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This page shows the evolution of our project from start to finish. The most recent iterations are shown at the top of this page and older materials are at the bottom.

Final Designs

Final Flat-Head Adaptor Design

Final Flat-Head Adaptor decapping tubes.

The final geometry for the flat-head adaptor was successul in decapping and recapping 95 out of the 96 tubes in the Capit-All rack. The tubes decapped in this image are Micronic tubes.

Final Flat-Head Adaptor CAD.

One final modification was made to the geometry: making the top and bottom halves of the adaptor symmetric. This will make it easier to orient the adaptors for installation.


Final Parallel Beam Decapper Design

Final Parallel Beam Decapper CAD

An annotated CAD image for the final Parallel Beam Decapper. This design circumvents the possibility of jamming when using the linear actuators.

Final Parallel Beam Decapper

A photo of the final Parallel Beam Decapper prototype. Here the actuators are shown and wired to the necessary power supply.


Further Iterations

Improvements to the Flat-Head Adaptor

Flat head adaptor with a slot in an attempt to add a springing effect.

The adaptor with the slot deformed slightly during testing.

The flat head adaptor with the slot was largely successful in decapping and recapping tube caps. However, it was determined that the external shape of the adaptor was enough for successful decapping/ recapping. The slot did not add a significant springing action, instead it resulted in a slight weakening of the adaptor structure.


Improvements to the Parallel Beam Decapper

CAD of Parallel Beam Decapper with actuators.

A supporting structure was modified by adding a hinge to allow for one of the beams to move. Actuators were also included to automate the process.

Physical prototype of Parallel Beam Decapper without actuators attached.

Ultimately, this design had to modified since this set-up resulted in a jamming problem due to the use of small linear bearings with a very strong pushing force from the actuators.

IMG_1783 (1).MOV

A video of the hinging motion described above. This allows for an adjustment in the distance between the two beams to account for slightly differing cap sizes.

Initial Testing

Initial Tests for the Flat-Head Adaptor

Cross-Section of Flat-Head Design

The new iteration of the flat-head design exhibits a shortened tapered region to better fit in the caps.

Flat-Head Adaptor Design in the Capit-All

The flat-head design wedged between prongs of the Capit-All.

Initial Tests for the Parallel Beam Decapper

Copy of Copy of IMG_1378.MOV

A proof of concept video showing the parallel beams twisting three tube caps off. The cap is first tightly screwed on, then twisted off with the beams. The caps are then lifted off of the tubes.

Second Design Iteration

Parallel Beam Decapper Updates

The team decides to utilize the clamp, shown in blue, which is already in use at the EXCITE Lab. The clamp holds 32 tubes in a linear rack and keeps the tubes from rotating. As a result, the Parallel Beam Decapper is lifted to the height of the clamp so that the beams can twist the caps off while the clamp keeps the body of the tubes from rotating.

Shown here is a CAD of our Parallel Beam Decapper. In this iteration, one of the beams can move along the rails toward the bottom of the support. This allows for different tube cap sizes to be placed in between the parallel beams.

This image shows the Parallel Beam Decapper in reference to the clamp in the EXCITE Lab. The clamp holds the tubes in the linear rack and keeps the tubes from rotating.

A close up of one of the parallel beams used for this design. The clear piece is the arylic, which is attached to the three carriages. The carriages are mounted on a t-slotted rail, which is fixed. There is a rubber strip attached, with adhesive, to the acrylic. The rubber keeps the beams from slipping on the tube caps.

Universal Decapper Design Updates

An updated design of the Universal Decapper. Shown here is a comparison of the decapper next to 1 mL tubes that would normally be in the Capit-All.

A close-up of the updated Universal Decapper design. The magenta is the adaptor, and the teal and orange pieces are separate parts of the "scissor" design.

Another potential design for the Universal Decapper. This simpler design utilizes a flat sheet of metal that is press-fitted into the Capit-All prongs.


Universal Decapper: Scissors

The first 3D-printed prototype of the "scissor" design for the Universal Decapper. It is very small, with a height of 1.2 cm.

Matrix Tube Cap (currently used).

Thomas Scientific Tube Cap.

Micronic 1 mL Tube Cap.

Micronic 1.4 mL Tube Cap.

Initial Designs

Below are the first iterations for the decapping designs from the team. The first design for the 1-1.4 mL workflow, which required the use of the Capit-All machine was called the "Universal Decapper" and it utilized a scissor-like design. The initial design for the 5 mL tube workflow was the Parallel Beam Decapper, which required the use of a vise to hold on to the 5 mL tube caps.

Universal Decapper for the Capit-All

The first iteration of our Universal Decapper design. The progression of this "scissor" mechanism is shown below.

Parallel Beam Decapper

The original design for the Parallel Beam Decapper. This first iteration relies on a vice to hold the tubes between the beams.

Stage 1

The decapping mechanisms are aligned above the tube caps. The Capit-All begins to move downward, pressing the adaptor and "scissor" mechanism down to the tube caps.

Stage 2

The Capit-All pushes down on the adaptor, which pushes the mechanism into the tube caps. During this process, the Capit-All is already rotating so that the "scissors" catch onto the grooves in the tube caps.

Stage 3

The Capit-All continues to push the adaptor. This causes the adaptor to press against the "scissors", which open with this pressure. The "scissors" then press against the side of the tube-caps, applying a friction force.

Front-view cross section.

The image above shows a frontal cross section of the Parallel Beam Decapper. The rack of tubes is pressed against a non-slip foam (shown in yellow) and non-slip rubber (shown in blue).

In the top right image, one can see the vice (shown in dark grey) holding the two beams against the tubes.

The image on the right is a scaled-down prototype of this design. We tested a smaller version of this design before building a full-scale prototype in order to mitigate any major design issues.

Starting the Project

The start of this project required a complete understanding of how the COVID-19 samples were handled and what machines in the lab were or were not in use. Below are images of key areas in the EXCITE Lab. This was the starting point of this project.

Capit-All

5 mL tubes in the Capit-All. We used the Capit-All for 5 mL tubes, which could hold 48 tubes at a time. This machine was not in use at the lab so we were able to take the time to learn how the machine worked.

Hand drill

This is the hand drill that is used to manually decap all 32 tubes in the linear rack (shown to the right). It begins operating when pressure is applied at the tip.

Linear rack

This is the linear rack that goes into the Hamilton. The rack hold thirty-two 5 mL tubes. The tubes are already in this rack when they get manually decapped. The barcodes on the tubes are also scanned while in this rack.

CapitAllProngs.mp4

This is a video of the prongs in the Capit-All in motion. The white prongs would normally go into the caps specific to this machine. One of our goals is to design an adaptor that attaches to these prongs so that the Capit-All can unscrew tube caps from different companies.