FORMULAX- The Formulation System. (Click on picture for larger image)
Applications	Development platform for drug formulation with viscous liquid handling and gravimetric liquid and powder handling.

The continuous rise in costs for pharmaceutical products forces us to take a closer look at traditional workflows. So far in the early stages of drug discovery, the focus was on the chemical effects, leaving the analysis of the physical effects using formulation and solubility studies as the last link in the process.

This approach could lead to the terrible consequence of missing important required properties for dosage, solubility, storage etc. All the money spent on the discovery so far would have been totally wasted.

To avoid more disappointment and financial disaster in the final development stage it is crucial to have already eliminated unsuitable compounds at an earlier stage. New workflows and hardware systems are required which enable us to deal with the small volumes of material available at the early discovery stage in order to study the physical and chemical properties.

Zinsser Analytic have developed an automatic workbench which enables you to execute a workflow to test a formulation conditions in parallel. The reactor is based on the microplate format for 8 to 24 vials with different compounds or different testing parameters. Tools for pH-measurement and adjustment, precision dosage, weighing & mixing (even of highly viscous media) are provided. Optical control, evaporation, filtration, HPLC- /LC-MS integration can be provided enabling you to carry out your well proven formulation methods and solubility tests on a single platform.

Spreadsheet Input of Experiment Design

The Zinsser Winlissy software can import a spreadsheet with the formulations experiment design and translate the entered parameters into the necessary commands to perform everything automatically on the instrument. This simplifies programming and allows offsite design of experiment.

Other data formats can also be imported, such as results fro Design of Experiment software packages.

Proven reliable X,Y,Z-platform with 4 independent Z-drives for liquid and powder handling and an integrated robotic arm for gripping vials, tubes, plates and pick-up tools, which can then be placed in any position of the workbench area.
Unique new hardware approach The precision balance is positioned outside the workbench still within reach of the robotic arm. The balance stand avoids any mechanical distortion, minimizing the settling time, improving the sensitivity and therefore increasing the throughput.
Designed for customization To meet individual requirements, it can be equipped with vortexers, hotplates, cooling plates, stirrers, reactor blocks, incubators or other modules from our extensive range of tools. The unique software allows the customer to even integrate his own modules. For special applications we offer the service of integration of custom modules.

	Automated Capper-Decapper for opening and closing of screw cap vials. Works with various cap sizes between 15-28 mm. Barcode reading of vials during capping/decapping process is optional.
	Hotplate Stirrer for 8 to 24 vials. A temperature-controlled recirculation bath is interfaced with high-conductivity vial racks.
	Viscous Media Tool for pipetting of high viscosity reagents (2.000-10.000 cps). Uses disposable heated pipette tips and media reservoirs that are heated via software control.
	Integrated Weighing Cell allows automatic pipetting directly to the active balance. The balance has a receiving rack for the vials. High precision: <1 ml +/-1%; 300 ul +/-2% for liquid reagent > 8.000 cps
	REDI-Varix variable powder distribution tool for powder handling from 2mg-40mg or 10mg-200mg with high precision (e.g. 10mg +/- 2%). Weight can also be checked on the integrated balance, or the system can also provide target weights with WeighWizard software.

Specifications

• Planning and organization software (Symyx Library Studio)
• Distribution of dry sample
• Automated weighing
• Precise liquid handling
• High-viscosity liquid handling
• pH Adjustment and detection
• Mixing, heating, and cooling
• Sample sonication
• Automated camera system to verify sample dissolution
• Sampling for offline analysis (HPLC, HPLC/MS)
• Filtration
• Drydown/evaporation
• Automated capping and decapping
  

• 32-bit WINDOWS® NT-based graphic user interface
• calculation of volumes for all necessary reagents, solvents and building blocks
• import/export of data files
• time scheduler for parallel processing (optional)
• synthesis check by process simulation
• multi tasking including all RS232 ports
• full documentation of synthesis runs
• restart function after system failure