300 |
| Pressure control |
Dual precision pressure controllers |
Triple pressure regulation |
| Chip holder |
CH1530, one chip |
CHD1530, two chips |
| Emulsion type |
Single emulsion |
Single and double emulsion |
| Seals supplied |
4 silicone rubber seals |
8 silicone rubber seals |
| Sorting |
Not included, see the DropletONE Sort versions |
For double emulsion work on the DGO300, tell us whether you intend to produce water-in-oil-in-water or oil-in-water-in-oil droplets when ordering chips, so that the correct surface treatment is supplied.
Flow control
| Pressure channels |
DGO200: 2
DGO300: 3 |
| Pressure ranges [mbar] |
positive pressure: 0 to 25; 0 to 69; 0 to 345; 0 to 1000; 0 to 2000
negative pressure: -25 to 0, -69 to 0, -345 to 0, -800 to 0 |
| Required pressure supply [mbar] |
150 for the 25 and 69 mbar ranges
1100 for the 345 and 1000 mbar ranges
2100 for the 2000 mbar range
-800 for vacuum ranges |
| Pressure resolution |
0.03 % of full scale |
| Pressure stability |
< 0.1 % CV (measured) |
| Pressure response time [ms] |
As low as 30 ms |
| Pressure settling time [ms] |
< 70 ms |
| Flow meters |
3 units (TO CONFIRM for the DGO200) |
| Flow meter models |
XS, S, M, L, XL, M+ or L+ (selected at order stage, see the table below) |
| Switching valves |
2x 2-switch valves |
Imaging
| Magnification |
2.5x, customisable |
| Frame rate [fps] |
210 fps at 1280 x 1024 px; up to 10,000 fps at 400 x 32 px |
| Sensor type |
Monochrome, 10-bit colour depth, 1/2" active area, global shutter |
| Spectral range [nm] |
300-1000 nm |
| Quantum efficiency [%] |
58 % at 550 nm (peak); 62 % at 630 nm |
| Pixel size [µm] |
4.8 µm |
| Readout regions |
2 freely selectable, simultaneous regions (two-stage processes, inline quality control, parallelisation) |
| Latency [µs] |
< 200 µs from image capture to analysis result; control precision < 10 ns |
| Illumination |
Single-colour pulsed illumination, 0.1 to 5 µs flash length, eliminating motion blur and limiting photodegradation |
| Multi-channel imaging |
Up to 4 simultaneous imaging settings by time multiplexing, on request |
Software
| Analysis |
Real-time analysis of detection parameters including size, velocity, position, circularity, granularity, circumference, area, elongation, brightness and contrast, fill factor, surface roughness, colocalization and particle count |
| Plotting engine |
Scatter and line plots, direct access to image data, cross-channel and intra-channel visualisation, gate combining |
| Gating |
Freely configurable, graphical marking in scatter plot, arbitrary polygon selection |
| Triggers |
Freely programmable and independent, latency down to 200 µs (frame rate dependent) |
| Smart Imaging Mode |
All images; only particles; one image per particle; partial particle removal |
| Storage formats |
RAW; AVI uncompressed; MJPEG; MP4; XLS; XLSX; CSV (infinite recording) |
Optional flow sensors
| Model |
Inner diameter |
Max. pressure [bar] |
Wetted materials |
Flow range |
| XS |
25 µm |
200 bar (2900 psi) |
PEEK, quartz glass |
0 ± 1.5 µL/min |
| S |
150 µm |
200 bar (2900 psi) |
PEEK, quartz glass |
0 ± 7 µL/min |
| M |
430 µm |
100 bar (1450 psi) |
PEEK, borosilicate glass |
0 ± 80 µL/min |
| L |
1 mm |
12 bar (174 psi) |
PEEK, borosilicate glass |
0 ± 1 mL/min |
| XL |
1.8 mm |
5 bar (73 psi) |
PEEK, borosilicate glass |
0 ± 5 mL/min |
| M+ |
400 µm |
12 bar (174 psi) |
PPS, stainless steel 316L |
0 ± 2 mL/min |
| L+ |
400 µm |
12 bar (174 psi) |
PPS, stainless steel 316L |
0 ± 40 mL/min |
Flow control accuracy depends on the sensor model and the flow rate. We will specify the accuracy figures matching your working range.
General specifications
| Dimensions (L x W x H) [mm] |
428 x 380 x 322 mm (16.85 x 14.96 x 12.68 in) |
| Weight [kg] |
25 kg (55.1 lb) |
| Warranty |
12 months from shipment, extension available on request |
| Operating temperature [°C] |
4 - 40 °C, non-condensing |
| Power supply |
TO CONFIRM |
Documentation
DropletONE specification sheet
