In 2010 Nautilus Systems, Inc. began developing its first products for the laboratory market, the PR100i Print and Apply Labeler and the Tube Pro Accessory Module for applying and wrapping printed labels on tubes and vials.  In 2012 Nautilus Systems, Inc. will be releasing new products specifically configured for bulk feeding of Tubes and Vials used in laboratory automation.  Currently there are no standard solutions on the market for this purpose.  Tubes and Vials must be handled manually or, best case, by implementing a vibratory feeder unit.  As anyone knows who has ever encountered vibratory feeders those units are extremely expensive, very noisy to the point that either special soundproof enclosures are necessary or all nearby personnel must wear hearing protection, and extremely inflexible as they are configured specific to one and only one tube or vial geometry.

 Enter Nautilus Systems, Inc.’s new “Flex Feeder T&V”.  The Flex Feeder T&V will allow our customer to load a hopper with a large quantity of Tubes or Vials.  Once loaded the Flex Feeder will automatically separate individual Tubes or Vials from the bulk storage hopper and feed them out, end to end, on an included conveyor system.  The Flex Feeder will include an ‘autosort’ function that will examine each Tube as it is individually separated and orientate it so that all Tubes exit the conveyor in the same orientation.  This means that if the capped side of the Tube or Vial must be ‘leading’ as it travels the conveyor the autosort will ensure that it is cap leading.

Once the Tubes or Vials have been placed on the conveyor and are feeding end to end an auxiliary system can be used to automatically load them into a Tray in whatever configuration is required.  Imagine doing away with the expensive and time consuming effort in simply loading Tubes into Trays so that they can later be placed into Instruments where the important work begins!

Initially the Flex Feeder T&V will be released to work in conjunction with our PR100 Tube Pro system but will shortly thereafter be released to operate as a standalone unit to be connected to other automated systems including a Tray Loading Device that will be released by Nautilus Systems, Inc.

The system is a ‘Flex’ Feeder because it can be quickly changed over to run different types of Tubes and Vials up to nearly 4″ in length.  All that is required is to remove one tooling plate and replace it with another and then modify a few settings through the included interface and the Flex Feeder T&V will be up and running on the new Tube or Vial.  Typical Tubes and Vials that the system is designed to feed include Nunc, Nalgene, and other similar Tube, Vials, and Cryo Vials.

 Stay tuned to nautilussys.com for further information.  This product will be released in early Summer 2012!

In a recent opportunity a customer approached Nautilus Systems with a particularly challenging application.  The application involves placement of two-sided die-cut adhesive onto a plastic housing.  The adhesive components are roughly 4 x 25mm in size and with complex geometretic features including windows without adhesive as small as 1 x 3mm.   The customer selected NSI’s PL100EPr for the application after due diligence and research efforts in which NSI was able to prove that our technology could accomplish this task like no other. 

The application requires the PL100EPr to feed and present the Adhesive to a robotic actuator.  The robotic actuator incorporates a camera system and a sophisticated end of arm/gripper tool.  The robot uses its camera and gripper to pick up a plastic Housing.  It then transfers the plastic Housing to a position directly above the Adhesive component that is exposed on the PL100EPr peel bar.  The robot uses its camera again to confirm the exact position of the Adhesive component and then calculates the exact position to which it must move the gripper to align the Plastic Housing perfectly to the Adhesive Component.  Once the robot has aligned the two items it lightly presses the plastic Housing onto the Adhesive and then triggers the PL100EPr Feeder to ‘peel’.  The PL100EPr executes the peeling action which removes the liner and leaves the Adhesive attached to the plastic Housing in the robot gripper.  The robot then moves to another position where it applies the Plastic/Adhesive sub-assembly to another component. 

 At NSI we call this process ‘lamination mode’.  Lamination mode has become an increasing prevalent type of application for which customers select our PL100r and PL165r Feeders as their automated solution.  If you have an application that requires lamination of die-cut double-sided Adhesive components to another component please consider NSI equipment to meet your application needs.  Thanks!

