Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler

Microsyringe manipulation is a common approach for the automated sampling of liquids or gases. Commercial devices with this capacity are typically priced above US$30,000, despite their technology being not clearly superior to that commonly found in low-cost (commonly less than US$1,000) devices cont...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Matheus C. Carvalho, Rachel H. Murray
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2018-04-01
Series:HardwareX
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067217300287
_version_ 1811317406861099008
author Matheus C. Carvalho
Rachel H. Murray
author_facet Matheus C. Carvalho
Rachel H. Murray
author_sort Matheus C. Carvalho
collection DOAJ
description Microsyringe manipulation is a common approach for the automated sampling of liquids or gases. Commercial devices with this capacity are typically priced above US$30,000, despite their technology being not clearly superior to that commonly found in low-cost (commonly less than US$1,000) devices controlled using G-code (3D printers, CNC routers and laser engravers, for example). Here, we present osmar, an open-source autosampler built by combining parts of two low-cost G-code machines. Movement precision was excellent (error <1% in repeated injections, equivalent to the error reported by the microsyringe manufacturer), and system reliability was comparable to that of commercial models. Also, users do not need extensive knowledge in electronics or advanced computing to make osmar work as an autosampler, because it can easily be integrated with analytical instruments using AutoIt, a scripting language for the Windows Operating System. Therefore, osmar is a viable, low-cost, and technically-accessible alternative for automated sampling with microsyringes, and can be also adapted and expanded for more general liquid handling tasks. Keywords: 3D printing, Autosampler, Arduino, AutoIt, Gas chromatography, Laboratory automation, Liquid handling, OpenSCAD, Marlin, Sampling, Syringe
first_indexed 2024-04-13T12:07:32Z
format Article
id doaj.art-be1381b3f2fc4485b02b0504d0300a34
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2468-0672
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T12:07:32Z
publishDate 2018-04-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series HardwareX
spelling doaj.art-be1381b3f2fc4485b02b0504d0300a342022-12-22T02:47:36ZengElsevierHardwareX2468-06722018-04-0131038Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosamplerMatheus C. Carvalho0Rachel H. Murray1Corresponding author.; Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry Research, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW, AustraliaCentre for Coastal Biogeochemistry Research, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW, AustraliaMicrosyringe manipulation is a common approach for the automated sampling of liquids or gases. Commercial devices with this capacity are typically priced above US$30,000, despite their technology being not clearly superior to that commonly found in low-cost (commonly less than US$1,000) devices controlled using G-code (3D printers, CNC routers and laser engravers, for example). Here, we present osmar, an open-source autosampler built by combining parts of two low-cost G-code machines. Movement precision was excellent (error <1% in repeated injections, equivalent to the error reported by the microsyringe manufacturer), and system reliability was comparable to that of commercial models. Also, users do not need extensive knowledge in electronics or advanced computing to make osmar work as an autosampler, because it can easily be integrated with analytical instruments using AutoIt, a scripting language for the Windows Operating System. Therefore, osmar is a viable, low-cost, and technically-accessible alternative for automated sampling with microsyringes, and can be also adapted and expanded for more general liquid handling tasks. Keywords: 3D printing, Autosampler, Arduino, AutoIt, Gas chromatography, Laboratory automation, Liquid handling, OpenSCAD, Marlin, Sampling, Syringehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067217300287
spellingShingle Matheus C. Carvalho
Rachel H. Murray
Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler
HardwareX
title Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler
title_full Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler
title_fullStr Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler
title_full_unstemmed Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler
title_short Osmar, the open-source microsyringe autosampler
title_sort osmar the open source microsyringe autosampler
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468067217300287
work_keys_str_mv AT matheusccarvalho osmartheopensourcemicrosyringeautosampler
AT rachelhmurray osmartheopensourcemicrosyringeautosampler