43 www.drivesncontrols.com May 2025 SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL n UK automation system boosts throughput for US pharma firm A global leader in RNA (ribonucleic acid) therapeutics has increased throughput at its Boston R&D laboratory signi cantly by implementing a cutting-edge automation platform that was designed and built in the UK. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology company wanted to streamline its liquid handler loading/unloading processes. It called in PAA (Peak Analysis and Automation) – a leading provider of automation technology for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and laboratory sectors. UK-based PAA’s customers include BioNTech, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Laboratoire Cerba (Lab Cerba). Early in the project, PAA realised that the existing liquid handler loading and unloading process would create a major bottleneck in the automated workow. To overcome this and to meet the required throughput, PAA implemented an innovative approach to optimise the loading, processing and unloading of labware and consumables on the deck of the liquid handler. The system that PAA developed includes two Mitsubishi Electric RV-8CRL industrial robots that are used to load three Dynamic Devices Lynx liquid handlers, with bespoke conveyor loading systems. Two individual workcells are linked together by an 8m-long overhead linear shuttle system, allowing quick and eective sample transfer between the two platforms. Mitsubishi Electric HG-KR servo motors and MR-J4B servo ampli ers drive a conveyor belt mounted onto the liquid handler deck, which allows entire trays of labware to be fed into the instrument in a single movement. As a result, the cell can load up to nine pieces of labware simultaneously, rather than individually, delivering a signi cant improvement in throughput. The robots were con gured using a Mitsubishi CR800 robot controller, while the additional servo axes, communications and distributed I/O for both platforms were connected without needing any additional components. “A consequence of the increased capacity loading onto the liquid handler was that we needed to nd a robot that had the payload capabilities and the reach to load and unload the trays onto the conveyor,”explains PAA’s research and development director, Jon Newman-Smith. “We decided to use a Mitsubishi RV8CRL because it presented a costeective way of meeting the payload and reach criteria for the integration. “Additionally, we were able to deploy it with a 4F-SF002 safety expansion unit, which gave us access to the additional Safe Limited Speed (SLS) operating mode,” he continues. “This protected the integrity of the scienti c processes in the event of an intervention. We designed a multi-function end-eector consisting of two tools, capable of handling trays of labware in one orientation, and individual pieces of labware in another orientation.” “Clinical and research laboratories around the world face mounting pressure to provide faster turnaround times and reduce errors to improve patient care,” points out Stephen Chilton, product and marketing manager at Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems UK. “By implementing a combination of industrial and laboratory automation approaches to complex and time-consuming processes, the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and laboratory sectors can begin to ease this pressure signi cantly, enable rapid responses to emerging infectious diseases, and address bottlenecks in traditional vaccine development, thereby having a meaningful impact on patient outcomes. “PAA stands at the forefront of evolving industrial automation technologies, and we were delighted to collaborate with the team on this challenging, but highly successful, project,” he adds. n A US manufacturer of RNA therapeutics has used a UK automation specialist to design and build a robotic liquid handling system that has increased its throughput signicantly. One of the two robots that are used to load the three liquid handlers The installation consists of two workcells linked by an overhead linear shuttle system
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=