Festo debuts a new generation of high speed, flexible, and precise liquid dispensing and gas handling products at SLAS, January 27-29, in San Diego. These innovative solutions were developed at the Festo Life Sciences Technology Engineering Center, Billerica, Mass. (Festo Booth #413)
The EXCM planar surface gantry is precise, fast, and compact. EXCM gantries arrive quickly in kit form ready for fast, easy assembly with matched motors, drives, and axes.
Liquid dispensing
The VYKA is the company’s new precision dispensing valve. VYKA operates via pressure and time rather than by volume. Pressure and time-based dispensing improve accuracy as measured by low coefficient of variation (Cv). The VYKA offers equipment manufacturers and end users greater flexibility because dispensed volumes are infinitely variable and can be quickly changed. Visitors to the Festo booth can control an active time and pressure dispensing system and see the benefits of variable volume with low Cv.
Festo also introduces the VAEM eight-channel high-speed valve controller. The VAEM controller offers a superior price/performance ratio. When paired with the VYKA and other time and pressure valves, the VAEM delivers the utmost flexibility and speed in both dispensing and aspirating.
Booth visitors will see a demonstration of the Festo 96-channel bulk-dispense head. The 96-channel system increases throughput by dispensing reagents into 96/384 well microplates at high speed. Dispense volumes can range from under 10ul to over 100ul, with an overall Cv under 5% in most cases.
Gas Handling
Festo displays its Piezo-based VEAB proportional pressure regulator for precision flow and pressure control. And, Festo introduces its new cost-competitive mass flow controller, the Piezo-based VEMD. Ideal for the life sciences, Piezo valves are small, lightweight, precise, durable, fast, and consume minimal energy. The valves are also practically heat-free, operate silently, and resist wear. Festo is a world leader in applying Piezo technology to valves utilized in the lab and in portable medical devices.
Sample handling
For sample handling, Festo offers the EXCM planar surface gantry for moving vials in the x, y, and/or z axes. The EXCM is precise, fast, and compact. EXCM gantries arrive quickly in kit form ready for fast, easy assembly with matched motors, drives, and axes.
Automated vial and cap grippers
The EHMD integrated rotary gripper is used for capping and de-capping. This all-in-one gripper is designed for infinite electric rotation and electric or pneumatic gripping. EHMD is rated for vials up to 15 ml. The EHPS gripper, with smart force control, is used for handling delicate vials.
The goal of the Festo Life Sciences Engineering Technology Center is to pioneer the development of new high speed, high accuracy fluid, and gas handling products. The center also works with individual customers on automated motion and liquid and gas handling solutions that bring their laboratory equipment to market faster and with less cost.