The "gantry" is an assembly that contains both the agitation motor coupling (magnetic linkage) as well as the cold block that interfaces with the vessel's condenser feature. The cold block chills the vessel condenser to help condense and return fluid back to the vessel before offgas exits the system. The assembly swings over top of the vessel (similar to a gantry crane) and locks the vessel in place.

If the gantry does not swing freely into place, the vessel is likely not fully seated into the vessel holder. Ensure it is pressed down firmly, and not tubing is caught or interfering with the fit before try to rotate the gantry again.

The screen on each bioreactor "bay" will deliver context-dependent information and provide buttons to advance the experiment forward based on the user-designed script that has been loaded.

The barcode scanner is used to associate consumables with a specific bioreactor. The barcodes on consumables serve multiple purposes. First, they load the unique calibration data associated with each vessel (DO patch, pH patch, and glass pH probe if applicable). Second, they confirm that the vessel and syringe pair being loaded contain the correct media and feeds for the run that has been assigned to that bay, based on the information sent to the autofiller system. Combined, this provides and end-to-end traceability to help reduce error and provide a reliable record of exactly what process was run on the system.

After the run is complete, and the gantry has been moved away from the vessel, the ejection lever can be pressed to help lift and remove the vessel from its holder.

The syringe drawer holds the syringe pack in place, shields it from the bulk of ambient light, and houses the pumping actuators that deliver fluid to the vessel. The handle on the syringe drawer is unlocked by the software when its safe to insert or remove a syringe pack from the system.

In an emergency, the red release pin inside the drawer can be triggered with a screwdriver to allow manual release of the drawer. It is not recommended that the manual release be used unless absolutely necessary.

Depressing the gantry release button allows it to swing between the open and closed positions when loading and unloading consumables.

The BNC-type connector links the analog pH cable to the bioreactor. The other end connects to the glass pH probe in the vessel headplate (for SKUs containing a probe). If desired, the cables can be removed and stored elsewhere when not in use to reduce clutter.

The M12 connector allows power and data communication to select digital probes supported by the Stratyx system. Please contact your sales rep or product specialist for more information, as new probes are regularly being added.

The vessel holder secures the single-use vessel and provides thermal transfer for temperature control of the process. There are a number of alignment features to ensure the vessel rotation is correct. The mating gas ports on the right hand side, as well as a notch in the side of the vessel itself, help ensure this alignment.

The vessel should be inserted with gentle but firm force to seat it properly with the various connections. If the gantry is unable to easily rotate into place over top of the vessel, inspect for tubes or debris and apply firm downward pressure before trying again.

The offgas bottle holder secures the overflow catch bottle, which will prevent foam from wetting the outlet filter in the event of a foamout. The catch bottle is also chilled to further condense water and reduce the humidity of offgas before it passes through the filter.

This pinch valve is used as part of the Stratyx integrated autosampling solution (coming soon). Please talk to your product specialist or sales rep for more information.

This pinch valve is used as part of the Stratyx automated viral vector transfection solution (coming soon). Please talk to your product specialist or sales rep for more information.

This window can be used to inspect the agitator, sparger, and fluid level inside the vessel. A small flashlight or phone flash held above the vessel headplate can assist if more illumination is needed to view inside the vessel. The vessel holder and vessel tint protect sensitive media against most ambient light during normal operation.