Here, we explore the importance of quality lab plastics and how laboratories can secure a steady supply, even in the most trying of times.

Laboratory plastics are fundamental to molecular biology, whether tubes, plates or pipette tips, and the nature and quality of the plastic can affect how an experiment unfolds. Laboratory plastics are typically made with medical-grade polypropylene resins that can be heated into a molten material, injected into complex moldings, and used to produce a breadth of inert plastics on an industrial scale. Reliable manufacturing requires: 

• Engineering and tuning machines to precisely fill molds.
• Establishment of a clean manufacturing room to prevent contamination of the resin by air particulates.
• Precise control over resin temperature, flow speed and molecular composition.

To complicate matters, PCR and qPCR machines, which require lots of lab plastics, can vary slightly between manufacturers. Mismatches in dimensions, however slight, can diminish control over the temperature of PCR reaction and reduce efficiency.

Fortunately, simple tricks exist to find quality plastics, even when supply chains are tight: 

• Consider large manufacturers with experience in producing high-quality supplies and deep relationships with resin producers; they may be better able to secure materials.
• Check to see if the supplier has validated that the PCR chemistry performs well when paired with your PCR machines.
• Confirm that the manufacturer has at least tested to see if their plate will fit into your machine without deformation.
• Get a sample and test it before committing to a large order.
• Look for manufacturers that provide supplies for the whole PCR workflow (plastics and reagents).

When researchers find quality laboratory plastics, they should validate them before basing weeks or months of work on them. Unreliable plastics can skew data and lead to reproducibility issues; a validation step will position research for success—and likely save a lot of time in the long run.

For more practical tips about lab plastics and their applications in-depth to ensure your experiment is never interrupted, download the full article on the importance of validated laboratory plastics.