Nautilus Systems, Inc., in our ongoing efforts to enhance our products, is pleased to announce the development of an Electric Tamp Module that will be available for all of our PL series of Applicator products.  Key benefits of the Electric Tamp include flexibility in programming the motion of the tamp including rapid acceleration and deceleration, elimination of pneumatic cylinders and associated sensors, and overall reduced air consumption.  The Electric Tamp will be an optional module available for PL100i and PL165i Applicators.  The Electric Tamp will be as fast, or faster, than the pneumatic tamp but with the ability to provide highly controlled motion.  One special option this module will provide is a ‘push’ move.  The push move allows the Tamp to place a Label or Die-Cut Adhesive Component onto a substrate and then press it until meeting a set force threshold.  The end result is no more ‘banging’ that occurs when pneumatic tamps hit the target or substrate and the ability to provide specific force of application.  This product is in development at the time of the writing of this post and will be available as a product in the coming months.  Stay tuned for further info and thanks again for your interest in Nautilus Systems, Inc. Applicator products.

Nautilus Systems, Inc. was recently approached by a client with an application for placing three labels onto a small carton.  The carton was in a flat format such that the three sides requiring labels were all accessible with it in the flat form.  The label supplier had already arrayed the three labels on a liner such that their positions relative to each other matched the placement positions on the carton.  The client was using manual labor to remove the labels from the liner and apply them to the carton, one at a time.  A very important detail of this assembly was that the three labels were being printed in a thermal transfer printer as a set and each of the three labels in each set needed to be applied to the same carton.  There could be no mistakes in this process.

NSI evaluated the label material and recognized that the three label set fit within the size limits of a PL165i Applicator.  Having already used the PL165i to simultaneously feed, peel, and apply (>Capture>Peel>Place) multiple labels we immediately recognized this as the solution.  In order to provide the necessary thermal transfer printing we configured the PL165i with a 300 dpi thermal transfer printer.  This model of Applicator is the PL165-TTP. 

In the final implementation of this system an Operator places a flat Carton into a Fixture/Nest (provided by NSI) and triggers the PL165-TTP via our Series 1 Base assembly platform.  The PL165-TTP automatically prints the necessary data on the 3-label set, feeds the labels to the correct pickup location, and then peels and places the three labels onto the flat Carton.  The Operator then removes the labeled Carton from the Fixture, folds the Carton to the final shape, and inserts the product that ships in the Carton.  The Carton, which is rectangular in shape, has a printed label on the long edge, a second smaller label on the short edge, and a third larger label on the front face of the Carton.  Because all three labels were printed and applied in tandem there is no opportunity for unmatched labels to be applied to the Carton and a huge labor saving was realized by eliminating the manual assembly process.

Please see our website for further information regarding the PL165-TTP and our other products.

Nautilus Systems, Inc. has developed a new product line known as our PL100-TTP and PL165-TTP series which were released in the Spring of 2011.  These two new products combine our proven PL Series Applicator products with precision Thermal Transfer Printing (TTP) technology.  The end result of this combination is an easy to operate integrated unit that can handle any shape or configuration of label that fits within the size specifications of the PL100 or PL165 Applicator.  The printer is a proven product that stands on its own merit and is offered in 300 or 600 dpi in 4″ or 6″ width capacities.   The printer, which is provided with a basic label design software package, is compatible with virtually every label design software package available in the market today.

One major difference between our PL1XX-TTP systems and our PR100i Applicator is that the PR100i Applicator is setup for ‘zero queue’ printing while the PL1XX-TTP systems incorporate a short loop of material between the printhead and the dispense positions.   This means that the PL1XX-TTP systems will always have a short length of liner with pre-printed labels between the print and dispense positions.  For applications with variable data that must be printed ‘on demand’ the PL1XX-TTP is not a potential solution but for batch production where the printed data is consistent (including serialization in most cases) this solution provides a very versatile and easy to use system.

