Application Spotlight Lab Automation: Confirming Fluid Presence in Microplates

The microplate has become a standard tool in analytical research and clinical diagnostic testing laboratories for processing multiple samples at a time. Microtiter plates, or microplates, are flat plates with multiple wells (commonly 96) which are used as small test tubes and can contain various substances, but typically liquid. Various application-specific instruments process fluids in microplate wells (pipetting, sampling, adding reagents, etc.). These instruments need to verify that there is fluid contained within each compartment before the process can begin, which is difficult to reliably detect and typically has a high error rate. One easy, cost-effective way to confirm the presence of fluid in microplate wells is to integrate Balluff Sharpshooter vision sensors (BVS). These vision sensors provide a highly reliable solution that can be modified more quickly than traditional methods. n High reliability of sample presence n Easy setup of a single Sharpshooter vision sensor n Cost effective compared to sensor array solution n Up to 20 different jobs can be stored on each vision sensor for different sized plates BVS configuration software showing wells that do not contain fluid.

When a microplate containing liquid is illuminated by a high intensity light, the Balluff BVS vision sensor confirms whether fluid in a compartment or well is present. By using a BVS vision sensor, instrument throughput is increased and the risk of error in the process is reduced. In the actual application, a single BVS vision sensor effectively examines 4 quadrants (24 wells) at one time. The X-Y positioning system on the instrument moves the microplate to examine another quadrant, ensuring no wells are missed during inspection. A benefit of this system is that several regions of interest, or wells, can be examined at one time thus eliminating the need for an array of photoelectric or ultrasonic sensors to examine each cell individually. With a single BVS vision sensor, not only is fixturing and setup quicker, but jobs can be switched within seconds to accomodate different sized plates to make inspection more flexible.

Part Number
BVS OI-3-003-E BVS OI-3-004-E BAE LX-VS-LW170

Description
PNP, 12 mm lens, 50-1000 mm assured range *NPN, 12 mm lens, 50-1000 mm assured range White LED linear light

BVS0005 BVS0006 BAE00AW

* Trigger and inputs are PNP based - only outputs are NPN

www.balluff.com/Medical
Balluff, Inc. n 8125 Holton Drive Florence, KY 41042 n 1-800-543-8390 n www.balluff.com

PS_046 Microplate Inspection 2010-07

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