Transfer Stations

LiCotel is available with a wide selection of transfer stations. The components used for manufacturing of all transfer stations are the most reliable and of the highest quality available. All of our manufactured components are electro-coated for the prevention of corrosion and contamination from external sources.

Standard Station – fixed station outside the StoreX system which can be accessed by the StoreX handler as well as by any external robotic system. Main features include: alignment pins for realigning the microplates in both horizontal directions, it ensures easy adjustment of X / Y position, height and rotation of the transfer station plus easy access to the microplate for external grippers. Presence of a microplate checked by the plate sensor.

Shuttle Station – was designed for the elimination of an "inter transfer module", space constrains and complications of adding robotic arms for distances of 170-1000mm. The source plates can be transferred from one work area to another with precision accuracy. This delivery system can be used for multiple functions and work-station designs. The belt driven system ensures smooth transfer and accuracy of delivery.

Turn Station – mounted outside the LiCotel system and rotates each microplate by 90 degrees before and after being accessed by the LiCotel handler. Since the LiCotel handler is transporting the microplate along its longer axis, this may be necessary if an external handling system requires the microplate in a different format. Rotation is controlled by the LiCotel system, no additional external software required.
It has similar main features to Standard Station

Swap Station – mounted outside the LiCotel system and consists of two transfer plates mounted on a swap drive rotating the transfer plates by 180 degrees.
The swap station acts as a plate buffer and as a plate extension shuttle. The distance of the actual transfer position is increased by 145mm. Two transfer plates act as a buffer for faster handling. Control of the Swap Station by the user system

Lift Station – when stand-alone machines are placed under the table they can be provided with a lift station to transfer the plates to an external system.
The lift station is normally in the upper position, when handler loads or unloads a plate to the station the station goes to the load position.

Parallel Slide Station – The parallel slide station design allows a LiCONiC unit to be integrated with an external liquid handler without the need of an additional robot. With its precise stopping point it ensures that the devices need to be taught only once for accurate load and retrieval of the storage plates. The transfer nest is spring loaded to ensure the longevity of the liquid handling tips.

Slide Station – designed for the use of non-articulating robotic arms that need additional clearance from the storage units. With its precise stopping point it ensures these devices need to be taught only once for accurate load and retrieval of the storage plates.

Dual Station – designed for the use by non-articulating robotic arms that need additional clearance from the storage units. With its precise stopping point it ensures that the devices need to be taught only once for accurate load and retrieval of the storage plates. The dual slide station can be used to place an STR Line (Periscope) product between two existing instruments. Plates from an STR Unit can be fed to both the external instruments simultaneously.

Manual Station – is intended for manual single plate feeding operation. This special nest has extra wide alignment cones for safe and simple placement of a plate into the transfer station nest. It includes a plate detection sensor.

Housing Option

This Option maybe retro-fit in the field The LPX/LPR housing is designed to protect the complete robotics and prevent any operational fault due to external interference. This cover has a user door for an easy access to the stacks. The design of the cover is also suitable for light sensitive samples.

iMotion Option

Intelligent technology that allows fast sample movement without the risk of losing the integrity of stored material due to high accelerations.

Barcode Reader Option

Can be installed on the Lift Assembly. It allows the reading of barcodes on plates stored in the stackers. Barcodes have to be printed on the shorter side of the plates and have to face outwards to the LiCotel Lift Assembly.

Docking Shuttle Option

This feature allows multiple usage of one single port on the robotic integrated system. In addition it makes service and maintenance work easier by facilitating removal of the LiCotel unit.

Orbital Shaker

Orbital shaker with integrated auto-positioning for handler access. All functions required for access implemented autonomously. Driver compatible with non-shaker units, no special commands required for plate handling. All sub functions autonomously implemented. Available in 1/3/6 mm amplitudes with relative maximum RPM of 1200/600/400.

Linear Shaker

By accelerating and decelerating the carousel movement, a linear shaking function can be integrated in our carousel based units. Via software setpoints the amplitude and the speed can be adjusted.

Cassettes

All members of the LiCotel series store the plates in cassettes that can easily be handled by the operator. Cassettes are available for various plate dimensions. Even customized sizes are available at only slightly extra cost. All-metal cassettes are also available. The number of levels within the cassette depends on the type of microplate.

• Main features:
• stable construction
• stainless steel
• can be taken out of the system for loading, unloading or cleaning
• can be exchanged between different systems
• storage of microtiter plates with lids possible

(Link to Flyer) – Cassettes

Modular Cascading System Option

With this option system can satisfy growing library need. The cascading approach allows to start automation at minimum upfront investment while leaving ways for later expansion.

It gives maximum flexibility for integration. Interface ports are compatible to the LPX Series instruments therefore giving access to the world's largest selection of transfer stations and other accessories. Collection can grow to the left or to the right and even addition of an extra robotic access port is possible. Access time on remote plates on a 2 stage system are below 90 seconds. Average pick and place times are 6 to 7 seconds.

Integration of LiCONiC Cascading System System is easy. LiCONiC's new 3rd generation driver package does all background and hardware related work while providing professional looking GUI for end-user access and service support.

STX Driver Package

It enhances user interface by providing the market's most complete and most powerful functionality at minimum programming costs. It includes everything needed to build a sophisticated, yet simple, interface for any plate storage application. All operations use drag & drop technology. The command set has been optimized using 21 very powerful and straight forward commands.

• The package features:
• intuitive and friendly user interface
• drag & drop plate manipulation
• device communication tools
• climate managing tools
• operation schedule
• test and diagnostics module
• error recovery system
• security system
• events, message and errors logging system
• TCP/IP communication
• remote access capability
• easy client-software integration
• multi-clients device managing
• multi-device compatibility

STX Panel Package

It is a software package designed to control all types of LiCotel plate hotels. It allows to perform:

• climate control, including climate logging and drawing of graphs
• plate handling operations
• incubator gate and carousel control
• LiCotel production tests
• executing low-level direct commands

Utility Software Package

Allows direct entering of commands (ASCII characters) and sending them to the Handling Controller. The commands can be entered as capital letters or prompt entries. It also allows usage of marcos – complete, preprogrammed command sequences.

There are few ready made programs being a part of the package: program to measure positioning times of the carrousel, program for positioning the carrousel randomly without gate movements, program for positioning the carrousel randomly including gate movements and program for positioning the carrousel randomly including combined positioning-gate movements commands.

UTX Active Control Package

Designed to ease the process PC to LiCotel communication using USB or Serial COM ports. Without it users need to use Win32 API and USB Human Interface Devices API to communicate with the devices.