Desktop size colony picker: PM-2s

• Compact Desktop Size
• Full Automatic Colony Picking System
• Automatic Needle Change System (ANCS)
• 6 Million Pixel High Resolution Camera
• Automatic storing of colony-picking/transferring data in Excel format
• Retail price in Japan: Inquire us.

• Contamination-free automatic colony transfer
  
• Effective use of your time, and improved work efficiency in your laboratory
  
• Reduced labor hours for routine tasks and the risk of RSI(repetitive stress injury) among scientists

Features:

• The system is equipped with a 6 million pixel high resolution CCD camera able to handle E.coli, yeast, plaques, molds, bacteria, phages etc.
  
  

  Dish image captured by PM-2s camera.(1233kb)

  Captured image of 90 Ø dish in high resolution. It may take a little time to download.

  
  
• The extremely compact size of 670 mm x 520 mm allows setup of the system on the laboratory table.
  
  
• Microtec's original automatic needle change system (ANCS) and the triple sterilization reduce the risk of contamination to a minimum.
  
  
• Color image identification realizes high-precision processing steps including primary colony identification, restriction, color selection and picking.
  
  
• A dedicated software refined through extensive experience supports marked scalability and multifunction as a standard specification.
  

Screen Shots

Parameter Settimg

Microplate setting (96, 384, 96deep well) Number of needle oscillations Picking conditions Setting starting position() and blank wells() Needle sterilization parameters Depth of needle insertion Replica plate settings

Colony identification screen

Automatic identification

1. Arbitrarily set the identification scope so as to allow automatic 24 bit RGB temporary identification.
2. Set the distance to adjacent colonies, ratio of long to short ellipsis diameter, roundness, minimum - maximum number of pixels and various other parameters for refining.

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• Automatic operation
  After completion of the operation, the picking data will automatically be stored in the PC and operation then terminated. A chime announces the end of the operation.
  
  
• After completion of automatic operation
  The <screen to view transfer results> allows to crosscheck dishes and microplates by observing the image.
  

Hardware

Compact desktop size
672 mm (W) x 523 (D) mm x 720 mm (H), requiring only 70% of the installation space of other models of our company. The front door has a large opening covering about 70% of the front and the door is stored in the upper portion of the machine, providing a wide working area. Also, because the machine operates entirely on a 100 V AC power supply, it can easily be installed on a laboratory table.

Automatic needle change system <A.N.C.S.>

The dedicated needle pin set in the machine can be automatically replaced by the robot during the colony picking. The unique mechanism of so-called <Automatic Needle Change System (A.N.C.S.)> allows to limit cross contamination to a minimum. Moreover, since the main unit has originally been equipped with triple sterilization system using brushing + ethanol rinse + 400°C heating sterilization, it allows sterilization during the process of colony picking.

Comprehensive basic equipment
Sterilization of the work stage with a timer controlled UV lamp, a 400 degree heater with temperature control, one-touch changer/holder for Ø90 and Ø150 mm dishes, low remaining ethanol warning, discharge tank full warning, fluid leak warning etc., everything considered necessary is right here.

Image of a common 400,000 pixel camera	Image of PM-2s 6 million pixel camera

The total of 6 million pixel allow a 24 bit RGB color resolution (1670 colors). This renders the identification of plaques or color selection and picking, that tended to be difficult with 400,000 pixel black and white camera,easy. A built-in large area EL type flat light used for the illumination provides stable, reproducible, long-life, low heat developing and low power consumption illumination.

Story

Researchers worldwide have been asking for automated "faster, reliable methods" with high throughput to match the developments since the human genome was completely decoded in the 1990s. The solution to these problems was a combination of robot controlled technology and image analysis (automatic colony picker), that had been developed in America and Europe.

Yet, the required extreme precision and highly complex mechanism have caused a disadvantage to these colony pickers. Even now at the dawn of the 21st century this has led to a situation where the extremely high costs are responsible for the fact that "only a very limited number of research facilities conducting large scale analyses and research" can afford to implement such equipment. Most researchers still have to rely on manual work.

<More compact and low priced colony picker>
To "provide the researchers of the world with a compact and low priced colony picker and thus contribute to research and development in the fields of biosciences," Microtec put its Colony Pickier PM-1s on the market in 2003. Large numbers of PM-1 amd PM-2 series are currently already used in Japan.