Automated IVD Reagent Dispensing
Customer: An in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturer
EPG-series electric grippers automate the full reagent-tube workflow — picking, cap opening and dispensing — with precise force control that prevents tube breakage and greatly improves test throughput.
Customer Challenges
IVD equipment must handle large volumes of sample and reagent tubes. Traditional manual operation is slow, error-prone and carries biosafety risks. The customer previously used pneumatic grippers with imprecise force control that frequently crushed tubes, wasting samples and causing contamination; pneumatic grippers are also noisy and require air supplies unsuitable for medical environments. The customer needed an electric gripper with precise force control, quiet operation and no air supply to automate tube picking, transfer and cap handling.
Fragile Tubes
Plastic/glass tubes have thin walls; slightly excessive gripping force shatters them, causing sample leakage and contamination.
Contamination Control
Medical environments require the gripper to be easy to clean and disinfect; disposable fingertips prevent cross-contamination.
Low Noise
Hospital and laboratory environments require low equipment noise that does not disturb staff.
High Throughput
High-throughput diagnostic equipment must process hundreds of samples per hour.
Jodell Solution
Jodell recommended the medical version of the EPG-series electric parallel gripper: 1) 0.1 N-class force precision allows exact grip-force setting, gently holding tubes without breakage; 2) Medical-grade design with a smooth, easy-to-clean surface resistant to alcohol and chlorine disinfectant wipes; 3) Quick-change disposable fingertips swapped per sample to eliminate cross-contamination; 4) <45 dB operating noise for quiet laboratory operation; 5) Fully electric, no air supply, plug-and-play integration; 6) 24 V DC supply with simple communications, ideal for medical equipment integration.
Products Used
Customer Value
"The Jodell electric gripper has very precise force control; since go-live there has not been a single crushed tube, and test throughput has tripled. With no air pump to connect, equipment structure is much simpler and noise is low — customer feedback is excellent."
Product Manager, an IVD Manufacturer
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