Innovations assist compound management labs using Acoustix tubes

Ziath has released a module to enable their Mirage, Cube or Express tube readers to decode Brooks Acoustix tubes.

Using the Ziath Mohawk and MIrage scanner with Brooks Acoustix Tubes

Acoustix is a small sample tube with a screw cap which is increasingly favored for storage of novel compounds in solution in large compound stores. It is also compatible with the latest generation of Labcyte Echo acoustic dispensers. However, many traditional tube readers find Acoustix tubes difficult to read because the code is split into 4 sections.

For each Acoustix tube, the 4 segments of the DataMatrix code can now be imaged, recombined and decoded by Ziath's Datapaq 3.18 software running the Acoustix module on a Mirage, Cube or Express tube reader. This whole process is achieved in only 3-4 seconds, some five times faster than any other reader on the market.

To further assist compound management labs using Acoustix tubes, Ziath have introduced a release plate and special low-profile tube adaptor for their Mohawk tube selector. These new options are designed to enable the semi-automated system to handle Acoustix tubes which have to be locked into their rack as they are suspended upside down in the Echo acoustic dispenser. Using a new Acoustix software plug-in, in combination with the Mohawk and release plate, fast and easy single tube cherry-picking and reformatting from Acoustix racks with automatic confirmation of pick list integrity is now possible. Only Ziath can do this.

Economically priced to suit most budgets, Ziath's Mirage, Cube and Express tube readers are designed as fast, more productive camera-based replacements for a flatbed scanner. Their low profile and ability to scan all current, commonly used ANSI/SLAS format racks enables them to be simply integrated with liquid handling platforms and other automation systems.

Designed to enable picking of frozen or thawed sample tubes from 96-position racks, the Mohawk has been designed to work out of the box, and needs no set up or calibration. Instrument control is through the new user-friendly software which provides an intuitive interface for easy operation. Tubes can be picked from a single rack or a picklist can be set up to select tubes across multiple racks. Pick list operations are normally started from reading the 1D code on a rack placed onto the Mohawk, but manual selection is also possible.