| Abstract Scope |
Useful chemistry workflows chain many unit operations such as dispensing, dosing, sensing, and sealing, but many low-cost laboratory automation platforms handle only one. Modified CNC platforms, popularized for laboratory automation by Keith Brown's group at Boston University, provide an inexpensive rigid gantry that can carry many tools, and were subsequently commercialized as the CubXL platform with its CubOS control layer. We bring our own tools onto a CubXL base: liquid handling, single-powder dosing from manually swappable cartridges, in-line pH measurement, vial capping and decapping, and camera monitoring of runs. This enables unattended solid-liquid sample preparation in sealed vials with full provenance while the capping operation limits evaporation and keeps the pH probe wet between measurements. Planned closed-loop campaigns pair the platform with Bayesian optimization for solubility and dissolution measurement, pH-controlled precipitation, and leaching. We report integration lessons, cost, and current limitations of bring-your-own-tool automation on a commercial base platform. |