 For a case study of how this system was used please see our Blog article regarding the Three Label Carton Assembly or contact Nautilus Systems, Inc. with your questions.

In Q1 2011 Nautilus Systems Inc was approached by a client with an application to place RFID Labels onto their package.  The RFID Labels, of approximately 15 x 15mm in size required accurate placement and thus the PL100i Applicator was the obvious choice.  There was an additional requirement, however, that each RFID Label must have read and write operations performed prior to the Label being applied to the package.  In fact, each RFID Label, or RFID Tag as they are also called, includes an antenna and a microchip.  Each microchip is programmable and can contain very specific data.  In this case the client requested that our system capture the RFID Label with vacuum and peel, or remove, it from the liner.  Once the RFID Label was held in position by our vacuum chuck our system needed to provide a signal to the client’s master controller.  From that point the client’s master controller would read the data on the RFID Tag, confirm that the microchip was active and operational, write new data to the microchip, and then read the data again to confirm that it was all correct before finally signaling the PL100i to apply the RFID Label to the package.  For all of this to be possible it was necessary that an RFID Read/Write head be installed inside of our vacuum chuck with the proper wiring connections feeding from our vacuum chuck to the client’s master controller.  Using the specifications provided by the RFID Read/Write head supplier NSI was able to design a vacuum chuck with the RFID head embedded.  Proper selection of material was required so that the RFID signals could transmit through those materials while still maintaining good vacuum to hold the Label in position and care was also required to ensure that the signal ‘field’ did not also inadvertently ‘program’ the next RFID Label on the liner.  NSI, working hand in hand with our client, was able to produce the properly configured head and perform detailed testing to ensure that all of the specifications were met.  Several units configured in this way have been implemented successfully by our client and we look forward to further opportunities in RFID Label placement and read/write operations.

Please contact NSI regarding your RFID Label application.  See our ‘Contact’ page for contact details.

Nautilus Systems, Inc. is pleased to have developed our first applicator unit with integrated printing capabilities.  The PR100i Applicator is a print & apply system that provides the best total technology for precision label printing and placement.  The PR100i combines our patented retracting peel blade technology and 600 dpi thermal transfer printing.  This combination offers maximum placement accuracy (+/- 0.35mm) due to the >Capture>Peel>Place method of peeling and placing labels and the best print resolution currently available through the integration of a 600 dpi print head.

The PR100i was specifically designed for applications with precision placement requirements.  Many of today’s devices and packages require small labels (up to 100 x 100mm) to be precisely printed and applied to the package or device.  Until now there were very few choices available and each of those choices were lacking in some way.  The PR100i eliminates the issues and offers a highly flexible system for ‘zero queue’ or ‘just in time’ print and apply.

The PR100i thermal transfer printer is offered with a simple label creation software package but is also compatible with virtually all recognized and popular label software packages that may already be used by our customers.

 Please see our website for further details or contact us with any questions regarding the PR100i Applicator product.

Laboratories and other medical facilities with requirements for Tube and Vial Labeling often require labels to be printed and applied directly to the outside surface of those Tubes or Vials and then wrapped around the outside surface.  In an effort to meet this need and to provide a module that can work in conjunction with any of our Print and Apply systems (PR100i, PL100-TTP, or PL165-TTP), Nautilus Systems, Inc has designed and released our Tube Pro accessory module.  The Tube Pro can be connected to any of our Print & Apply systems.  It is configured for semi-automatic operation.  An operator, technician, scientist, or other personnel simply places the Tube or Vial that needs to be labeled onto the Tube Pro and presses a button.  From that point the Tube Pro automatically signals the Print and Apply unit to print a label and prepare it for placement onto the Tube or Vial as the Tube Pro automatically positions the Tube or Vial for the label placement.  After the Print and Apply Unit applies the Label to the Tube or Vial the Tube Pro automatically rotates the Tube or Vial, causing the Label to be wrapped around the outside surface and then returns the Tube/Vial to the load position where it can be removed and the process can be repeated.  For laboratory personnel this system provides a simple interface with no requirement to handle adhesive labels or waste valuable time and effort in wrapping the Label while attempting to maintain good registration without other issues such as the label sticking to gloves, gowns, or an incorrect portion of the Tube or Vial.

