MAR-17-1-3.1 and MAR-23-1-3.1 speed reducers with traction drive technology have 98% efficiency and six moving parts. As the output speed is reduced by 3x, the output torque increases by 3x.
An engineered traction fluid with a coefficient of friction of 0.1 to 0.12 cools and lubricates the traction drive, generating up to 72% less heat. There is no slippage or lost motion between the input and output shafts. Creating 38% less noise at 3,000rpm than conventional gearboxes, the reducers are suitable for mobile hospital equipment, dialysis machines, blowers, fans, turbo and super chargers, and conveyers.
With low vibration and no torque losses from 10rpm to 3,000rpm, the speed reducers allow a motor to operate efficiently while having a damping a motor’s torque ripple. An overriding clutch is optional.
In the S-LAB, there is no requirement for a separate PC. A controller and software are embedded within the plate handler.
Photo courtesy of Peak Analysis and Automation
Automation challenges with equipment are not easily solved – often, the sheer size of a robotic instrument prevents it from being considered useful for a medical laboratory. To offer automation within a small footprint, Peak Analysis and Automation (PAA), an international organization with headquarters in the United Kingdom and a United States subsidiary in Colorado, has designed the S-LAB automated plate handler.
“Many laboratories, needing to upscale their workflow, have found laboratory automation a costly and difficult option,’’ says Malcolm Crook, technical director at PAA. “The S-LAB eliminates the need for costly hardware and software, providing a reliable plug-and-play solution for single instrument loading. S-LAB is an entry- level automation solution designed for easy installation and use.”
Small size, vast delivery
One issue Crook and his team at PAA tried to solve with the S-LAB was designing an automated solution that can be used safely on a standard laboratory bench or fit in a safety cabinet.
At 595mm x 540mm x 648mm (23.4" x 21.3" x 25.5"), the unit handles up to 100 standard, unlidded microplates. Average plate exchange time is 30 seconds and the unit is compatible with up to 300 different laboratory instruments.
Setup is via a web-based application that can be run from a handheld device. The controller and software are embedded within the plate handler, so connection to a separate computer is not required. S-LAB is supplied with pre-taught positions, so only the instrument position needs to be taught, simplifying installation.
“Lack of space is often a problem when it comes to lab automation,” Crook says. “With its small footprint it can easily fit a standard laboratory bench or safety cabinet.”
The S-LAB Automated Plate Handler is an entry-level automation solution designed for easy installation and use. It is capable of operating standalone, loading plates into a wide variety of benchtop instruments from any manufacturer.
Photo courtesy of Peak Analysis and Automation
How it works
The automated plate handler can load single instruments such as plate washers, bulk reagent dispensers, and plate readers.
The unit handles microplates, which have become a standard tool in analytical research and clinical diagnostic testing laboratories. They are frequently used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, which are the basis of most modern medical diagnostic tests. A microplate has several sample wells in a 2:3 rectangular matrix. Each microplate holds liquid that is used for life science research.
Key components in the device are plastic pieces manufactured by igus, a Germany-based manufacturer of motion plastics. The components are lubrication- and maintenance-free.
“igus was willing to work with PAA to produce a sub-assembly that was ideal for this product,” Crook says. “I think what really makes it unique is a combination of reliability, price point, ease-of-use, and small footprint.”
A ZLW sub-assembly acts as a base and slider for the plate handler. Made with igus’ DryLin products, the subassembly is quiet and wear- and corrosion-resistant. DryLin products also resist dirt, dust, and humidity, and are suited to short-stroke applications.
The unit also includes a rotation bearing, the igus Robolink, and an igus energy chain that protects cables in the cable trays. igus energy chain applications range from lightweight robotics to industrial-strength used in cranes and draw bridges.
“An extra benefit of using igus low-cost automation is that all the moving elements are lubrication-free, which means that the equipment does not need maintenance,” Crook says. “Without lubricated parts, it does not attract dust or dirt, making it easy to keep clean.
