Dutch Forensic Scientists Receive 4000th Microlab® STAR

In order to increase the reproducibility, quality and speed of its forensic examinations, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) in The Hague is now focusing on the Microlab® STAR Line by Hamilton Robotics. The leading supplier of fully automatic liquid handling systems delivered its 4000th innovative robotic platform, STAR Line, to the internationally renowned institute, an agency of the Ministry of Justice.

At the presentation ceremony in The Hague, the Munich-based managing director of Hamilton Robotics GmbH, Dr Henning Menke, stated that this delivery lays the foundation for a strong partnership with this globally acknowledged forensic and scientific institute. The director of the NFI, Dr Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi, emphasised that the quality of the work is important for the international reputation of his institute and that the NFI is therefore continually working on the optimisation of the operating processes – as the integration of the Hamilton STARlets into the new, automated DNA workflow shows.

Hamilton Robotics initially introduced the Microlab® STAR Line some ten years ago and has been continually developing and upgrading it since then. It consists of three different pipetting robots - the platform giants STARlet, STAR and STARplus, which are designed for life science and forensic research. The STAR Line is produced in Bonaduz, Switzerland.

With these modular platforms, Hamilton Robotics covers a wide range of requirements from assays to sample preparation. These platforms allow even complex procedures such as protein crystallization to be completely automated in one thoroughly documented process, from pipetting, sealing, and disk storage right through to inspection. The software that is specifically and individually tailored to the user’s needs is crucial for the control and coordination of each single component.