Automated Chemistry Workstation with Sample Sorter and Archiver

What is the Automated Chemistry Workstation with Sample Sorter and Archiver?

This workstation adds barcode-driven sample sorting and a refrigerated archive to the chemistry platform, so tubes are routed to the correct analyzer and stored automatically after testing. It suits laboratories that re-run tests frequently and need fast retrieval of stored samples.

Overview

Tubes are loaded in bulk and read by barcode, and a robotically controlled gripper transfers each tube to the chemistry analyzer, to a second analyzer for another discipline, or to the refrigerated archive. The archive holds several thousand tubes at 4 to 10 degrees Celsius and records the exact position of each one, so a repeat test can be retrieved by scanning the barcode rather than searching by hand. Camera-based tube inspection during sorting can measure serum volume and estimate the hemolysis, icterus and lipemia indices, which allows the analyzer to suppress or flag affected assays automatically. Sorting rules are configured in the middleware, and the workstation reports archive location data to the LIS so that clinicians can see how long a sample remains available.

How does it work?

A chemistry workstation is defined by integration rather than by a single measurement principle. Photometric modules using interference filters or gratings measure colorimetric and enzymatic reactions, ion-selective electrode modules measure sodium, potassium, chloride and calcium, and immunoturbidimetric modules measure specific proteins from the light scattered by antigen-antibody complexes. Around these analytical modules the workstation adds pre-analytical handling such as rack loading, tube inspection with cameras for volume and hemolysis assessment, sorting to the correct module, and post-analytical storage of the tubes in a refrigerated archive. Middleware coordinates sample routing, applies reflex and rerun rules, tracks reagent inventory across modules and manages quality control in one record set. Interfaces to the laboratory information system use HL7 or ASTM, so the workstation appears to the user as one analytical unit with a single worklist.

What are the key features?

• Barcode-driven sorting to analyzers and archive
• Refrigerated archive for several thousand tubes
• Position tracking with barcode retrieval of stored samples
• Camera inspection of serum volume and HIL indices
• Middleware-configured sorting and routing rules
• Archive location reporting to the laboratory information system

What are the technical specifications?

A typical automated chemistry workstation with sample sorter and archiver configuration offers archive capacity of 3,000–8,000 tubes, archive temperature of 4–10 °C, sorting speed of 600–1000 tubes/h, tube inspection of Serum volume, hemolysis, icterus, lipemia indices, analyzer throughput of 600–1200 tests/h photometric and retrieval time of Under 30 s per tube. Values are indicative of the product class; the exact figures for each configuration are confirmed on the quotation and the calibration documents supplied with the instrument.

Which applications is it used for?

The Automated Chemistry Workstation with Sample Sorter and Archiver is used in laboratories with frequent repeat testing, core laboratories needing sample retrieval, sites reporting hemolysis indices with results and clinical trials requiring sample retention. Across the wider Chemistry Workstations class, laboratories also deploy it for high-volume consolidated biochemistry testing, core laboratory workflows with automated sorting and multi-module specific protein and electrolyte testing.

Which standards and certifications apply?

Relevant standards and methods include ISO 15189, CLSI AUTO10, CLSI EP05, CLSI EP06, CLSI C24, IEC 61010-1 and IEC 61010-2-101. Certification candidates for this model are CE, ISO 13485 manufacturing and NMPA class II registration; each is to be confirmed for the specific configuration before shipment, and certificates are supplied only where they have been issued.

A workstation installation is a project rather than a single delivery: plan power distribution, network points, water supply and drainage, air conditioning and floor loading for every module in advance. Verify each analyzer module individually, then validate the integrated workflow for sorting accuracy, sample inspection results, middleware rules and archive retrieval. Build the reagent and consumable logistics for all modules into one inventory system, because running out of one reagent stops the affected channel without stopping the platform, which can mask the problem. Define and rehearse a partial-downtime procedure, clean sample paths and cameras daily, and monitor that middleware rules continue to match the clinical requirements after any software update.

How do I select the right Automated Chemistry Workstation with Sample Sorter and Archiver?

Specify this variant when annual repeat testing is high, when samples must be retained and retrieved within a defined window, or when hemolysis, icterus and lipemia indices are reported with results. In the RFQ confirm archive capacity and temperature uniformity, retrieval time, camera inspection accuracy against manual scoring, and how archive data appear in the LIS.

How does it compare with other Chemistry Workstations variants?

Decide a workstation configuration only after mapping your test menu by module and your daily tube count, because the integrated platform pays back through reduced handling and consolidated reporting rather than raw speed. Compare candidate systems by which modules can be combined, whether sorting is barcode-driven, whether tube inspection for hemolysis and icterus is included, and how much refrigerated archive capacity is offered. Check that middleware can implement your review rules and that it communicates through a single LIS connection. Confirm the space, water, drainage and power requirements of each module plus the archive, and the validation workload at installation. Ask whether the configuration can be expanded with another module later, and whether the archive can be upgraded independently of the analyzers.