226 Agilent 1200 Series Autosampler Reference Manual
7 Introduction to the Autosampler
Transport Assembly
The transport unit comprises of an X-axis slide (left-right motion), a Z-axis
arm (up-down motion), and a gripper assembly (rotation and vial-gripping).
The transport assembly uses four stepper motors driven in closed-loop mode
for accurate positioning or the gripper assembly for sample-vial transport. The
rotational movement of the motors is converted to linear motion (X- and
Z-axes) by toothed belts connected to the drive spindles. The rotation (theta
axes) of the gripper assembly is transferred from the motor by a toothed belt
and series of gears. The opening and closing of the gripper fingers are driven
by a stepper motor linked by a toothed belt to the planetary gearing inside the
gripper assembly.
The stepper motor positions are determined by the optical encoders mounted
onto the stepper-motor housing. The encoders monitor the position of the
motors continually, and correct for position errors automatically (e.g. if the
gripper is accidentally moved out of position when loading vials into the vial
Figure 35 Transport Assembly
Gripper
Flex board
X axis
Z axis
Theta axis
Theta motor
X motor
Gripper motor
Z motor (not
in view)
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