From our history, we had worked with and evaluated several Linear Motor technologies before standardizing on the system we utilized today in the Oasis & NanoPrint products.  This linear motor system is a modular and flexible system that is portable to new developments and various configurations.  It also is especially cost effective for multi arm systems.  Our past experiences encompass a wide use of other standard hardware & electronics technologies including several commercially available stepper & servo systems when this technology accomplishes the specific tasks at hand.

Currently, we offer the most advanced and industry standard motion controllers offering our OEM customer base, giving them the ability to rapidly develop new systems without the cumbersome antiquated processes of multiple board design and firmware development.   Also, as new technologies become more widely available, quick implementation into standard products is possible. 

Rapid Prototyping

With this 'latest technology' engineering mindset, it is possible to mix and match any of our base systems, arms, pipetting heads, gripping tools and components to assemble a new configuration and have it up and running in our standard software in a mater of days.  The base system combination of motion controllers and linear drive systems do not require firmware as other automation instruments contain and therefore can be scaled and sized with no adverse effects as a pulley and belt system.  This makes it possible to design the instrument to the exact size of the customer or OEM requirement, whether if be to fit in the smallest space possible, to fit into a biologic / chemical hood or even a need to be free standing with its own integration cabinet.  Once the deck layout and workflow are defined, the size of the instrument can be optimized and made as compact as possible.  Each pipetting and/or gripping tool options can then be added onto arms and system programming can begin.  With our standard Method Manager software package make the development of complex methods easy and fast allowing users to immediately start programming even a custom configured platform. 

Electronic Board Design

Examples range from challenging tasks such as the WARP1 – Servo development to simpler designs such as a wash station control board.  Most recently we have completed a project to develop a Universal Accessory Board (UAB) to standardize a control board for all of our electronic accessories across all of our instrument series.  This will allow us to utilize a single USB communication board by only changing the programming of the on-board microprocessor specific to each accessory function.  Typically the initial board design is completed and tested in house before a board shop is identified for long term production.