Work table for a laboratory automation system and laboratory automation system including said work table
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laboratory automation workbenches often have uneven worktops due to manufacturing processes, requiring costly reworking to achieve the necessary precision for precise pipetting operations.
Innovation Solution
A workbench design featuring a metal worktop supported by a bent sheet metal carrier profile with a receiving eyelet and bolt-shaped fastening means, where the worktop is attached to the front edge of the profile, reducing manufacturing tolerances and unevenness by utilizing sheet metal cutting processes with lower tolerances than bending processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If profile strips or angled metal sheets are used to build the frame with bending processes, then the frame structure is created, but the side surfaces become uneven causing worktop unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic bending process from the frame construction and replaces it with a cutting process. The support profile is cut from sheet metal to create a flat front edge that directly supports the worktop, eliminating the source of unevenness while maintaining frame structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameter from bending (which creates uneven surfaces) to cutting (which creates flat surfaces). The support profile is manufactured by cutting sheet metal along a straight line to form the front edge, achieving the required flatness tolerance of less than 0.5 mm without subsequent reworking
2Stability of the object's composition
If the worktop is mounted on bent metal sheets or profile strips, then the frame is stabilized, but costly reworking is required to compensate for unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs the flatness requirement in advance by cutting the support profile to create a perfectly flat front edge before the worktop is mounted. This preliminary action ensures that no subsequent reworking or compensation is needed, as the flat support surface is built-in from the start
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a precise copy of the required flat surface geometry in the support profile's front edge. By cutting the sheet metal to match the exact flatness specification, the support profile becomes a precise template that eliminates the need for costly post-assembly adjustments
Data Source
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AI summary
A worktable (14) for a laboratory automation system (10) comprises a worktop (22) with a flat surface (64); a support profile (34, 36) for supporting the worktop (22), which is bent from a sheet metal; wherein the support profile (34, 36) has an end edge (70), wherein a bottom surface (74) of the worktop (22) rests directly on the end edge (70); wherein the support profile (34, 36) has at least one receiving eyelet (66); wherein a bolt-shaped fastening element (44) for attaching the worktop (22) to the support profile (34, 36) projects through the worktop (22) and is received in the receiving eyelet (66).