New Automated System for Uncapping and Recapping Microtube Screw-caps is Unveiled

The Automation Partnership (TAP) has premiered Capit-Allâ„¢, its new system for automatically removing and replacing screw-caps from microtubes at the European Laboratory Robotics Group (ELRIG) and Society of Biomolecular Screening (SBS) Meeting in the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, UK.

TAP’s Capit-All system, designed in consultation with major microtube suppliers and tested in a top pharma company, can simultaneously unscrew and recap 96 tubes held in standard 96-way tube racks, saving valuable time with this labour intensive task. Each cap is replaced concurrently and individually tightened to an excellent seal, avoiding the risk of putting the wrong lid back on a tube and eliminating a source of cross-contamination.

Capit-All can process common tube types including Nunc’s CryoBank and Bank-It cryotubes, Micronic’s Tracker and TraXis tubes and Matrix’s TrackMate range. Since the system uses an SBS standard rack format, the rack can be transferred to most commercial liquid handlers, making it easy to add Capit-All into an automation workflow. With a small footprint, Capit-All can fit on any bench or in laboratory or microbiological safety cabinets and is light enough to be portable, making it ideal for a variety of biostorage situations.