XPeel

The XPeel removes heat-applied seals from microplates using a tape removal medium rather than a mechanical peeling mechanism — Azenta states the patented approach exists precisely because mechanical removal mechanisms are prone to failure.

At a glance

Throughput	Up to 200 seals per hour
Labware	Compatible with virtually all microplate and seal types
Removal method	Patented tape removal medium, not a mechanical mechanism
Operation	One-touch push-button standalone, or integrated with external robotics
Revolution control	Peel with speed and adhere-time options, set peel count, reset, restart

Specifications

The 200 seals per hour figure is the one to schedule against — 18 seconds per plate — and it is the instrument’s own rate, before any robot transfer time is added. Azenta also states the instrument supports manual standalone use, or integration into automated systems with external robotics.

Supported methods

• Peel — remove the seal from the plate at the handoff position. Three parameters shape the operation:
  • start and speed options — how the peel begins and how fast it runs
  • adhere time — how long the tape is given to bond to the seal before lifting
  • ignore seal sensor — proceed even when the seal sensor does not detect a seal
• Set peel count — set the peel count
• Reset device — reset the instrument
• Restart device — restart the instrument

Adhere time is the parameter that matters for a stubborn seal: giving the tape longer to bond before the lift is what gets a firmly-applied seal off in one pass rather than leaving residue.

Ignore seal sensor should be used deliberately rather than by default. The sensor exists to stop the instrument peeling a plate that has no seal on it; overriding it is useful when the sensor cannot see an unusual seal, and unhelpful when the plate genuinely arrived unsealed.

Integration

Revolution talks to the XPeel over a serial connection.

Prerequisites

• The instrument must be cabled to the Revolution host and its COM port number known before the device is initialised.
• Tape must be loaded, and the used-tape waste emptied as the instrument requires — the tape is a consumable, and an unattended run will stop when it is exhausted.
• The plate must be presented at the handoff position for the robot serving it.

Device configuration

Property	Purpose
Com port number	Serial port the instrument is connected on

If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.

Operations

These are available from a Run Device Operation step.

Peel

Removes the seal from the plate currently on the device and holds the step open until the instrument reports the peel finished. One peel is deducted from the device's remaining peel count before the cycle starts, and the step fails instead of peeling once that count is used up.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Start and Speed Options	Constants.XPeelStartAndSpeedOptions	—	Which of the instrument's nine peel option sets to use. Each set pairs a start position with a fast or slow peel speed, and set 9 uses the custom parameters stored on the instrument instead of a preset pair.
Adhere Time	Constants.XPeelAdhereTime	—	How long the removal tape is held against the seal before it is peeled off. The instrument offers four fixed settings, from 2500 to 10000 milliseconds.
Ignore Seal Sensor	bool	—	Lets the step finish without failing when the seal sensor does not report the seal removed. The sensor can misreport, so use this with caution.

Raise Error

Makes this device report a failure on demand: the step fails with an error naming the device, and the operator is offered the usual error recovery choices. No command reaches the instrument and nothing moves, and the failure is raised in simulation as well as on a real system, so this is the step to use when rehearsing how a schedule handles a device failure.

Reset Device

Resets the seal remover, clearing its error state so that it reports ready and can accept work again. The remaining peel count is left as it is.

Restart Device

Not yet documented.

Set Peel Count

Records how many peels remain on the tape roll fitted to this device, so that peel steps count down from an accurate figure. A count below one is rejected rather than stored, and the new figure replaces whatever the system held before.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
Peel Count	int	—	The number of peels left on the tape roll now fitted to this device. Peel steps count down from this figure and are refused once it is used up.