F.A.S.T.TM Liquid Handler

F.A.S.T.TM

Liquid Handler

96-Channel Positive Displacement Sample Transfer

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Save Time on
Low Volume Transfers

 

Aspirate and dispense any viscosity liquid with high precision (CV 5% @ 0.1 μL).

Flexible to Fit Your Workflow
and Budget

 

Choose how many tips to use; Compatible with any SBS-format microplate.

Go from Zero to Running Experiments in Minutes

 

No need for any programming or understanding difficult coding languages.

"We tested multiple liquid handlers, and the F.A.S.T. has been the only instrument able to deliver rapid, sub-uL liquid transfers and mixing with high precision and no cross-contamination. The software interface is intuitive, and we were easily able to program all our protocols. With an expert and highly responsive support team, we feel that all aspects of the platform are best-in-class."
Peter Girling
COO at Tessara Therapeutics

Best in Class Performance without the Risk of Contamination

With positive displacement pipette tips, the precision of the F.A.S.T. is not affected by the types of liquid samples that are being transferred. Without the need to account for each liquid class, less time is needed to set up your experiment, while greater accuracy and precision are achieved. The disposable tips ensure the integrity of your samples while preventing any cross-contamination.

Our F.A.S.T. Clients Include

“With its intuitive and simple software, we transferred dozens of manual processes to the F.A.S.T. on the first day. The F.A.S.T. has become a staple for our lab due to its speed and low-volume accuracy. I can’t imagine our workflows without this instrument!”
Colin Lazzara
Principal Research Associate

Meet the F.A.S.T. - Liquid Handler

"I have worked with Daniel and his team at FORMULATRIX in testing the F.A.S.T. for qPCR quantification. I really like the instrument in its precision and accuracy with low volumes, which has been very helpful for setting up qPCR SYBR runs."
Gregory Nakashian
Senior Process Development Associate

Save on Reagents with Reaction Miniaturization 

The F.A.S.T., similar to MANTIS® Liquid Dispenser and TEMPEST® Liquid Dispenser, is a tool designed for low-volume sample and reagent transfer at high accuracy which is crucial when setting up minimized assay reactions.

  • Conserve your samples and costly reagents
  • Increase assay sensitivity
  • Increase throughput
  • Reduce the cost per sample
“The F.A.S.T. Liquid Handler is a great device for plate transfer and plate reformatting. We use the F.A.S.T. in our NGS workflow. It ticks a lot of boxes: First and foremost, its liquid handling at low volumes is excellent. Without much tweaking, high accuracy and precision can be obtained for microliter transfers. Second, the F.A.S.T. software and its user interface have a great look and feel: the device is operated from the browser and follows modern computing architecture paradigms, and is easy to use even for our non-expert users. Third, the device is packed with intelligent featured: tip positions are automatically scanned using computer vision, and teaching new plates is a quick and efficient process. I highly recommend the F.A.S.T. for those interested in bulk plate transfer and reformatting. “
Dr. Arne Vandenbroucke
Director, Automation and Systems Engineering

Set up IFCs with Ease

Integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) from Standard bio tools, such as the ones used in Olink proteomics kits, enable the automation of nanoliter-volume molecular biology applications. This technology facilitates high-complexity analysis for applications that require sensitivity and a broad dynamic range, such as genotyping, gene expression, sample identification, copy number variation, and NGS library preparation. However, sample and assay buffer loading in IFC plates using conventional liquid handlers is challenging due to the complex format of these plates. Hence, small volumes must be pipetted manually, making the process laborious, compromising reproducibility, and leading to health issues such as chronic fatigue in lab personnel. Additionally, manual pipetting can result in primer contamination, incorrect loading into IFCs, and the loss of costly reagents and valuable time due to reruns caused by these errors.

 

The F.A.S.T. liquid handler offers a solution to these challenges. Its software fully supports the IFC's unique plate format for various sample/assay combinations and automates pipetting operations with high accuracy and precision. The F.A.S.T. not only reduces the risk of cross-contamination and incorrect loading but also enables lab personnel to prepare multiple runs simultaneously, increasing throughput. This allows lab staff to utilize the saved hands-on time for other important projects. The F.A.S.T. performs the same way every run, ensuring reliable results across multi-year studies and among multiple researchers, eliminating concerns about user-to-user variation.

