Instrumentation

Our Platform – Biofoundry Instrumentation

Liquid Handlers

Our liquid handling systems enable precise, high-throughput pipetting for a wide range of applications. From acoustic dispensing at nanoliter scale to large-volume transfers, these instruments form the core of our automated workflows.

Tecan Fluent 1080 (I)

The newest Fluent1080 comes with a large deck space, 8-channel and 96-channel pipetting arms with liquid detection capacity and two RGA arms. On deck heating, cooling, and shaking. An i300 solid phase extraction system below deck connected with exhaust for organic solvents.

Tecan Fluent 1080

Tecan Fluent 1080 (II)

This second Fluent1080 is equipped with Pickolo colony picker and an below-deck vacuum module. Also has 8-channel and 96-channel pipetting and two RGA arms. On deck heating, cooling, and shaking. This system acts as an development and test platform.

Tecan Fluent 1080

Beckman Coulter Echo650

Acoustic Liquid Handler for accurate, precise, contact-free liquid transfers.
Enables assay miniaturization in a broad range of applications.
Transfer from 384-well and 1536-well microplates in volumes as low as 2.5 nL.

Beckman Coulter Echo650

Agilent BioTek Multiflo FX

Automation-integrated plate washer for high throughput applications. Provides precise and consistent washing protocols essential for cell-based assays and immunoassays.

Agilent BioTek Multiflo FX

Robotic Integration

Advanced robotic systems connect all instruments in our platform, enabling fully automated plate handling and workflow execution. Our integration layer allows seamless coordination between instruments for complex, multi-step protocols.

Spinnaker™ 3 Microplate Mover

Spinnaker 3 microplate mover robot provides an extremely user-friendly experience. Equipped with the newest auto-leveling capabilities, this version of our long-trusted Spinnaker mover enables adaptation to the non-flat world while lowering user effort.

Spinnaker 3 Microplate Mover

Thermo inSPIRE™ Collaborative Automation Platform

The inSPIRE™ features three shelves of instruments integrated by Spinnaker™ XT Microplate Robot, and features SmartHandle Touch Control. The system has one SmartCart and two SmartShelves that can swing out for standalone usage.

Thermo inSPIRE Platform

Thermo Momentum™ Workflow Scheduling Software

Thermo Momentum™ integrates all instruments through three robotic arms and two SmartCart modules enabling automated workflow design and execution from a powerful and intuitive GUI-based software.

Thermo Momentum Software

Analytical Equipment

State-of-the-art analytical instruments provide comprehensive characterization capabilities. From mass spectrometry to plate readers and capillary electrophoresis, our analytical suite supports diverse research needs with high sensitivity and throughput.

Sciex Echo® MS+ ZenoTOF 7600

High throughput Acoustic Ejection Mass Spectrometry (AEMS) for rapid analysis.
High-quality data, analytical flexibility, and high sample throughput with sampling speeds of up to 1 sample per second.

Sciex Echo MS

QuantStudio 7 Pro Real-Time PCR System

Automation-integrated quantitative real-time PCR instrument for gene expression analysis.
Provides precise quantification of nucleic acids with high-throughput capability.

QuantStudio 7 Pro

Tecan SPARK Multimode Plate Reader

Automation-integrated multimode plate reader for absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, and cell imaging.

Tecan SPARK

Tecan Infinite M1000 Plate Reader

A versatile multi-mode instrument for measuring absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence. It provides reliable, high-quality data for a wide range of biological and biochemical assays.

Tecan Infinite M1000

BioTek Cytation 5

Combines automated microscopy with multi-mode plate reading in a single platform. It enables high-quality cellular imaging along with absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence measurements for diverse biological assays.

BioTek Cytation 5

Agilent Fragment Analyzer

Automation-integrated capillary electrophoresis for DNA and RNA quality control.
Delivers high-resolution separation and quantification of nucleic acid fragments for genomic applications.

Agilent Fragment Analyzer

Unchained Labs Lunatic

Quantify proteins, DNA, and RNA with high-throughput, low-volume UV/Vis absorbance using 2 µL samples in 96 well SBS format plate.

Unchained Labs Lunatic

Peripherals

Essential support equipment that enables complete automated workflows. These peripherals handle sample preparation, storage, labeling, and other critical functions that make end-to-end automation possible.

Singer Instruments PIXL Dark

Automation integrated microbial colony picker delivering reliable walkaway colony picking.
Comes with multiple fluorescence filters for colony selection.

Singer PIXL Dark

BioNex HiG3 Centrifuge

Automation friendly, reliable and imbalance tolerant, high performance centrifuge. Up to 5000xg speed, imbalance tolerance of up to 100 grams.

BioNex HiG3 Centrifuge

Sci-Print MP2 Microplate Labeler

Semi-automated label printer that prints and applies labels onto a variety of microtiter plates for sample tracking.

Sci-Print MP2

Automated Roll Heat Sealer

Automated heat sealing of microplates, PCR plates, assay plates and storage plates.

Heat Sealer

Thermo KingFisher™ Presto

A sample purification platform on SmartCart for modular biofoundry integration. It uses magnetic bead-based technology for high throughput purification of nucleic acids and proteins.

KingFisher Presto

Automated Plate Seal Remover (XPeel)

Automated seal remover from a wide range of microplate types.

XPeel

Biometra TRobot II

The automated thermal cycler Biometra TRobot II allows a high-throughput PCR workflow. The Gradient function enables faster optimization of new protocols.

Biometra TRobot II

Applied Biosystems™ Automated Thermal Cycler (ATC)

Two 96-well and one 384-well ATCs mounted on the Thermo Inspire platform enable variety of assays.

ATC

Microplate Delidder

Thermo Scientific™ Microplate Delidder for automated removal, storage, and replacement of lids on microplates.
Supports standard and deep-well microplates in landscape or portrait orientation.

Microplate Delidder

QIinstrument BioShake

Automation integrated orbital shakers with heating. Multiple shakers integrated along the robotic track for easy access and support running multiple parallel experiments.
Deck integrated on Fluent with adapters to support different plate types including PCR, Omnitray, Deepwell.

QIinstrument BioShake
NSF iBioFoundry
1206 W Gregory Dr, Urbana, IL, 61801
Email: contact@ibiofoundry.illinois.edu