Analytik Jena, a supplier of analytical measurement, liquid handling and automation technology, recently won awards for two innovative, user-friendly laboratory products: a fast preparation system for water samples and an automation cobot.
The German company, which is part of the Swiss Endress+Hauser Group, provides solutions for medicine and life science, pharmaceuticals, molecular biology, chemistry, food safety and environmental analysis.
Its APU 28 connect, a fast preparation system for water samples, and its CyBio Carry, a collaborative robot (or cobot), have scooped Product of the Year 2023 awards from lab journal LABO.
Sample Preparation at Speed
APU 28 connect is part of the company’s AOX analysis series. Dr. Christian Koch, Product Specialist and Business Segment Chemical Analysis at Analytik Jena, explained:
“The AOX parameter is a globally applied sum parameter and therefore perfectly suited as a fast-screening method.
AOX describes the contamination of water as well as solids by organically bound halogens.
These organically bound halogens are adsorbed on the surface of activated carbon. Only in this way can these harmful substances be analyzed in the analyzer.
Thus, adsorption is the most important step in AOX analysis.”
According to him, the APU 28 connect is the fastest sample preparation system for water samples (e.g. wastewater, surface water) using the column method according to ISO 9562.
“The high flexibility of the APU 28 connect makes sure that all types of water samples and eluates can be analyzed equally well and reliably, regardless of the level of difficulty.
With its maximum degree of automation, the APU 28 connect reduces handling steps and possible sources of error, which is particularly important in solid phase extraction (SPE) and AOX sample preparation.
The mixing of SPE-AOX and normal AOX sequences, without any manual operator intervention, is a unique feature that impressively underlines this flexibility.”
Easy Integration
The CyBio Carry is an automation cobot that offers maximum flexibility—both spatially and in terms of application—thanks to its ultra-compact but scalable construction.
Ariane Jonetz-Mentzel, Department Manager Product Management and Business Segment Life Science Solutions at Analytik Jena, said:
“The CyBio Carry can be easily integrated into existing laboratory environments and is therefore the ideal complement to existing benchtop setups that are to be automated.”
The CyBio Carry operates with integrated smart object detection. The 3-axis cartesian cobot can be configured with different rail lengths accommodating a wide variety of peripheral instruments.
The patent pending gripper mechanism supports multiple positions per device. An additional shuttle position is included and maximizes flexibility.
Ariane Jonetz-Mentzel explained:
“It offers laboratories a completely automated solution for the harmonious cooperation of a wide range of analytical devices and instruments and thus an efficient processing of the corresponding workflows—with minimal space requirements.
For the best possible linking of all laboratory processes, the system can be individually programmed according to customer requirements.”
She added:
“Many of our present customers in life science or pharmaceutical laboratory used to work manually and decided to automate or partially automate because of various reasons.
With lab bench automation with CyBio Carry we want our customer’s lab to become more efficient, cost effective and better equipped to achieve repeatable and reliable results and save valuable lab space at the same time.
Thanks to its sophisticated concept, the CyBio Carry can automate a wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical and life science sectors without being restricted to specific application areas.”
