Spotting Platform for Microarrays
Helbling Technik designed a novel, scalable, high-throughput production process for microarrays and proved the concept with a test platform, leveraging ideas and technologies from the semiconductor backend and the robotics sectors.
Background:
New applications require the capability to produce microarrays on various substrates in large volumes. Scienion, as a leading technology and service provider for ultra-low volume liquid handling and microarrays, has identified this as an area with important potential for the company's proven, piezo-based dispensing technology and relied on the support of Helbling Technik's proven services and competences for the conceptual design, development and the proof of concept for a novel production process.
Our tasks:
- A preliminary project for designing a first product image together with Scienion
- Conceptual design and development of the overall system and the assemblies
- Production and testing of a test platform
The order lead time was six weeks for the preliminary project and seven months from the beginning of the system concept phase until the supply of the test platform. The development procedure was carried out according to the simultaneous engineering process.
Results:
- A platform concept with requirements and a 3D product image
- System concept
- Subconcepts for the mechanics, control, software, and calibration / vision
- Working test system for process development
- Repeat accuracy better than 20µm from process station to process station
Today, the test platform is an important means in developing new customer-specific applications. The ultimate proof for Scienion 's strategy and Helbling Technik's flexible and scalable platform concept, however, are the several marketed sciFLEXARRAYERS100 systems and their solid field performance.
Customer: Scienion AG, Dortmund / Berlin