Note: In this video, 1 μL of volume was retained in the tips to demonstrate a high accuracy and high precision dispense. Users have the option of dispensing the full amount aspirated to reduce any dead volume.

"We enthusiastically welcomed the announcement of the release of the F.A.S.T. in 2022. The instrument clearly had the potential of advancing our laboratory workflows. The innovative tip design ensures that various liquid types behave similarly, enhancing the efficiency of our processes. One standout feature is the remarkable flexibility of channel usage, allowing us to tailor methods to specific scenarios, be it columns, single wells, rows, and more, ensuring a future-proof element to the platform. The compact footprint and adaptability of the instrument seamlessly integrated into our established lab, effectively augmenting our production capabilities for Olink Explore projects. We are delighted with the enhanced efficiency and expanded possibilities this technology has brought to our research endeavours."

University of Oxford

Paolo Piazza
Head of Technology Platforms at the University of Oxford

Never Have to Arrange Tips Again

The F.A.S.T. liquid handler is equipped with computer vision, allowing it to scan the tip caddy to determine the number and location of tips. Before beginning any workflow, the F.A.S.T. can automatically rearrange the tips according to the protocol's specifications. This eliminates the need to rearrange the tips manually and reduces the risk of contamination. It also enables you to maximize the use of your tips while keeping your shelf free of stray tip racks.

“I definitely think the F.A.S.T. liquid handler is a time and life-saving piece of engineering marvel. I’ve used it to transfer a variable amount of sample from each well of a 96-well plate to another. Previously, I had to do it manually, which is laborious and error-prone. I know that F.A.S.T. is capable of doing more.”
Dr. Liang Meng Wee
Senior Scientist

Control Your Experiment Setup with Removable Decks

Interchangeable decks allow researchers to set up their tips, plates, and reagents prior to working on the instrument. The customizable decks reduce the time needed for experiment setup and reduce the chances of sample misplacement.  Each removable deck is barcoded so the system knows what item (sample, labware, tips, etc.) is located at each of the positions. The system automatically calibrates itself, enabling users to swap decks quickly and seamlessly, ensuring a hassle-free experience.

“We recently installed a F.A.S.T. liquid handling system. What amazed us was the ease and simplicity of the product. Additionally, the special tips used by F.A.S.T. has enabled us to get precise assay results with higher accuracy.”
Dr. Kanchan Devkota
Assay Development Scientist, Biophysics

Easy to Use Software for Any Level of User

The software was designed for any user to walk up to the system and begin running experiments. This is truly automation for everyone in the lab:

  • Go from zero to running experiments in minutes
  • Very shallow learning curve for new users
  • No need for programming, writing, or understanding difficult software coding languages
  • Import .csv files for fast experiment design
“Center for Genomic Research (CGR) has been utilising the F.A.S.T. liquid handling platform for the preparation of NGS libraries since 2022. Its small footprint has allowed us to maximise available lab space, but despite the small size of the platform, has enabled us to significantly boost throughput and process a greater number of samples which has reduced lab turnaround times. Additionally, it has played a key role in cost reduction by minimizing reaction volumes with its accurate low volume pipetting. It comes with an intuitive and user-friendly software, which has allowed us to quickly create complex workflows with ease. Overall, the F.A.S.T. has proven itself to be a reliable and versatile platform which has now become a key component in many of our lab processes.”
Flora Johnson
Automation Specialist, Center for Genomic Research

Never Have to Manually Program a Plate Definition Again

Do you find manually defining your plates on your liquid handler a tedious and time-consuming task? With the F.A.S.T. plate definition feature, you can say goodbye to the hassle of manual plate definition. This feature automatically defines the exact dimensions and specifications of your experiment plates in seconds, freeing up valuable time so you can focus on your research.

“We use the F.A.S.T. Liquid Handler for tagmentation in plate-based library preparation, where it excels due to its high low-volume accuracy and efficient plate transfer and well pooling capabilities. We are also exploring the use of the F.A.S.T. for bead purification on 384-well PCR plates. We chose the F.A.S.T. for its wide working volume range, customizable plate/tip formatting, auto-calibration, and various other user-friendly functions, such as serial dilution. We are pleased with our decision!”
Yike Xie
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dept. of Medical Biochemistry & Cell Biology

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