The magnetic forces between the superconductor and the carrier that transports the containers enable levitation heights of 10 millimetres 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 the weight using a standard laboratory scale. 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 automation solutions from Festo for demanding processes in laboratory automation and biotechnology are perfectly complemented by innovative superconductor technology.
The non-contact levitation module SupraMotion transports the freeze-drying container through an airlock into a symbolic cleanroom in a laboratory. A compact, universally applicable rotary gripper module EHMD, which was developed specially 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 dispense heads VTOE fill it with liquid. These dispense heads work very precisely with a typical coefficient of variation of < 1% in the range from 10 to 1000 μl. The non-contact measurement technology integrated into the conveyor system means that the filling quantity can be precisely monitored at all times during the process.
"With the SupraMotion modules and our products for laboratory automation, we can design innovative, complete solutions for customers in the life science sector; these are precise, reliable and largely contamination-free thanks to non-contact handling. Only Festo offers these advantages for the laboratory of the future"