There is a variety of lab automation equipment and liquid handling equipment to select for your lab. The correct option will have a host of advantages for your diagnostics, research, and manufacturing. If you're researching the right solution for you, here are some important elements to consider.
1. The Lab’s Current Flow
Automated liquid handling can make the lab secure in diverse ways. It can lessen the number of your employees’ steps by roughly 50% and the number of manipulations by 75%. Lab automation equipment can also diminish biohazard risk and stress injuries.
But automated liquid handling needs a strong and sturdy lab to be genuinely efficient. Examine your sample handling and lab information management systems to find out what kind of lab automation robots you need.
Be aware, however, that automation won’t fix something that’s already inefficient to start. The correct automated liquid handling machines will aid in lab effectiveness provided workflow is clear, rational, and scalable.
2. How Might Your Needs Change?
You’ll want to ensure your new lab automation equipment can still work in your lab as time passes. When assessing what kind of robot to get, look for one that gives you flexibility should your lab increase in capacity, add new applications, adjust workflows, or even all three (and let's face it, it most likely will). It doesn’t do well for the bottom line to have a piece of automation equipment sitting there doing nothing. They are expensive, after all.
3. The Lab Automation Robots’ Intuitiveness
In an ideal situation, your equipment will have plug-and-play functions. You and other users don’t have to go skimming through an instruction manual to find out how to set it up or how to operate it. In 2021, there is absolutely no excuse for this kind of clunkiness with laboratory robotics.
4. The Level of Walkway Automation
Walkway automation means a piece of equipment can perform its duties without the need for a technician’s interference and without anybody having to “keep an eye” on it. The benefit? This is exactly what automation tries to accomplish: less time spent on controlling monotonous tasks and more time on research and cooperation — not to mention analyzing the data from said research. Consider which robots will give you more time for your money when you decide on one.
5. How Much Space Does It Take Up?
This may seem like a simple question, but it is indeed an important one. Mainly because any lab technician knows how important bench space is in a working lab. Choose a system that will take up smaller space in your lab. But be careful: this doesn’t mean you should compromise on precision and performance. Choosing the right machine gives you more options for a lab layout, which can be beneficial for productivity and ergonomics.