Tube and Vial sizes can be from 4mm to 32mm OD and up to 100mm in length.  Quick-change tooling allows the person operating the unit to quickly change between tooling for various sizes and configurations of Tubes or Vials without the use of any tools.  Changeover can be as quick as 30 seconds assuming the label size remains the same.

Please contact Nautilus Systems, Inc. regarding your Tube and Vial labeling requirements.

In our ongoing efforts at continuous improvement Nautilus Systems, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of the NSXR-G1 Controller for all of our PL100 and PL165 series products.  The new NSXR-G1 Controller package features state of the art processors, electronics, and communication protocols and enhanced firmware. This engineered combination of improved hardware and firmware provides several substantial benefits. One benefit that will be noticeable to our customers is that each PL Series Applicator operates at faster speeds in all modes of operation than was previously possible. Another substantial and obvious benefit is the small size of the NSXR-G1 Controller.

Our previous generation of controller, the NSC2X Controller, was packaged in a separate enclosure that was connected to the PL Series Applicator via several cables. Due to selection and configuration of state of the art components this new package will be attached directly to the PL Series Applicator adding only approximately 12mm to the overall thickness of each PL Series Applicator. The external controls enclosure has been eliminated. No longer is there a requirement to mount another enclosure or route the cables from the enclosure to the Applicator. The only cables remaining now are the Configured I/O cable, for connection to your PLC or other external controls system, and the power cable. Regarding the power, the system is now supplied with an enclosed power supply, similar to what is used with a laptop computer. Simply plug in the power supply to an appropriate AC outlet, connect compressed air if required, and the system is ready to run.

Finally, the NSXR-G1 has also been put through significant testing per CE EMC requirements. It has been proven to provide robust operation when unexpected events such as ESD occur in the production environment. Nautilus Systems is proud of this advance in technology and looks forward to continually providing our customers with the best technology available for adhesive component placement.

 Advancements of this kind do not come easily or at low cost.  The process of selecting the necessary hardware, combining it into an integrated package that is perfectly suited for Applicator control, testing, documenting, and finally releasing the package to production requires a large investment of resources.  At Nautilus Systems, in our effort to be the best, we are very pleased and excited to have taken this path and made the necessary investments to carry our products forward for the foreseeable future.  We look forward to feedback from our customers as they experience the benefits.

During the past several years NSI has received inquiries from several companies requiring assistance in the assembly of In Vitro Diagnostics consumables.  In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD), according to FDA.GOV, “are tests that can detect diseases, conditions, or infections. Some tests are used in laboratory or other health professional settings and other tests are for consumers to use at home.”  This definition matches very well to the applications for which we’ve provided equipment and expertise in the placement of adhesive components.    Applications for the IVD industry, as applied to us, have included relatively simple tasks such as application of labels providing production information, barcodes, etc, to consumables including test tubes and vials containing reagents and various slides or indicators used to provide test results.  Other applications have involved installing adhesive Gaskets that seal around complex fluidic chambers and channels in plastics and/or glass assemblies.  These assemblies are often referred to as ‘Microfluidic’ (or Micro Fluidic) devices by our customers.  The channels are typically created by two or more plastic components joined together to create channels through which fluids can pass.  These assemblies are easily manufactured using injection molding technology to create the two halves that must later be joined to create one component.  Adhesive Gaskets are instrumental in the joining process.  To eliminate opportunity for leakage or material loss the Gaskets must be applied with great accuracy.  Once again, the combination of complex geometries and precision placement requirements brings our technology to the fore as our customers search out solutions.   For more information on how our technology can be used in your IVD or Microfluidics assembly process please contact Nautilus Systems, Inc.