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The Top Ranking Urine Test from ARKRAY:
"he Aution Max AX-4030" |
To continue as Number One
Ever since developing the Aution Analyzer UA-6,
the worldfs first automated analysis system for
use with urine test strips back in 1972, it has been no
exaggeration to say that ARKRAY has been the world leader
in the automation of urine testing. In 1985, 13 years
after the development of the Aution Analyzer, the development
of the Super Aution SA-4220 pioneered the concept of a
fully automated urine analyzer and promptly went on sale.
After the development of this, ARKRAY continued to specialize
in fully-automated urine analysis and continued to work
to provide added values to its customers. Reagent took
the form of a cartridge with the Super Aution II, which
came with improved ease of use. Further improvements were
made with the Super Aution EX (Extra) which was capable
of using a robot arm to move cartridges after measurement
making handling easier.
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World’s first automated
urine testing system
Aution Analyzer UA-6 (1972)
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| Following this, the Aution Max AX-4280 managed to integrate
automatic urine testing technology and literally became
the top, or rather the MAX, fully-automated urine analyzer.
From its birth to the present day, the Aution Max has
been a great success worldwide. As a pioneer, ARKRAY was
determined to surpass this maximum and continue as the
leader in urine analysis. On the basis of this decision,
ARKRAY has developed the latest model of Aution Max AX-4030.
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Perfection in techniques; the Aution Max Test
Strip Feeder
An urine test strip consists of reagent filter pads attached
a layer of film and is long, delicate and fragile. The
fragile strips must be accurately supplied into the analyzer
one by one from the test strip feeder. The test strip
feeder is known as one of, if not the, key characteristic
unit of the Aution Max. It is capable of feeding out hundreds
of test strips one by one, at a rate of one every 16 seconds.
This was the starting point for the complete automation
of urine test strip measurement and was the component
of much effort during the development phase. To make the
new Aution Max really worthy of its name, our development
effort was driven by the perfection of this feeder.
The basic principle of the feeder has not changed over
the past 30 years. There is a groove to ensure only one
test strip is fed out onto the table at a time. The table
moves from left to right allowing the test strip to easily
enter the groove and is fed under a dividing wall in the
reagent housing, making sure that only a single test strip
is offered up at a time. If this action is too quick,
filter pads become separated from the base film and the
test strip becomes useless. Yet, if this process is too
slow, the test strips never come out. Accumulation of
ARKRAY technologies and know-how were successfully integrated
to achieve the best feeder mechanism.
In the latest model, the grooved table has become a drum,
and as it revolves it feeds out test strips. Also two
areas are available to store the test strips allowing
the selection between two different types of strip. Also,
the number of strips that can be loaded into the feeder
has increased and a mechanism has been incorporated that
can determine which way the strip is facing ensuring the
test strips are always fed out facing up.
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Two different types of test
strips can be set in the feeder.
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Feeder mechanism
It revolves like a drum to feed out only one test strip. |
Nozzle Cleaning and Sample Dilution
Enabling Correct Measurement Result
All the time
The Aution Max works by aspirating a urine sample with
the nozzle and applying it to a test strip. This is another
area which received much attention and efforts during
development.
A single measurement is repeated at high speed every 16
seconds and in this 16 seconds, not only does the sample
have to be applied to the test strip, but the nozzle must
be cleaned prior to the next measurement. If the nozzle
cleaning is not performed adequately the current sample
may become contaminated by traces of sample from the previous
measurement. However, if the cleaning takes too long,
there is a chance that cleaning fluid will remain in the
nozzle and dilute the sample during aspiration. Our developers
spent a good deal of energy racking their brains over
how to achieve this delicate balance. Of course it would
have been easier if we had increased the amount of time
available for each measurement, but it was a big challenge
to achieve the best timing for all the necessary procedures
within the limited 16 seconds. But then, developers struck
upon the idea of having air segments inside the nozzle
creating a barrier between sample and cleaning fluid,
and between samples to reduce the risk of sample contamination.
However, there was a disadvantage with the air-segment
method. The air would act like a buffer in the tubing
but would increase and decrease as the machine tried to
accurately move liquid around the system. This proved
to be a difficult problem. To cope with this, we added
a mechanism that could effectively insert the air segment
into the tubing during liquid movement.
A special tube was introduced into the part that held
the air segment and when switched to the tubing without
the air segment it could perform aspiration, and switch
back to the first air-segmented tube for cleaning.
Thanks to this, the latest model of the Aution Max has
succeeded in almost completely removing the potential
problems of sample contamination and dilution with cleaning
fluid and we have succeeded in achieving 100% performance
of the reagent.
And finally
Aution Max derives its name from being achieving the maximum
in performance, the leader in fully-automatic urine analyzers
and ARKRAY conducted development with a view that the
analyzer to succeed this one must also be a Max. So we
have briefly mentioned just some of the functions that
went into the development of the Aution Max. The Aution
Max was constructed with the aim of being the best (the
Max) and it currently is a top product. |
Aution Max AX-4030
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