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Lab Automation
For over 50 years, Anaheim Automation, Inc. has provided a wide variety of motion control products to OEM customers across a variety of markets. In recent decades, as the demand for automated laboratory equipment has soared, Anaheim Automation has provided component solutions and technical expertise for countless applications for the lab automation industry. These applications include sample handling, fluid pumps, centrifuge, chromatography systems, and more.
Our experience with OEM customers in the lab automation industry means we understand the important requirements of their end-products: quality, precision, repeatability, sizing consideration and footprint limitations, efficiency, quiet operation, and the ability to procure sample sizes for Research & Development projects. Anaheim Automation understands that the timeliness in response to technical questions and concerns in the R&D phase, and the ability to customize to an exact requirement, are critical to our customers in the lab automation industry.
The most popular products for the lab automation industry include Stepper Motors and Drives, Brushless DC (BLDC) Motors and Gearmotors and Controllers, Linear Actuators, and HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces, also known as Industrial Touch Screens). Stepper and BLDC Motors are the most commonly used, and they are most often purchased with added Encoders and Cable/Connectors, integrated by Anaheim Automation as value-added services. We also provide Integrated Stepper and BLDC motors, in which motor and driver, or motor/driver/controller, are integrated into one compact package.
Products for Lab Automation
Stepper
Delivering positioning accuracy at an affordable price, stepper products provide reliable performance, while helping equipment designers stay in-budget. Stepper motors, stepper drivers/controllers, stepper gearmotors, stepper actuators, and stepper motors with integrated drivers/controllers are commonly found in lab automation systems, including fluid pumps, diagnostic machines, and sampling handing equipment, to name a few. Anaheim Automation offers a huge stepper product line, with an enormous variety of sizes, torque ratings, and features available off-the-shelf, making R&D a breeze. While NEMA sizes 08 – 24 are the most popular Stepper Motors for these applications, Anaheim Automation offers larger NEMA 34 and 42 stepper motors, appropriate for more robust applications. Please review our 08Y, 11Y, 14Y, 15Y, 17Y, 23Y and 24Y stepper motor series for specifications. For suitable Integrated Stepper Motor/Drivers, see 17MD and 23MD series, and for Stepper Motors with integrated Drivers and Controllers, see 17MDSI and 23MDSI series.
Additionally, all Anaheim Automation stepper motors can be customized to include an encoder, and/or cable and connector, even at sample quantities. Stepper motors/actuators with encoders, for example, are especially popular in fluid pumps, as well as sample handling, and imaging equipment such as automated microscopes. Further customization – such as shaft modifications, special windings, or private-labeling – are also available, but may require an MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity).
Brushless DC
Our BLDC motor offering is vast, ranging from the small BLU06 series (a 16mm round-bodied motor), to the powerful BLY34 series (NEMA 34 motors). The following BLDC Motor series are most popular in laboratory automation applications: BLWR09, BLWR11, BLWR13, BLWR17, BLWR23, which are round-bodied motors, and the BLY17 and BLWS23, which provide a square mounting flange.
As with Stepper Motors, the BLDC Motors used in the lab equipment industry are typically paired with an encoder. For example, brushless motors are often paired with encoders in medical centrifuge applications, such as blood analyzers. Brushless motors supply smooth, continuous, high-speed rotation, while an encoder provides valuable feedback information – e.g. speed, direction, distance – allowing for precise speed control. Anaheim Automation can mount encoders to motors for a complete assembly, or encoders can be purchased separately.
Designs requiring both a brushless motor and speed controller may benefit from Integrated BLDC Motors (motor with a speed controller) to help streamline component selection, minimize footprint, and simplify installation. Popular Integrated Brushless Motors/Controllers for automated laboratory equipment include the BLYxxMDC, BLY17MD, BLYxxMDA, BLWR23MD BLWS23MD series. All integrated BLDC motor series can be customized to include an encoder, and/or cable and connector, as well as other value-added services.
