Patent ID: 8100867

Claim:
A needle for transfer of liquid comprising: an elongate body having a liquid inlet end, a liquid outlet end and a through passage defined by a wall and extending between the ends, the body comprising a tip portion at the outlet end thereof, the wall thickness of which is reduced compared to that of the body, thereby rendering the needle capable of providing for formation of smaller droplets of liquid at the outlet end when the liquid flows from the inlet end towards the outlet end and quicker separation of the droplets from the needle compared to needles without such body thickness reduction; wherein the needle material is a polymeric material selected from a silicone or a plastics material; wherein the diameter of the through passage extending between the ends is uniform along the length of the through passage in the body and in the tip portion; the external diameter of the body is uniform along the length of the body; and wherein the ratio between the thickness of the wall material of the body and the diameter of the through passage is selected at least 0.5 or greater thereby providing the needle with the same strength and flexibility characteristics as those of a metal needle having substantially the same body length and substantially the same cross-sectional dimensions of the through passageway.