Automated dispensing equipment process

Before developing an automated process for dispensing fluids, it is critical to know and understand the desired results and this begins by understanding the fluid characteristics. Often it is best to collaborate early with both the fluid supplier and the supplier of the dispensing equipment. 

When developing an automated dispensing process, the equipment suppliers need to know the desired end result. This may seem like a trivial... 

Most of the equipment used in automated dispensing in the electronics industry is designed to place fluid on flat or nearly flat surfaces. This significantly simplifies the process since the motion of the robot during the dispensing operation can be limited to two axes. Robots that can dispense... 

There are a variety of drive mechanisms commonly used automated dispensing including cable drive, lead screw, and linear motors. Most modern equipment uses closed loop servo mechanisms, although open loop stepper motors can be found in some less expensive equipment. The drive mechanism is not as important as the overall speed and accuracy of the equipment. Other factors, such as the alignment process and dispensing technology often overshadow the characteristics of the drive mechanism. 

Selection of the robot and the dispensing equipment are of primary importance when automating sealant and adhesive application processes. Those installations that have taken into account all aspects of the application requirements have been successful. 

A second strategy relies on parallel experimentation. In this case, the same experimental step is performed over n samples in n separated vessels at the same time. Robotic equipment such as automated liquid-handlers, multi-well reactors and auto-samplers for the analysis are used to perform the repetitive tasks in parallel. This automated equipment often works in a serial fashion as, for example, a liquid handler with a single dispensing syringe filling the wells of a microtiter plate, one after another. However, the chemical formation of the catalyst or the catalytic reaction are run at the same time, assuming that their rate is slow compared to the time needed to add all the components. The whole process appears parallel for the human user whose intervention is reduced. 

Designing a dispense process requires a decision to load parts into the dispenser manually or to use an automated loader. If the parts are to be loaded manually, tooling can be configured with the equipment supplier. If the parts are to be loaded automatically, time and money can be saved by following one of the equipment mechanical and electrical interface standards. 

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