The QPix FLEX system streamlines microbial research by automating tasks that were traditionally time-consuming and manual—colony picking, plating, and streaking—all within a compact instrument that fits easily on your benchtop or inside a hypoxic chamber.
The QPix FLEX system, designed for accuracy, adaptability, and space-constrained settings, combines sophisticated colormetric imaging with over 95% efficiency and over 99% picking accuracy to allow researchers to categorize and choose colonies based on color and morphology. This guarantees that only the most relevant and viable colonies advance through the workflow.
The QPix FLEX system can speed up discovery, reduce hands-on time, and optimize the entire microbial screening process, whether studying synthetic biology, the microbiome, or food safety.
Image Credit: Molecular Devices UK Ltd
Key benefits
- Using a high-resolution color camera, the QPix FLEX system categorizes and chooses colonies according to color and morphology, guaranteeing that the user always chooses the most viable and pertinent colonies.
- Its compact size, the QPix FLEX system can be easily installed in anaerobic and hypoxic chambers, enabling sophisticated automation in settings where sterility and space are essential.
- With no hardware changes, people can switch between disposable plastic tips and environmentally friendly sterilizable tips, giving flexible control over cost, sustainability, and sterility.
- The QPix FLEX system automates every stage of the microbial screening workflow, from plating and streaking to colony picking, liquid handling, and hit picking. This streamlines operations, saves time, and lowers errors.
- The adaptable 4-channel pipettor automates difficult liquid handling processes like hit picking, plating, glycerol addition, and media dispensing without the need for extra tools.
- Automated 2D barcode scanning maintains complete traceability across all plates and picks, promoting high-integrity data, reproducibility, and regulatory compliance.
Key features
- High-resolution color and white light camera: Perfect for microbial diversity screening and phenotype-based selection, this camera allows accurate colony classification based on color and morphology.
- Multi-function pipetting head (4-channel): Reduces manual intervention and guarantees consistent sample preparation by automating media dispensing, plating, hit picking, and streaking.
- Swappable tip system: Switch between disposable tips and sterile metal pins quickly without replacing any hardware. Depending on the laboratory's requirements, this system optimizes sterility, sustainability, or cost.
- Integrated barcode reader: Integrated 2D barcode scanning guarantees complete sample traceability from plating through picking and downstream analysis.
- Modular labware deck: This deck supports a variety of source and destination labware configurations, such as 96/384-well plates, PCR plates, Petri dishes, and microfuge tubes.
- Proprietary plating and streaking tip: This tip preserves plate quality and minimizes damage to fragile media by carefully streaking colonies across agar surfaces.
- Compact, chamber-ready footprint: Measuring 25.2 × 21.6 × 27.6 inches, this device is suitable for benchtop and hypoxic chamber applications, enabling complete automation even in anaerobic or space-constrained settings.
- Automation-ready connectivity: API integration allows you to connect to robotic arms or complete lab automation systems for increased throughput and longer walk-away times.
Image Credit: Molecular Devices UK Ltd