Punch automates filter-cutting process.
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Press Release Summary:
Frit punch/place machine presses 8 sharpened SST tubes into precut sheet of filter paper to cut frits and pick them up inside tubes. It positions first row of microtiter tray under tubes and places frits into bottom of each well using ejection pins. Machine keeps track of where each set of holes is punched from filter sheet and indexes over one pitch to always get clean set of frits. After 12 automatic punch and place cycles, tray is filled.Original Press Release:
This Automated Machine Cuts Filter Discs From a Sheet and Precisely Places Them Into The 96 Wells of a Microtitre Plate
San Jose, CA. - April 2002 - ENGINEERING BY DESIGN, of San Jose, CA, is now offering an automatic version of the semi-manual frit punch/place machines that have been produced for international and domestic use.
"I added a processor, control panel and motor drive to take the place of manual positioning by the operator," states the design engineer, Dale Henson, P.E. "Just load a filter sheet and empty microplate and push the RUN button."
The machine presses 8 sharpened SST tubes into a precut sheet of filter paper to cut the frits and pick them up inside the tubes. The machine then positions the first row of the microtiter tray under the tubes and the frits are then placed into the bottom of each well using ejection pins. The machine keeps track of where each set of holes is punched from the filter sheet and indexes over one pitch to always get a clean set of frits. After 12 automatic punch & place cycles, the tray is filled.
The filter paper is cut to fit into the punching nest and is supported by a replaceable plastic block that can be reused for thousands of cycles. The sharpened tubes can last for years. Each sheet of filter paper can be repositioned to get four sets of 96 frits (384 total) per sheet. This machine was designed by Dale Henson and assembled, wired and programmed by his support staff.
ENGINEERING BY DESIGN maintains design, production and sales offices in San Jose, CA. For more information contact Dale Henson, P.E. at 408.452.0256 or visit www.ebdesign.com.
AUTOMATIC MICROTITRE FRIT PUNCH
Description:
This machine is used to automatically punch filter discs (frits) from a sheet and place them into each of the 96 wells of a microtitre tray.
Application:
The filter material is cut to fit the holder and the FOR REV button pushed to expose the tray nest. An empty tray is loaded and the RUN button is pushed. When the tray is filled, the machine automatically stops for reloading.
Design Highlights:
The filter sheet can be flipped front-to-back and side-to-side to get four sets of 96 frits from one filter sheet. The frits are cut with sharpened steel tubes and set into the wells with ejection pins. Eight sets of cut tubes and eject pins are driven up/down by an adjustable air cylinder. A stepper motor drives the filter and tray nests left/right to align the tubes alternately with the proper filter sheet location and then each of the 12 tray well columns. The punching force is adjustable for different filter materials by an air pressure regulator. Changing the cut tubes can set the frit diameter and the placement height can be adjusted by internal stops.
Benefit:
This machine is an intermediate volume solution for filling microtitre trays with small to medium size frits. Any variations within the standard 8x12 format on 9mm centers can be accommodated through minor design changes and/or setup adjustments. The small size and simple design make it a simple and reliable tool that requires almost no maintenance. The ability to flip the filter sheet to get four trays from each piece makes the best use of the material. The tubes cut more by scissor action with the reusable filter support pad than by sharpness, so the tubes almost never need replacement. Higher-volume machines require expensive tooling and frequent maintenance that increases operating costs.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- INPUT POWER: 110-250VAC, single phase with ground & neutral. 50/60 Hz. Factory set.
- AIR PRESSURE: 75 PSI, clean & dry air < 10 SCFM.
- WEIGHT: 37 pounds.
- DIMENSIONS: 22" long, 7" deep, 20" high.
- MICROTITRE TRAY SIZE: Standard 8 x 12, 96 well 9mm pitch microtitre format.
- FILTER FRIT SIZE: Designed for frit diameters from .06" to .125".
- SPEED: One tray stuffed every minute.
- CONTROLS: Rear-mounted ON/OFF switch & fuse. Power master control relay is "latched on" by the START button. Prominent E-STOP button "unlatches" power MCR. All action is "paused" or "reset" by the STOP button. The sequence can be stepped and stopped at any point for setup. Automatic operation with one RUN button. Air pressure set by the regulator knob and actual pressure displayed.
- COMPLIANCE: Built to NFPA-79 and CE standards.
FEATURES:
- The machine uses an integral programmable logic controller (PLC) which coordinates all manual and automatic functions in response to operator inputs.
- The slide that holds the tray and the filter sheet is driven back and forth by a stepper motor that turns an enclosed lead screw. The plastic screw nut runs without periodic lubrication.
- The slide can be driven back and forth for easier loading and unloading of the tray and filter sheet by pushing the FOR REV button.
- A large-bore air cylinder drives the cut tubes and their ejection pins with sufficient force to remove 8 frits at once from the filter sheet. Setting the frits in the trays takes little force.
- Safety covers prevent the operator from getting fingers caught in the punching area.
- Motion sensors detect any jams or faults that interrupt operation and motion is stopped.
- The STOP indicator flashes an on/off sequence to indicate the source of any faults.
- The cut and set stopping positions can be adjusted by an internal potentiometer.
- Program changes for different format frits and trays can be made with factory support.
- The operator can make all common setup adjustments.
- Full and complete operator manual includes parts list and electrical schematic.
