Terminology

CAMAG® HPTLC PRO

fully automated sample analysis and evaluation instruments using HPTLC plates (20 x 10 cm). CAMAG® HPTLC PRO is best suited for routine quality control of analytes extracted from complex matrices, providing reproducible and reliable results. It supports up to 75 samples, up to 5 plates, and up to 3 independent developing solvents without interference.

CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module

The CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM consists of:

CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module APPLICATION

the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module APPLICATION is part of the HPTLC PRO - Fully-automated sample analysis and evaluation for routine quality control. It is used for spray application as bands of up to 75 sample extracts onto HPTLC plates (20 x 10 cm).

CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module DEVELOPMENT

the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module DEVELOPMENT is part of the HPTLC PRO - Fully-automated sample analysis and evaluation for routine quality control. The chamber of the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module DEVELOPMENT is designed to separate analytes using optimized parameters (activation and pre-conditioning of the HPTLC glass plate (20 x 10 cm) before, conditioning during, and drying after development).

CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module PLATE STORAGE

the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module PLATE STORAGE is part of the HPTLC PRO - Fully-automated sample analysis and evaluation for routine quality control. It is used to automate the execution of a sequence.

CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM

the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM consists of all CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules (order is important) and the software visionCATS connected to each other. The definition of the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM in visionCATS must match the way CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules are physically arranged.

carrier

the carrier holds the plate on the conveyor of CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules.

consumables

consumables are products that consumers use recurrently, i.e., items which “get used up” by the process of using them or discarded. Therefore they do not fall under the regular warranty terms. CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules operate with a set of consumables such as bottle contents and rack contents

  • visionCATS documents consumables for all CAMAG devices.

  • visionCATS manages and check consumables for CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules only.

conveyor

the transport unit in the front part of the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module:

  • on which carrier insertions are performed from the left (manual loading position)

  • holds the carriers and moves them to the right or the left

  • moves a carrier to the feeding position

  • performs the carrier identification once it was transported in the feeding position

  • transports the carrier either to the right of each individual CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module or CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM or to the manual unloading position

conveyor manager

the software component belonging to the visionCATS server which:

feeder

the component within each CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module, which moves the carrier between the feeding position on the conveyor (front), the park position, reference position and the processing position in each CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module (rear).

feeding position

this refers to the position in the front of the conveyor of each CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module, where the feeder fetches the carrier to feed it into the rear of each CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module or unload it back to the conveyor.

HPTLC PRO administrator

New visionCATS user role which can setup CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM in the HPTLC PRO SYSTEM Configuration view.

HPTLC PRO maintenance tool

the tool installed together with the visionCATS HPTLC PRO instrument service. This tool gives direct access and full control of CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules connected to the computer.

HPTLC PRO SYSTEM supervisor

new visionCATS user role defining the ability to trigger the execution of sequences in the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM in system mode after having prepared all the necessary consumables.

move

Transport of a carrier between any given defined position within a CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module or a CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM.

A run is divided into several moves. Each move consists in:

  • Loading the carrier for the first move, or unparking from previous CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module for subsequent moves

  • Moving the carrier though the conveyors (to the left or to the right) until reaching the unpark position of the step’s CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module being executed by the move

  • Parking the carrier

  • Executing the step associated with the move

  • For the last move only, unparking and moving the carrier to the last CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module of the line and ejecting it

park position

refers to the position inside of each CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module, where the conveyor manager temporarily parks a carrier to let pass other carriers on the conveyor. When the conveyor manager parks a carrier, the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module’s feeder moves the carrier inside the instrument. The carrier is then in park position. The park position is the starting point of the execution of a step by the instrument. Once in park position, the module is ready to move the conveyor if another carrier must go through the instrument.

RFID

a carrier is identified by its RFID tag when it reaches the feeding position on the conveyor.

run

the run represents a set of automated steps to execute for a given analysis in a given CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM. If an analysis contains CAMAG® HPTLC/TLC and CAMAG® HPTLC PRO steps, the software allows to execute the CAMAG® HPTLC/TLC steps, until the first CAMAG® HPTLC PRO steps are reached. Then the user will have to add the these steps to a sequence and execute it to be able to perform the next manual CAMAG® HPTLC/TLC steps.

sequence

the runs added to a CAMAG® HPTLC PRO SYSTEM are grouped into sequences. The runs placed in the same sequence are compatible in term of consumables and there are up to 5 runs pro sequence.

stacker

the container of up to 5 carriers. The CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Module PLATE STORAGE contains two stackers. One for the clean plates and one for the processed plates. When adding a run to a sequence, the user has to define whether the plate is clean. This will determine in which stacker to place it. When a run is finished, the carrier is always placed into the processed stacker.

visionCATS HPTLC PRO instrument service

CAMAG® HPTLC instruments communicate with visionCATS through the visionCATS HPTLC instrument service whereas CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules communicate with visionCATS through the new visionCATS HPTLC PRO instrument service. The visionCATS HPTLC PRO instrument service detects and establishes USB connections with the CAMAG® HPTLC PRO Modules. It executes requests coming from the conveyor manager and gives feedback. The visionCATS HPTLC PRO instrument service is installed by the visionCATS installer.