Our BLDC Gearmotors are also popular with manufacturers of automated laboratory equipment, especially the BLWRPG09, BLWRPG11, BLWRPG17, and BLWRPG23 series, in which a brushless DC motor is integrated with a planetary gearbox, and each series offers a wide range of gear ratios. Thanks to their high torque density, smooth motion, and quiet operation, brushless gearmotors are popular in applications requiring continuous motion, such as centrifuge blood analyzers.
Linear Actuators
Linear Actuators are also very useful in lab automation applications. While Anaheim Automation provides a large variety of linear actuators, the most popular linear actuators among our OEM customers in this market are the Stepper and BLDC Linear Actuator types.
In the stepper linear actuator line, there are Hybrid Stepper and Permanent Magnet (PM) Non-Captive and Captive Linear Actuators. Thanks to their small footprint, Anaheim Automation's most popular hybrid stepper actuators are the 08AW, 11AW, 14AW and 17AW series (the prefix numbers correspond with the NEMA size. NEMA 23 and NEMA 34 linear actuators are also available. Hybrid stepper motor actuators are very popular in metering and dosing pumps, as they deliver precision motion at high speeds, in a compact package. For the PM stepper linear actuators, sometimes called "can stack stepper actuators" please review captive series or non-captive series.
For BLDC linear actuators, see BLAW17 and BLAW23 series. Our brushless motor linear actuators combine 24VDC brushless motors with external rolled ball screws to create the most robust and versatile linear positioning motor on the market. Standard models offer high torque density and precision positioning for R&D, while custom modifications are available for higher volumes.
Also available in the linear actuator category, are Screw-Driven, Belt-Driven, and Rod-Style Linear Actuators, X-Y Tables/slides, as well as linear servos. We also offer a full line of Ball Screws and Linear Guides. These products are commonly used in desktop laboratory equipment, diagnostics, and medical imaging systems.
HMI (Human Machine Interface)
Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs), commonly referred to as Industrial Touch Screens, are often found in automated lab equipment. Anaheim Automation's broad line of HMIs is one of the most cost-effective options in the industry. Our industrial touch screens, available in display sizes 4.3" to 15", offer a user-friendly graphical interface through which customers can easily control their system from a centralized location, including remotely.
HMIs can support even the most complex of applications, with multiple screens and several routines running simultaneously, ideal for the requirements frequently found in medical or pharmaceutical laboratories. HMI touch screens are extremely versatile, and may be found in many types of applications. Common use-cases include diagnostics, dispensing, patient records, and sample handling systems. The communication protocol on all of our HMIs is customizable to work with multiple PLC brands, including Allen Bradley, Siemens, Schneider Electric, BACnet and many others, making it easy to integrate our HMI into virtually any system while enjoying substantial cost savings. Our HMI/PLC combo units may be an even more economical solution, while also reducing development time and footprint.
Common Applications
Sample Handling
Sample Handling Equipment – sample handling equipment is often automated in modern laboratory settings to prevent human error and contamination. Automated sample handling equipment relies on components that are precise and reliable. Positioning accuracy and precision speed control are of the utmost importance in these applications.
Products for Sample Handling Equipment
Brushless DC Motors, Speed Controllers
Low-maintenance BLDC motors deliver high torque density and quiet, smooth operation, ideal for applications in which careful material handling is a primary concern. Our MDC151 series of closed-loop BLDC speed controllers is especially apt for these types of applications, as motor speed feedback allows for real-time corrections, resulting in super-precise speed control.
Stepper Motors, Drivers/Controllers
Designed for positioning applications, stepper motors are a natural fit for sample-handling devices, where accurate positioning is non-negotiable. Stepper motors in this market are often paired with microstepping drivers/controllers for ultra-fine resolution and tight positioning accuracy.
Integrated Motors/Drivers/Controllers
Anaheim Automation offers integrated motor/driver/controller solutions from our stepper and brushless product lines alike. Integrated motors + drivers/controllers offer a 2-in-1 solution. In applications where space is especially limited, integrated units offer reduced footprint, while simplifying component selection and installation for system designers. These integrated units are ideal for proof of concept projects, wherein time to market is critical.
