TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to tube supports and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for supporting tubes in a plate or bracket.

BACKGROUND ART

Traditional methods for supporting tubes in systems with fluidic components has been to use threaded fittings that involve a threaded tube nut and ferrule or a threaded tub nut and a flair on the end of the tube. Threaded tube nuts are expensive and bulky limiting the minimum center to center distance tubes can be mounted when mounting to distribution and dispensing manifolds. Each tube connection also needs either a ferrule or a flair. Flairs need special tools to create and can be difficult to construct. Ferrules can squeeze a tube and deform the inside diameter of the tube resulting in reduction of flow rates and/or trapping debris and clogging the tube. A solution has been to add an insert to keep the tube from collapsing. However, this adds more expense and more time to assemble. It also creates a narrower opening that tends to catch small particles and clog more easily.

A need to develop such an improved tube support system was apparent in developing a new high throughput automated solid phase synthesizer capable of synthesis on 384 and 1536 well plates, hereafter known as synthesis reaction plates. Optimizing design of said automated high throughput solid phase synthesizers require mounting large numbers of tubes close together so that one tube can dispense into one well of synthesis reaction plates such as 384 or higher density said synthesis reaction plates while minimizing time needed to dispense synthesis reagents into individual wells in said synthesis reaction plates.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tube support system that is easier to manufacture, easier to maintain, has lower initial parts cost, lower maintenance cost, allows higher density of tubes and better performance than traditional tube support systems.

SUMMARY DISCLOSURE

The above object has been met by a mechanism to secure a tube to a desired fixed location using a slip-fit tube hole, an intersecting threaded hole with a set screw. One or more tubes can, for example, be affixed to a manifold allowing a tube end to have its orifice joined with an unobstructed path to a valve port, replacing the prior need for tube nuts and ferrules. Likewise, an outlet end of one or more tubes can be fixed to a bracket on an instrument frame to allow fluid from the tube to land in one or more associated reaction vessels of the instrument. Still further, tubes can be fixed directly to valve ports using the threaded hole and set screw mechanism formed on the valve itself. Groups of tubes (such as a linear group, matrix, or bundle) can be precisely positioned in relation to valve ports or instrument brackets with separations far closer than tube nuts would allow. Each threaded hole and set screw can secure either a single tube or multiple tubes, depending on the relation of tube through-hole or holes to the intersecting threaded hole with set screw.

In one embodiment, a new tube support system for a plate or planar bracket has at least one smooth bore hole through the plate or planar bracket with an axis generally perpendicular but not necessarily perpendicular to the plate. The hole has a diameter that allows a slip fit for a tube to be used for fluid flow that is mounted extending through the hole. The tube diameter allows one to insert the desired tube into and through the smooth bore hole as deep as needed in a slip fit relationship. A blind threaded hole is created adjacent to the tube smooth bore hole in a relationship such that the blind threaded hole threads intersect or overlap the diameter of the smooth bore hole with an intersection of between 0.005 inch and 0.025 inch (about 125 μm to 635 μm). A set screw mounted in the threaded hole has threads that are used for scratching the tube outer diameter surface at the peripheral intersection with the tube. The set screw is preferably inserted into the blind threaded hole until the screw hits the bottom of the blind threaded hole. Enough set screw threads scratch or intersect the adjacent outer diameter wall of the tube to firmly grip the tube in a fixed relation to its support plate or bracket. The set screw is made of a second material that is selected to be tougher than the first material to promote scratching the surface of the tube. The screw threads are not so deep in the tube material as to distort the inside diameter of the tube. Fluid flow in the tube is not affected by advancement of the set screw in the threaded hole. The invention provides a tube support system that overcomes the negative aspects of current tube support and connection systems.

