The Epson GX10 delivers reach, reliability and safety limited positions

This formulation system is being supplied to Alexion in the United States. The primary purpose of the system is to prepare feedstocks that will be used in downstream reactor skids to automate and speed up drug discovery.

The formulation system is used to produce 1L bottles of feedstocks. Solids and liquids are dispensed into the formulation bottle according to a configurable recipe which can include various mixing stages. Upon completion of dispensing and mixing the formulation can undergo additional automated follow on processes including pH adjustment, inerting, and imaging. The imaging station captures images of the formulation, allowing operators to confirm dissolution is complete. The end goal is that the system automatically detects if additional mixing is required and updates the process accordingly. The pH station measures the pH of the formulation before attempting to adjust it to a target pH using acidic and basic additions. The inerting station is housed in an inert nitrogen atmosphere, in which the formulation is de-capped and bubbled with nitrogen to remove oxygen from the formulation.

Alexion, as part of AZ is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and delivers innovative treatments for rare diseases and devastating conditions. Their mission, to transform the lives of people affected by rare diseases and devastating conditions by continuously innovating and creating meaningful value

Why was the GX10 chosen?

A representative at LABMAN stated that they chose the arm for the reach and reliability they have had on previous systems. Adding that the reach allowed them to access all the modules without any additional transfer stations. From a safety perspective, an additional bonus feature of the GX10 was the Safety limited position offered by their new RC8 controller package which allows users to interact safely with the same work area as the arm. For simple tasks like picking and placing consumables a SCARA robot is much simpler to setup and program than a 6 axis robot arm, making the Epson GX10 an ideal component to support their project.