Weighing systems
Labman has, over the years, produced a number of tare weighing robots to suit different consumable types. Each robot is usually designed to meet a specific requirement that cannot be obtained 'off the shelf'.
Delivered in 2004 a pair of Labman weighing robots have been running non-stop at AstraZeneca. Each robot has the functionality to tare weigh, re-weigh, sort, cap, decap and barcode read screw capped glass vials. To reduce the footprint of the robots Labman implemented bowl feeders to automatically feed vials and caps into the robot workspace. This significantly reduces setup time for the operator and allows the robots to work unattended overnight. The vial barcode and weight information is accessed and updated via an external database using a SOAP interface. Labman employed custom sorting algorithms to place the vials into various rack zones and to also add different coloured caps to indicate hazardous substances.
