PLANT GRINDING AND PREPARATION SYSTEM
Three systems installed at Aberystwyth University Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS).
System Overview.
In 2014 Labman installed three systems at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University.
Cryogenic Biomass Grinding and Dispensing System
The cryogenic grinder system is an automated plant sample grinding and dispensing system that is built around a chest freezer which maintains an operating temperature of -60°C. The system is used to grind plant samples into a fine powder which is then dispensed to a configured number of output vials.
Room Temperature Biomass Grinding and Dispensing System
The room temperature grinder system performs the same grind and dispense process as the cryogenic grinder system. However, all actions are performed at room temperature.
Sample Extraction System
The sample extraction system is used to perform a number of operations on pre-ground plant samples that are output from one of the Labman grinder systems. The system contains a number of modules that are driven using a flexible protocol editor allowing the system to adapt easily to different requirements and research direction.
Key Features.
Cryogenic Biomass Grinding and Dispensing System
High Throughput Process
Up to 72 input vials and 216 outputs (3 replicates) in 20 hours
Ball Mill Grinding
Automatic ball mill grinding
Automatic Powder Dispensing
Dispensing into 2ml Sarstedt vials
Configurable
Configurable grinding and dispensing for different sample material
Precise
Powder dispense precision +/- 0.002g
Operating Temperature
Operating temperature of -60°C
Room Temperature Biomass Grinding and Dispensing System
High Throughput
Up to 144 input vials and 432 outputs (3 replicates) in 32 hours
Automatic Grinding
Automatic ball mill grinding
Powder Dispensing
Automatic powder dispensing into 2ml Sarstedt vials
Configurable
Configurable grinding and dispensing for different sample material
Precise Dispensing
Powder dispense precision +/- 0.0005g
Sample Extraction System
High Throughput Process
Up to 144 input vials and 144 outputs
Capping & Decapping
Automatic capping and de-capping of vials
Centifuge
Centrifugation
Sample Incubation
Incubate samples up to 70°C
5 Solvent Reservoirs
Dispense liquid from any one of 5 solvent reservoirs
Variable Dispense Range
Dispense volume range 30ul to 20ml
600rpm Mixing
Mix at up to 600rpm
Transfer of Samples
Sample Transfer
Drier
Sample concentration with drier
System Images.
This equipment is operated 24/7 greatly increasing our capacity, reducing operator error and overcoming major bottlenecks in sample processing.View more systemsWe generate large numbers of samples in our breeding programmes which we characterise for chemical composition, digestibility and gene expression. The cryogrinder enables us to process frozen material for RNA/DNA and enzyme extraction. Our liquid handling station is versatile and we can carry out a range of procedures which is greatly facilitated by the ‘user-friendly’ software.Dr. Ana Winters - Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University
