Robotic dispensing

Source plates may be prepared in advance and stored frozen, depending upon fhe probe ink stability. In any case, source plates should be brought to ambient temperature to assure that all components have redissolved. We recommend that source plates be centrifuged to remove any entrapped air bubbles from fhe bottoms of the wells. While manual preparation of source plafes is possible, the use of a robotic dispensing sysfem is highly recommended in order to avoid mistakes in placement of fhe probe inks in fhe wells and to avoid cross-contamination. The use of such a device will also allow more xmiform preparation of subsequent source plates. 

Choose a robotic dispensing system consisting of several channels/syringes in which precipitant, buffer, protein, and additives can be put into different syringes and dispensed simultaneously or in rapid succession. 

All possible multicomponent reactions were carried out by the combinatorial variation of between two and ten starting materials (2-CR to 10-CR) in parallel in methanol at room temperature and using a robotic dispensing system. With the aid of automated liquid chromatography and data evaluation, products were searched that are unique to a specific mixtures by comparing the retention times with the starting materials and over all other mixtures that contain the respective sub-combinations. Thus, for example, a novel product of a four-component reaction should not be contained in all three possible 3-CR mixtures. 

Robotic Dispensing of Adhesives and Sealants, Handbook of Adhesives, 3d ed., I. Skeist, ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1990. 

Robotic Dispensing of Adhesives and Sealants, in Handbook of Adhesives. 

Robotized dispensing of a high-quality bead of two-component structural adhesives (epoxy, polyurethane, acrylic) is possible with servo-powered equipment. Positive displacement pumps control the mix ratio and flow of low to high viscosity adhesives and sealants. 

The actuator is fabricated automatically using a dedicated robotic system shown in Fig. 6.13. The robot dispenses the synthetic elastomer according to the assembled sources. Typically, the elastomer is not dispensed all at once, but rather, a number of very thin layers of the synthetic elastomer are dispensed and superposed. It is very important to keep the the synthetic elastomer uniform. The accuracy of the dispensing system is around... 

The FRRPP polymerization of VDC-Zonyl TA-N was carried out in parallel pressure tubes and in a Stage 1 stirred-tank reactor system. The reaction process was done at 120°C for about 8 h reaction yield was about 80%. A high-throughput polymerization reaction using a robotic dispensing system containing VDC and Zonyl TA-N was undertaken by varying the amounts of VDC and Zonyl TA-N for 24 samples. 

In this approach, a robotic dispensing system prepares the reactions, then they are studied via automated high-performance hquid chromatography (HPLC) and/or mass spectroscopy (MS) systems, and finally, the data is collected and evaluated by a computer. This may save a considerable amount of time, since the exploration of such large number of reactions without using computer-controlled processes would require an enormous amount of time. 

Many dedicated immunochemical analyzers use microtiter plates or wells in which the reagents arc immobilized. Adding the sample begins the immunochemical reaction. A well or microplaie reader is then used to measure absorbance or in some cases fluorescence. Automatic loading and unloading via robotic dispensing units (see Section 33D-2) is available with most systems. 

Text excerpted from Robotic Dispensing of Cold Sealants and Adhesives—New Advancements, presented at the 1987 Fall Seminar of The Adhesive and Sealant Council, Inc. 

Another system control feature often required for robotic systems is an automation interface card that allows signals to be sent back and forth between the robot, the cell controller, and the system controller. Signals such as SYSTEM READY indicate that there are no major malfunctions and that the system has reached application temperature. Another valuable system control feature in a robotic dispense system is simplified gun purge capability. In the event that skilled personnel that know how to facilitate a purge signal from the robot cannot be located, an easily located button on the system controller for this purpose is important. All of these features are needed to minimize downtime, which is often the yardstick by which robotic systems are measured. 

The simplest method for robotic dispensing is the pump and gun combination. The pump is... 

Programmable transfer pumps, better known as shot pumps, are another equipment variation available for robotic dispensing of adhesives and sealants (Fig. 3). In shot pump systems, the dispensing gun has a fixed needle-and-seat arrangement, providing a constant orifice diameter. 

Dispensing of adhesives and sealants is accomplished robotically in many industries. The following robotic dispensing applications of adhesive and sealant, are taken from the automotive industry where the majority of robotic dispensing applications are used. 

The material traditionally used in windshield bonding has been a single-component moisture-cure urethane. These urethanes are often high in viscosity resulting in high application pressures to meet the robotic dispense rate. 

Generally, array preparation for photocatalysts is similar to that for electrocatalysts, with the use of a robotic dispenser and solution precursors, as discussed in Section 16.2.2. A summary of the arrays discussed in given in Table 16.3. Generally, the arrays are prepared on cleaned FTO on glass substrates that can be safely heated to 500°C or somewhat higher without irreversible changes. The solutions used to prepare oxides are typically metal salts, for example, nitrates or chlorides. 

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