What Is an Automated Pipetting System?
Automated pipetting systems are devices that perform pipetting automatically.
Dispensing refers to the process of measuring and dispensing liquids, such as samples or chemicals, in fixed quantities. This operation can be carried out automatically, e.g. by a robot, to ensure efficient and accurate operation.
Automatic dispensing equipment is also referred to as liquid automatic dispensing system, automation pipetting system, and dispensing workstation.
Uses of Automated Pipetting Systems
Automated pipetting systems are used to save time and effort and avoid human error in simple tasks such as taking out the required amount of liquid or powder sample and dispensing it into the desired container. They are used in a wide range of fields, including research, food, clinical (medical and laboratory) and drug discovery.
1. Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Automated pipetting systems play an important role in the fields of medicine and pharmacy. The dispensing of medicines and reagents requires the rapid delivery of accurate quantities. Due to their high accuracy and stability, automated pipetting systems are indispensable in pharmaceutical production and research.
2. Chemistry and Biochemistry
Automated pipetting systems are also widely used in chemistry and biochemistry research. The accurate dispensing of minute quantities of reagents ensures that the results of reactions and analyses are reliable. The high working efficiency also enables researchers to process more samples and conduct more effective experiments.
3. Food and Beverages
The food and beverage production process also sees a lot of action. They are used for accurate dispensing and blending operations of specific ingredients, which can produce products of consistent quality. In addition, productivity is increased by speeding up production lines and automating tasks.
4. Environmental Analysis
Environmental analysis requires the accurate dispensing of minute quantities of samples, for example, for testing water quality and air pollutants. The high accuracy and reproducibility of automated pipetting systems ensure accurate analysis results.
5. Medical Testing and Diagnosis
Automated pipetting systems are also indispensable in medical testing and diagnosis. In the dispensing of biological samples such as blood and urine, accurate quantities must be supplied quickly. As in environmental analysis, accurate operation eliminates human error and wasted time.
Principles of Automated Pipetting Systems
Automated pipetting systems operate through a combination of mechanisms and control systems. Broadly speaking, automated pipetting systems consist of three components: a container for holding the sample, supply components such as syringes and tubes for dispensing, and a computer that controls these movements.
A control system is built into the device, which processes the dispensing based on pre-set parameters. The control system works in conjunction with a high-precision measuring mechanism to accurately measure and control the sample volume.
The motors, pumps and other mechanisms in the device are activated by the dispensing feed components to aspirate the required amount of sample and dispense it into the desired vessel. Valves and sensors are also utilised in this process to control sample velocity, flow rate, etc. This ensures that the dispensing operation is carried out with a very high degree of accuracy and has an outstanding effect on efficiency.
Furthermore, automated pipetting systems can process several samples and several vessels simultaneously. The instrument is equipped with several channels, each of which has the ability to dispense samples individually. This significantly increases work efficiency by processing several samples at the same time.
How to Choose Automated Pipetting Systems
There are various types of automated pipetting systems, depending on their performance and features. It is therefore ideal to select the appropriate device for your application.
The three main points to consider are the dispensing volume range, the characteristics of the sample to be used and the accuracy and reproducibility. Define how much needs to be dispensed and check the range that the instrument can handle.
It is also essential to determine whether the equipment can handle the sample properly, taking into account its viscosity, corrosiveness, temperature and other characteristics, as the suitable equipment depends on the characteristics of the sample to be used. As a result, the performance of the equipment is checked by referring to the manufacturer’s specifications and evaluation values to ensure that the equipment is accurate and that the dispensing results are consistently reproduced.