Festo 的解決方案是 JANUS® G3 模組化液體運送工作站的一部分，可以靈活地適應不同的客戶要求。該應用包括以下過程步驟：將架子上不同大小的樣本容器分開 → 識別樣本 → 旋轉 → 打開蓋子 → 將打開的樣本放在移液管下 → 採樣後蓋上蓋子 → 將樣本容器放回架子。
在該應用中，必須處理兩種尺寸差異很大的不同樣本容器：ThinPrep®：直徑 42 mm x 高 75 mm，SurePath®：直徑 33 mm x 高 52 mm。
樣本容器的蓋子是平的，因此不適合自動化處理。其扭矩高達 2 Nm，這對蓋子的打開和關閉過程提出了特殊要求。由於容器底部的特殊幾何形狀，即使是最輕微的位置變化也會導致樣本容器無法再回到架子上。
客戶希望開發一個全電動的工業機器人，可以覆蓋含有 2 個各具有 48 個樣本容器的托盤的工作區。該解決方案還必須在外觀上與整個系統完美契合，而無需改動現有的平台。此外，還要確保適合市場上已有的系統進行改造。
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.