Companies can optimize their processes by employing standard components and systems for sample analysis, using engineering support, development tools and application tests through to predictive maintenance concepts. Get to know the 8 success factors that will make you and your customers more efficient.
1. Use of industry-standard components
Work with efficient and reliable suppliers who offer you industry-standard components for all processes in automated sample processing. In many cases, you can integrate these products into your new laboratory devices without any additional development work or adaptations. One example of this is the universal EHMD decapping module, which can open many different vials with different thread pitches reliably and without additional programming effort. This means that you are on the safe side even if requirements change at a later date.
Industry-standard automation components are manufactured to a consistently high quality in accordance with ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 13485 for medical devices, and can be delivered quickly and reliably in large quantities. You are therefore always opting for robust, precise and durable technologies that have proven themselves in industrial automation or laboratory solutions. For customized implementation, you have direct access to different configurations depending on the product type. Once your prototype has passed the proof of concept, you can start series production immediately. You benefit from optimized assembly steps and the associated time savings, resulting in considerable cost savings.
2. Technology from a single source for laboratory automation
Turn automation concepts into reality in which everything fits together perfectly – from the handling and positioning of sample vessels to the precise dispensing and pipetting of liquids. An experienced automation partner with a comprehensive portfolio, who can provide you with everything from a single source, gives you peace of mind. By using coordinated components, you not only simplify and speed up the development of your equipment, but also reduce your procurement costs in the long term. At the same time, you can benefit from more favorable conditions for your company thanks to a larger purchasing volume.
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Download now!3. Cost-optimized product selection
Online design and simulation tools allow you to optimize electrical linear actuators and handling systems as well as valves and hose sizes for your laboratory devices. By using free online tools, you can order exactly according to your requirements and avoid oversizing. This reduces your costs for components, saves storage space, improves energy efficiency in terms of the sustainability and operating costs of your equipment at the end customer, because smaller masses are moved. The EXCL multi-axis gantry, for example, is ideal for saving space and weight when building compact laboratory devices, and can be easily integrated into desktop systems. The ready-to-install system solution is significantly lighter and cheaper than conventional kinematics, which are usually oversized for this application.
4. Engineering expertise for shorter construction times
Involve your automation partner in the earliest planning phase and let them help you with the implementation. The experts combine industry and automation expertise with experience of the life sciences sector. The aim is to work together to make your laboratory devices more efficient in a significantly shorter time. This includes personal consulting and access to CAD data and 3D models, which you can quickly import into your designs instead of creating them yourself. You can be sure that the proposed components will have already proven themselves in similar applications. This support enables you to reduce the fixed costs for your design staff, who can find better solutions faster and start on new tasks sooner.
5. Joint tests in the Application Center
The Festo LifeTech Application Centers support you worldwide in your search for solutions – from proofs of concept and parameter optimization through to prototype construction, commissioning and installation. The experienced application engineers know the possibilities of the components used in detail, and will find quick and targeted answers to your application questions. For example, for one manufacturer we tested whether a highly viscous hydrogel could be dispensed automatically, and if so, how. Or if you want to open different sample bottles automatically within a certain time, you will receive tested recommendations on which components are best suited to this task – right down to the choice of suitable gripper fingers. You save yourself time-consuming and cost-intensive development loops, and shorten your time-to-market.
6. Ready-to-install subsystems
Another key success factor is the use of subsystems to implement a specific function. This is not just about the right components for your laboratory devices, but also about ready-to-install, pre-tested subsystems according to your specific requirements. For sample preparation, for example, this could be a multi-axis gantry including an integrated motion controller, rotary gripper module, open-loop pipette or dispense head. The compact, space-saving system solutions offer you a wide range of benefits. Clearly defined interfaces and the corresponding documentation enable rapid integration. A single part number for the entire system simplifies ordering and administration. At the same time, you reduce the variety of your drawings and the time and expenditure that making changes would entail for you. As the fully assembled subsystems are pre-tested, you save time-consuming tests and speed up your development process.
7. Digital maintenance concepts
You can ensure long-term high availability and cost-efficient operation of your laboratory devices with digital maintenance concepts. This increases customer satisfaction and largely avoids unplanned service calls. The non-proprietary AX Smartenance maintenance manager enables digital and paperless maintenance management. Maintenance tasks are planned simply and flexibly via a web application, and can then be accessed anywhere via a mobile app. In addition, solutions such as Festo AX Industrial Intelligence take over the continuous monitoring of electric linear actuators during operation, for example, and detect deviations with the help of AI. Predictive maintenance enables unplanned downtimes to be cut to a minimum, supports quality assurance and optimization for fewer rejects and reworking, as well as monitoring energy consumption to minimize energy costs.
8. Worldwide logistics and service network
Wherever in the world your equipment is used in laboratories, reliable and fast on-site service is essential for your customers. Just think about the spare parts you need, which can be ordered under the same part number wherever possible, and which are largely in stock locally. This saves your customers lengthy production downtimes and strengthens their trust in you as a manufacturer. Not least during the COVID crisis, companies have realized how crucial it is to have the right supplier at their side in order to minimize the risks to globally oriented supply chains.
About the author
Jürgen Böck
Business Development LifeTech
Festo SE & Co. KG
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