Cylindrical Robot for High Throughput Screening

ST Robotics, presents a new 4-axis cylindrical robot for DNA screening in applications such as forensic science, drug development, bacterial resistance, and toxicology.   

ST Robotics, a name synonymous with laboratory robots since 1989, has developed a new 4-axis cylindrical robot for the pharmaceutical industry. 

The R19 (Athena) will be used by the pharmaceutical industry for DNA screening in applications such as forensic science, drug development, bacterial resistance, and toxicology. In pharmaceutical research, where hundreds of samples must be tested and the same repetitive task performed many times, a robot eliminates human error, providing more repeatable yields and consistent results. A typical pharmaceutical robot may simply be used to pull out a drawer to access a titre plate, lift out the sample plate, push the drawer back in again after use, and finally take the sample swiftly to another instrument for temperature cycling, or where reagents may be added. 

	R19	..
	Photo ST Robotics

The R19 is a totally new design that may be supplied as a precise 4-axis robot, or as a simple 2-axis plate mover. It is usually mounted on a track, which can be up to five meters long, surrounded by various laboratory instruments. The robot moves samples from instrument to instrument according to a protocol decided by the user. Advanced drives create swift and smooth motion while maintaining quiet operation in the lab environment. Like all Sands Technology robots, the new R19 is a totally reliable ‘workhorse’, tested to ISO 9000 quality assurance. 

Sands Technology has been producing rugged and reliable robots since 1989, and their expertise ranges far outside the pharmaceutical industry. Their past clients include blue chip customers from the automotive industry, aerospace industry and even the nuclear industry, where the mechanical arm can be programmed to handle radiochemicals for nuclear decommissioning.

Their policy for the mechanics of a robot is ‘keep it simple’. If you remove the covers, the simplicity of the system is self evident. With no sensitive adjustments or complex setting-up procedures required, any reasonably careful technician can repair the robot in the unlikely event of a failure. 

Source ST Robotics

Article Reference : 002092