For continuous robotic cell culture handling

Run your microtiter plate cultures around the clock, without touching a plate. The MPS-Z Automated is an automated incubator shaker that gives every plate the same reproducible conditions, 24/7. Its self-developed Kuhner Hawk SCARA robot loads and retrieves up to 16 plates, with or without Duetz closures, while CO₂, bi-directional humidity and Peltier-based temperature control keep your cultivation stable. Connect it to your liquid handler or automation platform via TCP/IP or SiLA 2. Engineered and built in Switzerland, with a 5-year warranty.

Cell cultures don’t stop at 5 p.m. With the MPS-Z Automated, your workflow doesn’t have to either. Your automation platform loads and retrieves plates at any hour, while the incubator shaker keeps every plate under the same reproducible conditions. No manual handling, no interruptions, no variation between day and night shifts.

The integrated Kuhner Hawk SCARA robot handles up to 16 microtiter or deep-well plates, with or without Duetz closures. The side door is optimized to open briefly, so temperature, humidity and CO₂ stay stable during every plate transfer. If power is interrupted, the system restarts with your previous cultivation parameters, so your runs stay protected.

The Kuhner Hawk, our self-developed SCARA system (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm System), purpose-designed to operate under particularly aggressive conditions (CO₂/humidity). The unique design and positioning within the system ensure minimal heat input and minimal impact on the temperature distribution in the incubator chamber. The flexibility of the Kuhner Hawk allows it to work with many different shaking diameters and a variety of deepwell plates. The compact gripper guarantee stable grip security while maintaining the MPS-Z Automated's 16 well plate capacity.

Reliable results start with identical conditions for every plate, in every run. The MPS-Z Automated keeps your cultivation parameters stable around the clock, so you can compare plates, runs and weeks with confidence.

Peltier technology heats and cools the chamber, so your setpoint holds even when the lab is warm. Bi-directional humidity control keeps evaporation under control, which protects your sample volumes over long cultivations, and the water refill is automatic. For mammalian cell culture, the MPS-Z(C) option adds precise CO₂ control. Kuhner introduced CO₂-controlled incubator shakers more than 15 years ago.

The Kuhner Direct Drive has no wearable parts, so the shaking performance you validate today is the performance you get years from now. You can adapt the shaking diameter (3, 12.5, 25 or 50 mm) to your plate format and culture volume.

See your process at a glance. The large display on the front door shows all process parameters and the current work step. It also shows the position of each microtiter plate on the clamping table, so you always know what is running where. An integrated acoustic and visual alarm system alerts you immediately if something needs your attention.

To prevent inconsistent cultivation results, Kuhner developed a new, patented, clamping table to ensure the firm fixing of microtiter plates during rapid shaking. Additionally, the quiet operation of the device and the secure clamping table minimizes abrasion of the microtiter plates, eliminating concerns about particulate generation in the chamber. The clamping table releases all plates upon stopping, allowing the Kuhner SCARA gripper (Kuhner Hawk) to easily pick up the microtiter plates.

One of Kuhner's development goals is the seamless and trouble-free integration of systems into automated platforms. This principle has also been applied to the MPS-Z Automated. The device features both a standard TCP/IP interface and a future-oriented SiLa2 (HTTP/2) interface. Additionally, numerous drivers are available for compatibility with integrator and liquid handler platforms right out of the box.

To minimize the impact on cultivation parameters, the size and opening time of the side door have been optimized. Compared to opening the door of ISF1-Z, the side door opening on the MPS-Z Automated has negligible impact on control parameters within the chamber.

The side-mounted transfer platform includes both an optional barcode reader and occupancy sensor. The device offers high flexibility as the transfer platform can be preconfigured on both sides of the MPS-Z Automated chamber - meaning 'left' or 'right' orientation is possible to fit either orientation.

Maximize efficiency and optimize your lab with the ability to stack up to two MPS-Z Automated. This configuration is designed for seamless operation and offers high performance while saving space.

Whether you are automating cell culture workflows, increasing laboratory throughput, optimizing high-throughput screening or ensuring reproducible cultivation conditions, the MPS-Z Automated delivers the precision, reliability and flexibility needed for seamless 24/7 operation. Discover how Kuhner automation helps laboratories worldwide achieve greater efficiency and consistency.

Email our automation team to discuss your specific laboratory project.

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