Beckman Coulter, Inc.

Nicholas Hofmann

Creigh Thompson

Robert Torney

Vladimir Goldman

Steven Alseth

Jon Lindquist

Kevin Nowak

John Moyer

A gripper assembly () includes a cylinder (), a deformable gripping portion (), a piston (), and an ejector (). The gripper assembly is suitable for picking and placing a vessel () by gripping a gripped portion () of the vessel. The gripping portion extends from adjacent an end of the cylinder. The gripping portion has a spring-like property that allows deformation as the vessel is engaged thereby holding the vessel. The piston is slidably disposed inside the cylinder. The ejector includes a head portion () adjacent a first end of the ejector and a plunger portion () adjacent a second end of the ejector. The head portion of the ejector is slidably disposed inside the cylinder separately from the piston. The plunger of the ejector is partially disposed within the deformable gripping portion for engaging the vessel. The gripper assembly may be used to align an analyzer instrument ().

Methods and systems for picking and placing vessels and for aligning an instrument

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Waconia, MN, United States of America

Nicholas Hofmann