Abstract
The analytical laboratory of the 1990s must be able to meet and accommodate the rapid evolution of modern-day technology. One such area is laboratory automation. Total automation may be seen as the coupling of computerized sample tracking, electronic documentation and data reduction with automated sample handling, preparation and analysis, resulting in a complete analytical procedure with minimal human involvement. Requirements may vary from one laboratory or facility to another, so the automation has to be flexible enough to cover a wide range of applications, and yet fit into specific niches depending on individual needs. Total automation must be planned for, well in advance, if the endeavour is to be a success. Space, laboratory layout, proper equipment, and the availability and access to necessary utilities must be taken into account. Adequate training and experience of the personnel working with the technology must also be ensured. In addition, responsibilities of installation, programming maintenance and operation have to be addressed. Proper time management and the efficient implementation and use of total automation are also crucial to successful operations. This paper provides insights into laboratory organization and requirements, as well as discussing the management issues that must be faced when automating laboratory procedures.
Highlights
Reasons for automationThe reasons for automating the laboratory, especially sample preparation procedures, which according to many are still the major bottleneck in the analytical process, are many and may vary from laboratory to laboratory or industry to industry
The constantly changing world of the analytical laboratory imposes high demands on the area of automation to meet the challenges of its technological advances
The first type is the one with a fixed geometry and preset programming capabilities, such as autopipetters, autosamplers, etc
Summary
The reasons for automating the laboratory, especially sample preparation procedures, which according to many are still the major bottleneck in the analytical process, are many and may vary from laboratory to laboratory or industry to industry. Some reasons which are often thought of initially as important are such things as being able to spend large amounts of money in order to obtain new, expensive and fancy ’toys with lots of bells and whistles’ to play with, being the topic of conversation among your peers/colleagues as ’the ones with the robots’, and even the prestige of being on every tour making its way through the facility It is the ultimate standardization of procedures facility- and/or industry-wide, increased productivity within the laboratory of working group; improved quality of the resulting generated data through homogeneous sample treatment and better audit trail; simplified method transfer (both internally and externally); multiple operation and application use without retraining and validating each technician for every method or procedure, and improved or better ensured safety of your staff, especially in an area handling large numbers of biological samples; that are all valid and justifiable reasons to automate
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