Festo의 솔루션은 다양한 고객 요구 사항에 유연하게 적용할 수 있는 모듈식 JANUS® G3 리퀴드 핸들링 워크스테이션의 일부입니다. 적용 영역에서는 다음과 같은 프로세스 단계가 고려됩니다. 크기가 다른 샘플 용기를 랙에서 분리 → 샘플 식별 → 와류 형성 → 커버 열기 → 열린 샘플을 피펫 아래에 놓기 → 샘플링 후 커버 닫기 → 다시 샘플 용기를 랙에 놓기.
크기 차이가 큰 2가지 유형의 샘플 튜브를 핸들링해야 합니다. ThinPrep®: 직경 42 mm x 높이 75 mm 및 SurePath®: 직경 33 mm x 높이 52 mm.
샘플 바이알의 캡은 평평하고 이로 인해 자동화에 적합하지 않습니다. 따라서 최대 2 Nm의 강한 토크로 열고 닫는 데 특별한 요구 사항이 적용됩니다. 튜브 바닥의 특수 형상으로 인해 위치가 조금만 바뀌어도 샘플 튜브를 더 이상 랙에 다시 넣을 수 없게 될 수 있습니다.
The customer wanted a fully electric industrial robot that covers a working area with 2 trays of 48 sample vials each. The solution also had to perfectly match the overall system visually without requiring modifications to the existing platform. In addition, an option to retrofit systems already on the market was also a requirement.
Festo developed a total of five subsystems consisting of Festo standard components, a PerkinElmer® JANUS® G3 workstation and a customised rotary gripper module.
By cooperating closely with the customer, the complexity of the industrial robot was reduced to a minimum. The industrial robot (3-dimensional gantry) uses the existing guides in the JANUS® G3 workstation so that compact axes could be used. The rotary gripper module with modified standard gripper is part of the 3-dimensional gantry and is used to pick up individual vials from a tray. After the vial has been clearly identified by a barcode reader, it is rotated very quickly around its vertical axis to ensure that the sample in the via; is mixed with the suspension. The vial is then opened and held under a pipette. After sampling, the vial is closed again and returned to the tray.
The caps of the vials are continuously gripped by the rotary gripper module during all process steps. This ensures that each vial can be placed back into the tray with a high level of precision after opening and closing.
Several beta versions of the entire workstation are currently being tested by selected end users. At the same time, the entire system is being certified by the German Technical Control Board (TÜV) in order to make it available to a broad market in the future.
The collaboration with Festo has paid off for the customer in several respects. The sample handling solution from Festo increases the speed, flexibility and process reliability of the overall system, minimises complexity and maximises the efficient use of the components. In addition, the customer was able to reduce development costs and accelerate time to market. Collaborative engineering with Festo will be stepped up in the future, as it gives the customer the freedom to focus on strategic innovations and respond even more flexibly to constantly changing market requirements.
For research purposes only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.