Thermo Scientific ALPS 3000, Руководство пользователя

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Introduction
1. Introduction
The ALPS 3000 has been designed for robotic integration, or stand alone sealing, offering a fast effective
solution for the heat-sealing of microplates for experimentation, storage or transportation.
ALPS 3000
Heat sealing is now widely considered to be the most effective way of sealing plates for assays, thermal
cycling, storage and shipping. The extensive range of sealing materials available for our new instrument
offer permanent or peelable high integrity seals, for most plate material types.
The range of sealing materials includes ultra clear materials for colorimetric or fluorimetric assays, along
with solvent resistant seals with exceptional low temperature (-200 C) storage characteristics.
The ALPS 3000 has a compact footprint saving bench space. It features a serial port allowing RS232 and
external foot switch operation, for robotic control, plus a touch screen for manual operation.
Both seal time and temperature are fully adjustable and the unit has built-in sensors to monitor seal
presence and provide output error warning signals. The unit produces no waste material and seals plates of
different heights without the need for plate carriers.
ALPS 3000 is designed to be integrated into robotic platforms from all leading automation companies.
Procedure
The unsealed plate is placed on a shuttle which extends from the front of the sealer, allowing full access
with a robotic arm or stacking system. The shuttle is drawn into the unit automatically and the plate is
sealed in 6 to 12 seconds, depending on the sealing time. The shuttle then slides out, presenting the sealed
plate in its original position.
The sealer, as part of a fully automated plate handling system, is controlled by RS232 communication (see
page 14). Alternatively, the ALPS 3000 can be manually operated as a stand alone unit (see page 13).
Each roll of sealing film is sufficient for approximately five thousand plates. The cutting system cuts the film
to cover the entire plate surface but does not permit any overhang that would effect the plates handling, or
the visibility of barcodes.
The rolls of sealing film, either aluminium or clear laminates, are able to produce permanent, pierceable or
peelable seals with Polypropylene, Polystyrene or Polyethylene plates.
To keep the size and weight to a minimum, the unit uses laboratory compressed air and all parameters, such
as temperature and time are fully adjustable to ensure a perfect, even seal with different plate and film
formats. Should a compressor be needed if lab air is not available please contact Thermo Fisher Scientific.
User safety has been carefully considered during the design process, eliminating risk of contact with hot
surfaces or the internal mechanism during operation.