The Keyto SP13 Pipetting Module is engineered for two demanding laboratory tasks: high-speed continuous dispensing and precise peripheral blood component handling. Designed for laboratories and automation developers, it helps improve throughput, reduce contamination risk, and deliver more reliable liquid handling across workflows such as reagent aliquoting, PCR setup, plasma separation, PBMC preparation, and blood sample preprocessing.
In modern life science research, molecular diagnostics, and laboratory automation, liquid handling performance is judged by more than speed alone. Laboratories increasingly need systems that can deliver fast dispensing, stable repeatability, lower contamination risk, and better control over sensitive biological samples. That is especially true in workflows involving high-throughput screening, multi-well plate preparation, and blood-based sample processing, where consistency directly affects downstream data quality and workflow reliability.
The SP13 pipetting module is built for that reality. As part of Keyto’s air displacement pipette solutions, SP13 combines high-speed liquid dispensing with controlled blood sample handling in one compact module, making it suitable for both laboratory users and instrument developers building automated liquid handling platforms.
Laboratories today are under pressure to process more samples, deliver faster turnaround, and maintain tighter reproducibility standards. In high-throughput environments, even small inefficiencies in aspiration, dispensing, or sample recognition can slow the workflow, increase consumable use, or introduce variability across runs. Multi-well microplates are central to high-throughput biology and screening, which makes reliable liquid handling a core requirement rather than a secondary consideration.
This challenge becomes even more important when the workflow involves blood or blood-derived samples. Unlike standard buffer or reagent transfer, peripheral blood handling requires more controlled aspiration behavior because sample interfaces can be layered, variable, and sensitive to disturbance. In molecular and clinical workflows, careful handling of plasma, serum, or cell-related fractions is essential for preserving sample quality before downstream analysis such as PCR testing or cell-based research.
A key advantage of the SP13 lies in its single aspiration, multiple dispensing capability. In continuous dispensing mode, a single aspiration can be used to fill multiple target wells, improving efficiency in repetitive aliquoting and plate-based dispensing workflows. Capable of filling a 384-well plate in as little as 15 seconds, the SP13 helps laboratories accelerate assay preparation, streamline reagent distribution, and increase overall throughput.
This operating mode offers a clear efficiency advantage because it reduces repeated aspiration cycles, shortens total dispensing time, and supports smoother workflow execution in plate-based environments. For laboratories handling frequent batch runs, assay preparation, or repetitive liquid transfer, that translates into better instrument utilization and faster processing.
The benefits go beyond speed alone. By reducing the number of aspiration events needed for repetitive dispensing, SP13 can also help lower tip consumption in suitable workflows. In addition, its non-contact dispensing approach helps reduce cross-contamination risk and minimize liquid retention on the tip wall, which is especially important when working with valuable reagents or limited sample volumes.
These strengths make SP13 well suited for tasks such as reagent aliquoting, assay preparation, and PCR reaction setup. Because PCR tests rely on accurate sample and reagent preparation, consistent dispensing performance is directly relevant to workflow quality.

Whole blood is one of the more challenging sample types in automated liquid handling. It can contain layered structures, variable viscosity, fibrin-related issues, bubbles, or clotting tendencies, all of which make crude aspiration unsuitable for sensitive workflows. In these applications, a pipetting module must do more than move liquid from one position to another. It must support controlled aspiration, reliable interface recognition, and process monitoring that helps protect sample integrity.
The SP13 is designed around exactly that need. It is positioned as a solution for peripheral blood component separation through intelligent interface recognition and real-time process monitoring. This allows the module to identify and track the layered interface within a blood sample so it can aspirate plasma more precisely and gently, rather than relying on a rough transfer method that may disturb the sample.
This matters because blood-derived workflows often depend on stable handling of biologically meaningful fractions. PBMCs are widely used in immune and life science research, while plasma- and serum-based preparation steps are common in diagnostic and sample storage workflows. Likewise, preprocessing related to circulating tumor cells (CTCs) depends on careful blood sample handling before downstream enrichment or analysis.

Another important advantage of SP13 is the real-time pressure monitoring during aspiration. This enables the SP13 to detect abnormalities such as clots, bubbles, or dry aspiration events during operation, helping reduce sample loss and prevent avoidable workflow errors. That monitoring function is particularly valuable in automated blood-processing workflows, where unnoticed aspiration problems can affect both sample quality and downstream consistency.
To support the demands of automated liquid handling, the SP13 integrates multiple intelligent detection and control functions, including pressure and capacitive liquid level detection, aspiration foam detection, clot detection, empty aspiration detection, and CAN communication support. Combined with a pipetting barrel service life of more than one million maintenance-free cycles. Together, these capabilities enhance process stability, strengthen abnormality detection, and provide the level of operational reliability required in modern automated laboratory systems.
For instrument manufacturers and automation developers, liquid handling performance is only one part of the decision-making process. Integration readiness is equally important. The SP13 supports a pipetting range of 0.5–1000 μL, independent channel movement with 9 mm tip-to-tip spacing, integrated drive control, and multiple detection functions tailored for automated workflows. This makes it suitable not only for standalone liquid transfer tasks, but also for integration into more advanced diagnostic instruments, life science systems, and laboratory automation platforms.
For applications that require coordinated motion and multi-axis control, Keyto also offers supporting components such as the pipette variable pitch axis, which can be combined with pipetting systems to support flexible laboratory automation layouts.
Based on the original article, the SP13 pipetting module is suitable for a range of automated liquid handling tasks, including:
This range of use cases is commercially important because it positions SP13 not as a single-purpose component, but as a workflow-oriented liquid handling module that can support both speed-driven dispensing and sample-sensitive blood processing within the same automation framework.
For laboratories, the SP13 offers a way to improve throughput without giving up sample control. For OEMs and automation developers, it provides a more versatile liquid handling module that supports both routine dispensing and more demanding biosample workflows. That flexibility is increasingly valuable as laboratories move toward integrated automation systems that need compact components, stable communication, and reliable detection capability in one platform.
For buyers evaluating automated liquid handling options from Keyto, it is also useful to explore the broader Products & Applications section and the Air Displacement Pipette category to understand how SP13 fits into the wider liquid handling and automation portfolio.
As automated liquid handling continues to evolve, laboratories need more than just faster dispensing. They need systems that improve throughput, support reproducibility, reduce contamination risk, and handle sensitive samples with greater control.
The Keyto SP13 pipetting module is designed around those practical needs. With high-speed continuous dispensing, more controlled peripheral blood component handling, real-time abnormality detection, and automation-friendly integration features, SP13 is well positioned for modern life science, diagnostic, and laboratory automation workflows.
To learn more, visit the SP13 product page, browse Keyto’s air displacement pipette solutions, or contact Keyto for technical consultation or integration support.
The Keyto SP13 pipetting module is used for high-speed liquid dispensing and blood sample handling in automated laboratory workflows such as reagent aliquoting, PCR setup, plasma processing, PBMC preparation, and related sample-preparation tasks.
Yes. The module is described as supporting peripheral blood component handling through intelligent interface recognition and real-time monitoring during aspiration.
The SP13 is designed to meet both performance and integration requirements in automated liquid handling. Its 0.5–1000 μL pipetting range, pressure and capacitive liquid level detection, clot and foam detection, 9 mm tip spacing, and CAN-based communication support make it a practical choice for platforms that require precise liquid transfer, reliable abnormality monitoring, and efficient system integration.
Typical workflows include high-speed plate dispensing, reagent aliquoting, PCR preparation, plasma and serum aliquoting, PBMC preparation, and blood sample preprocessing for advanced life science or diagnostic applications.