Linear Actuators
Stepper Linear Actuators offer the same positioning advantages as stepper motors while translating rotary motion into linear displacement – ideal for sample handling applications. Most popular for the lab automation market are our hybrid stepper actuators, which provide improved resolution and overall superior performance compared to Permanent Magnet stepper actuators. Similarly, Anaheim Automation's Brushless Linear Actuators – BLDC Motors with external rolled ball screws – deliver the same smooth operation of a standard BLDC motor.
Encoders
Motors and actuators used in sample-handling equipment are often paired with encoders, which provide feedback information for a greater degree of system control.
Fluid Pumps
Medical fluid pumps – such as those used in dosing, injection, or metering pumps – must reliably deliver fluids in a highly controlled manner. Fluid pump applications require components that are precise, reliable, and accurate, offering high levels of repeatability. Compact size, low noise, and high torque density are also common requirements.
Products for Fluid Pumps
Brushless DC Motors
Brushless motors deliver the high torque density, smooth motion, and precise speed control needed for medical fluid pumps. Brushless motors are particularly popular in these applications due to their low-noise operation. BLDC gearmotors offer the same benefits with added torque for heavier duty pump applications.
Stepper Motors and Actuators
Stepper motors are ideal for fluid pump applications thanks to their ability to deliver precise positioning and dependable repeatability without requiring feedback, based on predetermined input. Stepper linear actuators are also popular in medical fluid pumps, offering the same benefits as stepper motors, plus linear positioning, in a compact, integrated package.
Motor Drivers/Controllers
Anaheim Automation offers a huge selection of both BLDC speed controllers and stepper drivers/controllers, designed and built in Anaheim, California, USA. While an enormous variety of motor drivers and controllers are available off-the-shelf, brushless and stepper driver/controllers can also be customized to suit specific application requirements.
Encoders
Encoders are commonly used in laboratory fluid pump applications, as encoder feedback allows for more precise position and speed control.
Centrifuge
In lab automation centrifuge products, such as blood analyzers, speed control is the top concern. Centrifuge applications require components that deliver smooth, precise speed control, and quiet operation.
Products for Laboratory Centrifuge
Brushless DC Motors and Speed Controllers
BLDC motors are very popular in centrifuge equipment, such as laboratory blood analyzer machines. Brushless motors are smooth, quiet, reliable, and long-lasting, and paired with BLDC speed controllers, provide the continuous speed, precisely controlled, that is required in a centrifuge application. Adding an encoder for speed, direction, and position feedback allows a greater degree of system control.
Integrated BLDC Motors/Drives
Brushless motors with integrated controllers provide a smaller footprint, take the guesswork out of matching components, and simplify installation by combining the motor and controller into one compact package.
Chromatography Systems
In biopharma lab environments, chromatography systems are used to separate the various specific components within heterogeneous mixtures. Chromatography systems are complex and perform various functions, including positioning, pumping, and more. As such, chromatography systems integrate various motion components, each suited to different aspects of operation.
Products for Chromatography Systems
HMIs
HMIs are perfectly suited to chromatography systems. They provide a graphical user interface through which users can control the complete system and its various tasks from one centralized hub. Our cost-effective HMIs can be programmed to interface with many different PLC brands, and allow system operators to run multiple screens and routines simultaneously – ideal for chromatography systems.
Stepper Products
Stepper motors and hybrid stepper linear actuators are often found in chromatography systems, where they provide accurate positioning and repeatability. In chromatography systems, steppers are often paired with microstepping drivers and/or programmable controllers for finer resolution and more sophisticated control of system routines.
BLDC Motors and Speed Controllers
Offering a high torque density and the ability to operate smoothly and quietly, brushless motors are ideal for chromatography systems, which require components that are robust, reliable, and precise. Low-maintenance BLDC motor systems are an ideal solution for these requirements.
Integrated Motors with Controllers
Both Stepper and Brushless Integrated Motors/Speed Controllers offer a 2-in-1 solution. In applications where space is especially limited, integrated units offer reduced footprint, while simplifying component selection and installation.
Encoders
Encoders provide valuable system feedback, enabling more precise system control. Encoders of all types are often used in chromatography systems, especially alongside BLDC motors.