Picking up the wrong pipette looks like a set-up for a scene in a comedy but could mean real trouble in any lab. Mettler Toledo hopes to solve the wayward pipette problem with a new stand that helps technicians keep track of their pipettes.
The Rainin SmartStand, is a highly scalable pipette asset management system that helps labs and lab managers proactively handle compliance and save time on recordkeeping and reporting.
By reading the RFID chip in every Rainin XLS and XLS+ pipette, the SmartStand transforms how labs manage their pipettes.
When a pipette is placed in one of SmartStand’s four holders, the color LCD screen instantly displays its current status in a clear visual language: green is “good,” yellow indicates that service is required soon and red signals that the pipette is beyond its service or calibration date.
Remove a pipette from the stand and the color screen switches to a more detailed view of its service and asset record.
“By leveraging the data that’s already stored on the pipette’s RFID chip, we’ve simplified how lab managers track service data and assure day-to-day compliance,” said Sicco Drion, product manager of SmartStand. “With SmartStand, service data and calibration status are readily apparent every time a user picks up a pipette.
In addition to pushing a pipette’s current status right to the benchtop, the included EasyDirect Pipette Asset Management software simplifies and streamlines how labs manage their pipette data.
Whether a lab has 50 pipettes or 500 (or more), EasyDirect is a flexible, infinitely scalable Windows-based pipette asset management tool that can connect to multiple SmartStands simultaneously via Bluetooth.
Rather than manually updating a spreadsheet or lab information application (LIMS) every time a pipette is serviced or calibrated, users simply place the pipettes on a SmartStand to transfer new service data from their RFID chips into EasyDirect.
EasyDirect maintains a profile with 11 customizable fields for each pipette, so lab managers can assign unique information, such as the user and lab, applications and ID/inventory number, to a pipette and record it to its RFID chip. EasyDirect can also help users find pipettes by identifying which SmartStand they’re hanging on.
EasyDirect also simplifies service by keeping track of which pipettes are due and automatically filling out and printing the appropriate forms. It graphically indicates which pipettes are due for service, making them instantly recognizable. By capturing usage data through the SmartStand, EasyDirect helps lab managers reduce asset costs and eliminate pipettes that are no longer in use.
EasyDirect also interfaces with Excel and most LIMS applications via file export and import.
SmartStand is highly customizable and easily adapts to any lab’s standard operating procedures.
Each SmartStand holds up to four manual or electronic Rainin XLS pipettes and automatically charges electronic pipettes when they are placed on the stand. Using the optional clamps, magnets or fasteners, SmartStand’s detachable head quickly mounts to a wall or shelf.
Accidentally using a pipette that’s out-of-specification “is a thing of the past,” Drion said.
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