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Implementing lid-handling on the Tecan Fluent

Learn how to configure Fluent Control, your labware and workflows to enable automated lid-handling in Synthace

Updated over 8 months ago

Get Started

This article will walk you through the setup process to:

  • Create a new device configuration, where on-deck carriers are set up to disallow lids, and hotel positions are set up to allow lids

  • Create new plate definitions for lidded plates in device software and in Synthace

These setup steps require one-time configuration for any lidded labware you want to use.
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Trigger lid-handling

  1. The configured labware is first selected within the respective Synthace element. In the example below you can see that a lidded plate has been selected as a collection plate in a robocolumns workflow
    ​

  2. Lidding and delidding of labware is handled by implicitly by Synthace and Fluent Control when a plate is moved from a carrier position which allows lids to one which does not. See below for details on how to configure i) labware as lidded and ii) carrier lid parameters.

  3. Plate movements are automatically scripted by Synthace when:

    1. Moving plates for fraction collection (robocolumns)

    2. Making use of accessible devices, such as a plate reader of washer

    3. Using the Move Plates elements


Understanding how lids are handled

When triggered Lid-handling will proceed in the following way:

  1. Labware must start off lidded - typically in a hotel or storage location that is inaccessible to the pipetting arm

  2. For any liquid handling and other operations, plates are moved on deck, onto positions that are configured not to allow lids

  3. As plates are moved, they are also de-lidded. This automatically ensures that the labware is de-lidded before any liquid handling actions.

  4. Plates are lidded again once returned to the hotel - e.g. at the end of a fraction collection stage, in the case of robocolumns, or with a Move Plates element in other workflows.

Part 1: Create a distinct version of the lidded plate in FluentControl

  1. Create a new labware item in Fluent Control. The new labware should have Vendor Name and Part Number completed and matched, and, where required, these parameters should be different from the version of the labware type that represents the same plate but with no lid.
    ​
    For example:


    ​Note: Learn more about Labware Matching here.

  2. It should have a SynthaceLiddedPlate=true Custom Attribute.
    ​


Part 2: Check FluentControl carrier configurations

The worktable contains carriers that can be used as permanent locations for lidded plates. These are carriers that have the following settings (Synthace automatically puts a lidded plate on such a carrier only):

  1. Accessible to pipetting arm unticked.

  2. Lid custom attribute set to true or missing.
    ​

By contrast, the carriers where lidded plates will be put temporarily during the workflow — namely the plate nest chosen as temporary location in Workflow Builder, Te-Shuttle, etc. — have to have the following settings:

  1. Lid custom attribute present and set to false.

It is most likely, that hotels already satisfy these requirements. We highly recommend that these sites be used as the starting positions for lidded plates where possible.
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Part 3: Create a plate type for the lidded plate in the Synthace Plate Library

  1. Manufacturer and Number should match the ones of the Fluent labware type.

  2. Other fields can be copied from the plate type representing the same plate but with no lid.

    For example:

Part 4: Generate a new configuration

Instructions for how to generate a new configuration can be found here.

🎉 And that’s it! Once a lidded plate type is used in the workflow, Synthace will put its instances on permanent carriers (eg. hotels), and then FluentControl will de-lid them when they’re temporarily moved on temporary carriers (eg. carriers on deck) — and re-lid them when they’re moved back on their permanent locations.

Note: The current implementation of this functionality has some known limitations

  • Permanent locations of lidding plates must not be Accessible to pipetting arm.

  • Lids are not shown in the Preview.

  • There is no indication of lid handling in the Fluent commands generated — FluentControl does it implicitly based on the lid parameter of the source and destination carriers of a plate movement.

  • Lidding and delidding is intrinsically tied to the movement of plates.

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