The Bolton based company specialises in building integrated systems for lab automation for life sciences. They have now used their 15 years of experience in the industry to create a new two valve nanolitre microplate reagent dispenser.
Most life sciences experiments run in biotech and pharmaceutical companies start with a microplate, a flat plastic plate with small holes (wells) used as test tubes. Before lab automation, pipettes were used to move liquids by hand into large tubes; large tubes required large volumes of liquids, which meant the number of experiments was limited. It is essential that the dispensing and fluid volume control are extremely accurate before the experiment.
Miniaturisation has existed for a while but usually at a price. The UK Robotics liquid handler, the d2, is small; it is 25% smaller than other dispensers and has a lower price point. These factors are hugely important for start-ups or companies with limited lab space and budgets who still need to maintain accuracy.
The d2 uses two maxon brushless EC 60 flat motors for the arms for the X and Y coordinates. The Z-axis uses the maxon EC 45 flat with a mile encoder. The motors needed to provide consistency, accuracy, and a smooth torque curve. The sample is delivered through a hole of just 0.1mm through a dispensing head valve made of polished sapphire and ruby, which is robust enough to allow for cleaning and sterilisation without damage. The machine can accurately deliver 40 samples per second.
Mike Counsell, UK Robotics founder, said "I know there are lots of cheaper motor manufacturers, but we needed the consistency that maxon is known for. The accuracy of our product is paramount.’’
