Principle Of Operation - Agilent Technologies 1260 Infinity User Manual

2 Introduction to the Chip Cube

Principle of Operation

Principle of Operation
The HPLC-Chip/MS Cube is a fully automated device for handling HPLC-Chips. One HPLC-Chip can be
used at a time.
Chip Loading
Once the user has placed an HPLC-Chip into the loading slot of the Chip Cube,
all subsequent chip loading actions do not require manual interaction.
When either the Standby or Operate command are selected in the Chip Cube
context menu of ChemStation, the Chip Cube moves in the HPLC-Chip by
rotating the chip feeder arm. With the chip holder in a vertical position, the
valve end plate and stator face, which are on opposite sides of the chip, move
together to form a tight seal on the chip. The spring loaded, concentrically
valve rotors are pressed onto the valve area of the chip to form a leak free but
rotatable connection between rotors and chip surface.
Both the inner and outer valve rotors are driven by stepper motors without
end stops. Upon power up, the valves initialize. As long as no HPLC-Chip is
loaded or the chip is in Standby position (tip retracted) the valves are kept in
Off -position. This is to avoid a solvent spill inside the Chip Cube. When the
chip is lowered into the Operate position, the valves move to the positions
defined in the ChemStation method.
Chip Loading or Unloading Without ChemStation
The following procedure allows a user to unload a chip quickly, regardless of
the current Chip Cube state. Any active run will be aborted. Conversely, if a
chip is present in the loading slot, it will be loaded into the Standby position.
This procedure is intended as a way to recover the chip if no ChemStation is at
hand, rather then being the preferred way to load or unload chips. In addition,
a chip can be loaded into the Operate position for troubleshooting purposes.
The front door button (see
1 Action 1: open the front door
2 Action 2: load the chip into Standby position or unload it
26
a Press the button briefly. Pull the door open when the latch clicks.
This command if not available when the chip is in the Operate position
Figure 10) can be used in the following ways:
HPLC-Chip Cube Interface User's Guide