Installing and uninstalling the labware racks

About this topic

This topic explains how to install the labware racks on the BenchCel Microplate Handler and how to uninstall the racks.

Figure. BenchCel Microplate Handler (front) with two front-load labware racks

 

Before you begin

IMPORTANT Make sure the BenchCel power and compressed air are turned on before you install or unistall a labware rack.

 

 

When lifting the labware rack onto and off of the stacker head, use both hands to grasp the rack securely around the four corners near the base.

 

WARNING  Avoid touching the interior edges of a rack when lifting the rack. The interior edges can have sharp surfaces.

Figure. Safely lifting a labware rack

 

 

 

 

CAUTION The rack-release button at the top of the stacker head on the BenchCel device is sensitive to static electricity. Static electricity can cause a potential loss of motor control and loss of communication with the BenchCel device. Ensure that you discharge any potential static electricity before touching the rack-release button. To discharge static electricity, you can touch the white painted or metal surface of the BenchCel device before touching the rack-release button.

Installing labware racks on the BenchCel Microplate Handler

To install a labware rack:

1	At the BenchCel Microplate Handler, verify that the clamps are closed (extended) in the stacker head.

Note: To close the clamps, open BenchCel Diagnostics. On the Controls page, click Stacker at the top of the rack that you want to remove, and then choose Close Stacker Grippers.

When you install the rack, the prongs in the labware rack tabs will be inserted into the slots in the clamps. If the clamps are open, the slots will be hidden, and you cannot install the rack.

Figure. Stacker head with closed (extended) clamps

 

2	With the rack’s open side facing the front, lower the rack onto the stacker head. Make sure the prongs at the bottom of the rack tabs insert into the slots in the extended clamps.

The rack is automatically locked into position.

Figure. Installing a labware rack on the stacker head (closeup view without labware)

 

Uninstalling labware racks

Before you can remove a mounted rack, you must first unlock the rack. When you unlock the rack, two pins in the stacker head retract, as the following figure shows.

Figure. Stacker head with retracted locking pins

 

To uninstall a rack from the BenchCel Microplate Handler:

1	At the BenchCel Microplate Handler, verify that the stack is unloaded.

To unload the stack, open BenchCel Diagnostics. On the Controls page in the graphical display area, click Stacker at the top of the rack that you want to remove, and then choose Unload Plates.

2	Unlock the rack by doing one of the following:

•	Press the green rack-release button at the top of the stacker head. The green status light flashes for 5 seconds to indicate that the rack is ready for removal. A click sounds as the locks retract. If the green light stops flashing, press the button again.

 

•	In BenchCel Diagnostics, click the Controls tab. In the graphical display area, at the top of the rack that you want to unlock, click Stacker, and then choose Unlock rack. A click sounds as the locks retract.

 

3	Carefully lift the labware rack from the stacker head.

Related information

 

For information about…	See…
Turning on the power and air	Starting up and shutting down
Automation-ready labware	Labware considerations
Labware definitions and the Labware Editor	VWorks Automation Control Setup Guide
How to handle the racks safely	Handling the labware racks
Placing labware into the labware racks and removing labware from the racks	Filling and emptying the labware racks