Genome genius acknowledges automation's role

Citation

(2001), "Genome genius acknowledges automation's role", Industrial Robot, Vol. 28 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2001.04928aaf.013

Genome genius acknowledges automation's role

Genome genius acknowledges automation's role

Keywords Robots, Automation

Dr Sanger, the man who first devised the code-reading method for identifying the minute strands of DNA carried in bacteria, has acknowledged the importance of robotics in mapping the human genome. The Sanger Centre, UK home of the Human Genome Project, recently completed the first draft of the sequence of the human genome, an achievement due in no mean terms to the machines built around the drive technology supplied by Linear Drives Ltd (LDL).

Double Nobel prize winner, Dr Sanger, was quoted as saying, "There are a lot of robotics used now – we used to have to measure things out with pipettes and test-tubes." Automation has taken an ever-increasing role in biomedical research projects, with state-of-the-art machines allowing incredibly faster and more accurate sequencing than ever seen before. To this end, the Sanger Centre has developed its machines around the award-winning and patented range of ThrustTube® tubular linear motors from LDL.

The robots used at the centre include a "re-arraying robot", which accesses a fridge system to pull out storage plates containing DNA samples, a "gridding robot", which transfers bacterial clones from a storage medium to a nylon membrane (see Plate 6), and a "picking robot", which inspects, picks and transfers colonies of bacteria. All have been designed to reduce the amount of manual labour in the processes, to be maintenance free to allow constant operation, and to be quick and easy to assemble. Extremely quiet operation is also essential due to the laboratory environment.

Plate 6 A "gridding robot" - one of the three types of robot built around the drive technology supplied by Linear Drives

Brian Munday, head of the Engineering Group at the Sanger Centre, comments:

We looked at a number of drive solutions, from conventional motors through to the latest linear methods. Traditional motor solutions, such as ball screws and belt drives, simply didn't meet all the performance requirements that we needed for this application, and other linear motor options were not as compact as ThrustTube.

ThrustTube tubular linear motors combine precision, performance and reliability with near silent operation to offer a new choice in drive technology. ThrustTube allows machine builders to achieve greater control, speed and accuracy in positioning and handling applications. Already a preferred choice in many drive applications, with over 15,000 axes installed worldwide, the patented ThrustTube range includes cost-effective, modular XY solutions, single rail linear motor modules, shielded modules and ironless motors.

For more information on ThrustTube linear motors, visit www.thrusttube.com

For further information, please contact: Robert Houghton, Linear Drives Ltd, Luckyn Lane, Basildon, Essex SS14 3BW, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1268 287070; Fax: +44 (0)1268 293344; e-mail: robh@linear.co.uk