Development and qualification of an automated workcell that includes a multicapillary zone electrophoresis instrument

A new multicapillary zone electrophoresis instrument, the Capillarys, was recently launched by Sebia Company. We integrated the Capillarys in an automated workcell that is able to pick tubes from a sample transportation system and arrange them in the right position for bar code reading on the racks of the Capillarys. The racks are transported and loaded on the Capillarys by the robot. After analysis, racks are automatically collected and transferred to a stacker, to wait for storage, waste management, or transportation to another instrument. We built a prototype, and to validate the workcell, we performed a Qualification Plan. The various tests did not reveal important errors in the design of the prototype, but some slight defects in safety, materials, and software were identified. The final decision was to validate the Qualification. The method of Qualification was found to be very efficient for evaluation of the prototype and early detection of necessary improvements. As a result, the risk of modifications required in customer laboratories was limited.