How can laboratory processes be kept free of contamination in future, even if equipment such as test tubes or a balance is brought into the workspace from outside? Festo has found a pioneering answer to this question with the help of superconductor technology: SupraMotion modules that transport and weigh without contact. This largely rules out the possibility of contamination being brought in from outside. An exhibit from Festo shows how this works in practice: special disposable freeze-drying containers are filled automatically and the filling quantity is checked using a non-contact scale. The exhibit combines products from the LifeTech portfolio with a levitation module from the "SupraMotion" range. The result is a reliable overall solution that meets the highest requirements for sterile working in the laboratory of the future.
The laboratory of the future is sterile, modular and integrated
The magnetic forces between the superconductor and the carrier on which the containers are transported enable levitation heights of 10 millimeters and more. This leaves plenty of space for partition walls that enclose sterile working environments. It is possible to move the carrier through the walls and to check its weight using a standard laboratory balance. This means that most of the technology remains outside the cleanroom. Contamination of any kind is reduced to an absolute minimum. The concept of the future shows that Festo's automation solutions for demanding processes in laboratory automation and biotechnology complement each other perfectly with innovative superconductor technology.
Safe working in cleanrooms with non-contact measurement technology
SupraMotion's non-contact levitation module transports the freeze-drying container through an airlock into a symbolized clean room of a laboratory. A compact, universally applicable EHMD rotary gripper module, which was specially developed for laboratory automation, opens the screw cap of the container regardless of its thread pitch. The container is then transported to a station where two VTOE dispense heads fill the container with liquid. These dispense heads work highly precisely with a typical coefficient of variation of < 1% in the range from 10 to 1000 μl. The non-contact measuring technology integrated into the conveyor system means that the filling quantity can be precisely monitored at all times during the process.
Marcus Kroll, Head of LifeTech Business Development at Festo.
"With the SupraMotion modules and our products for laboratory automation, we can design innovative complete solutions for customers in the life science sector – precise, reliable and largely contamination-free thanks to contactless handling. Only Festo offers these advantages for the laboratory of the future."
Superconductor-based magnetic levitation – energy-efficient and safe
Superconductors are materials with unique magnetic properties. The superconductor used in SupraMotion applications can anchor the magnetic field of a permanent magnet inside it, creating a strong but invisible coupling that keeps the magnet and superconductor at a fixed and defined distance from each other – even through walls, in liquids or in a vacuum. Hover gaps of 10 mm and more are possible. As long as it remains below its transition temperature, the magnetic memory of the superconductor stores the fingerprint of the magnet and thus its position, even if the two are separated.
The technology is characterized by a low energy requirement that is independent of the levitation height and load – the power requirement with the current coolers is between 15 and 80 watts, depending on the application. The hovering effect lasts for up to 15 minutes in the event of a power failure, does not require any separate control technology and does not heat up surfaces or levitation modules.
Due to these advantages, superconductors make an important contribution to greater efficiency and safety in the smart laboratory of the future.
About the author
Michael Schöttner
SupraMotion Projects
Festo SE & Co. KG