“There were several challenges in this design,’’ Crook adds. “We wanted to design it to a low price point. Also, PAA had not used low-volume injection molding before. Shaking out the final failure modes from the complete device was another design challenge.”
The S-LAB Automated Plate Handler offers the reliability of a robotic arm in a compact footprint that can fit within a standard laboratory cabinet.
Photo courtesy of Peak Analysis and Automation
Automation in medical instruments
While automation in medical laboratories is growing, manual systems are still widely used. After samples are captured, they are then placed in batches, carried by employees to analysis stations and sometimes re-sorted for further analysis. The process is laborious, but more importantly, prone to errors. More time is required to troubleshoot problems, and some samples require special handling to pass through several stations for step-wise diagnostics. Automated solutions, such as the plate handler, increase efficiency and help reduce the risk of human error.
Matt Mowry, DryLin product manager for igus North America, can be reached at mmowry@igus.net.
Form drilling
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Form drill systems are available in various carbide grades and offer additional savings as only the insert is coated, not an entire solid carbide drill.
The insertable form drill system offers cost savings as only the insertable carbide tool is ground. Setup times are reduced through quick changeovers; the retaining screw is easily accessible for insert replacement; the holder is not removed, so re-centering is not necessary.
Grooving with insertable form tools, instead of single-point turning, can lower costs up to 40%. However, solid carbide drills are often necessary for larger bore sizes and deeper holes, despite long changeover time concerns – increased costs and longer machine downtime.
With its PWP and PWP-D insertable form drill system, Schwanog addresses the problem of long setup times by keeping the insert holder in the machine during insert changeover. The center height stays unchanged.
The insertable carbide tool is ground individually, according to customer specifications, and can hold a minimum tolerance of ±0.02mm and 0.02mm repeatability.
Form drill systems are available in various carbide grades and offer additional savings as only the insert is coated, not an entire solid carbide drill.
Does your company use manufacturing technology to improve operations?
If the answer is yes, it’s on the right path for success as an early adopter of advanced manufacturing technologies.
If the answer is no, then according to results from Plex Systems’ 4th Annual State of Manufacturing Technology report, it will be “extremely difficult for manufactures to thrive in the future without doing so to improve operations.”
The annual survey measures current and future technology plans, with this years’ results showing that automation, integration, and connectivity goals rank highest for priorities in the next five years, specifically:
60% plan to use technology to enhance plant floor integration, automation
48% intend to increase business process automation
33% working to increase plant/enterprise integration, supply chain connectivity
Also indicating optimism for manufacturing’s future, when asked about projected company revenue growth for the next 12 months, respondents were:
55% somewhat confident
30% very confident
This confidence is echoed by others in the industry, Plex’s report notes, with 93% of manufacturers responding to the December 2018 National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) survey reporting a “positive outlook for their companies and the economy… a near-record level of optimism.”
But there is caution. Manufacturers also admit to what their companies are lacking that could hamper their ability to remain competitive – skilled workers, strategy, and technology. And topping both the list of growth challenges and what companies lack in response to competition was technology; under-pinning the critical role technology plays in how much companies grow and manage business challenges.
Those challenges – especially prevalent in small businesses with fewer than 500 employees – is scalability to respond to meet economic demand and balancing for natural upturns and downturns in industry, which is where automation, integration, and connectivity will help.
Much of this relies on the cloud as a foundation. On-premise technology use has dropped 21% in the past three years of the survey, with 87% of manufacturers using a cloud-based system, indicating confidence in future revenue growth. As manufacturers build their Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) foundation on a system that provides connectivity from databases, sensors, and equipment – and as the use of analytics grows – companies will expand into more data analysis, supplying deeper decision support for areas such as predictive maintenance, machine performance, and shop floor operations.
The report notes that as manufacturers connect all parts of the business – processes, systems, people, machine, suppliers, and customers – more are seeing IIoT as a pragmatic solution to solving connectivity challenges, not an aspirational tool with limited return on investment (ROI).
With 78.6% of respondents agreeing that next-generation manufacturing technology will be what separates leaders from followers, which will you be?
Elizabeth Engler Modic
