Quantitative characterization of non-contact microdispensing technologies for the sub-microliter range

► Non-contact dispensing technologies are reviewed and categorized. ► Universally applicable performance parameters are defined. ► Five liquid handlers are characterized at HTS conditions using a NIST traceable measurement method. ► The characterization yields an intra-plate coefficient of variation of 2.0 to 10.3%. ► Accuracy better than 5.0% is generally difficult to achieve for target volumes <1 μl.