Automated drawdown system

The system dispenses sample from a syringe onto the desired surface or mould, consisting of an XYZ gantry and stacker axis to receive drawn down panels. The process starts with the system picking a syringe, reading the barcode and de-capping it. For slide drawdown, a die is placed on the syringe tip. The system dispenses a measured amount of sample and draws downs using the die onto 20 glass slides secured in a universal slide rack.

The thin films created can be measured directly for thickness and resistivity by another system designed by Labman. A mould rack can replace the slide rack, in which case sample is dispensed without a die into the desired moulds. For panel drawdown, a panel is placed on the vacuum bed where the syringe dispenses a measured amount of sample. A drawdown bar is moved across the panel creating a thin film of sample. The panel is pushed into the stacker and the process is repeated. These panels can be measured for colour, reflectance and gloss on the Optical Coatings System produced by Labman.