Some systems like Unchained have the ability to pierce vial caps with needles, allowing for purging and the injection of chemicals into a “controlled atmosphere” setting. There are a few mechanical complexities with regards to piercing and removal, and also the logistics of the injection and purging tasks. I was wondering if anyone had worked on this in a DIY way, and with what system (opentrons, etc.)
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In terms of mechanical complexities, are you thinking of automatic needle swapping and the need to “hold” the container in place as you remove the needle? Could you also comment a bit more on purging?
Any other major considerations?
To “purge” a vessel, one would need a needle to push the gas in and a needle to vent. So, I imagine that one needs to be able to pick up fresh needles, insert them into the septum, remove them and drop them into a waste container. The similar mechanism OT2 pipettes pick up and release tips should work in this case, we just need a different pipette head.
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Yeah, I mean, I think you would just need some sort of frame that goes over the vials but leaves room for the needles, so that when they are pulled they come out.
For needle injection, when you use your hands it does require a strong fine press on the needle, so I imagine the needles would need to be clamped solidly around the top end.
Since the needle needs to attach to either a gas line or a liquid tube, there’s also the question of automatically attaching and detaching and creating a seal.
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Surfacing a comment from @yangcyril.cao: