Keywords
Citation
(2001), "Laboratory instrument loading now made easy with the new "CataLyst"", Industrial Robot, Vol. 28 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2001.04928cad.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
Laboratory instrument loading now made easy with the new "CataLyst"
Laboratory instrument loading now made easy with the new "CataLyst"™
Keywords: Robots, Pharmaceutical
The "CataLyst"™, a new articulated robotic mover designed for the loading and unloading of instruments used in automated laboratory systems, is now available from Affordable Automation Limited, the UK's leading provider of integrated bespoke robotic solutions.
The CataLyst™ was developed by the CRS Robotics Corporation in Canada and was officially launched at the recent "Society of Biomolecular Screening Conference" in Vancouver.
Having been designed specifically for micro-plate handling, the CataLyst™ employs PlateLevel™ technology that enables it to hold microtitre plates level while loading and unloading instruments. It has a 1kg payload and also takes advantage of the high speed, blended motion capabilities of the enhanced motion engine in CRS's C500C controller, which permits much faster loading and unloading operations.
The CataLyst™ comes equipped with a laboratory servo gripper, and other beneficial features include automatic homing, exceptionally quiet motors, user-configurable end-of-arm wiring, and full compliance with the UL1740 safety standard for robotic controllers. It also features a sleek, lab-friendly cover design, with three degrees of freedom which enable its users to automatically load containers into any laboratory instrument or peripheral.
Les Corps, Sales and Marketing Manager for Affordable Automation Limited, is extremely pleased to be the authorised UK distributor of the CataLyst™ system to the rapidly expanding laboratory automation market. He explains the benefits of this new technology:
No other product in the laboratory automation market today can match the CataLyst's™ combination of speed, versatility and cost-effectiveness. Competing products are limited in that they can only load into and pick up from the top of an instrument. The new CataLyst™ can pick up microplates from any shelf on a carousel and load containers into tight quarters from the front, top or side of an instrument.
The CataLyst™ comes equipped with ActiveRobot™, the latest user-friendly software programme developed by CRS which features the ActiveX™ COM component to enable users to programme the CataLyst™ in Microsoft Windows™ without having to learn a robot programming language.
For further information on the CataLyst™ Affordable Automation Limited can be contacted either by e-mail: sales@affordableautomation.co.uk or Tel: +44 (0)161 747 1890.