Temperature Control
We understand the deep technical details of thermal interfaces, thermo-electric devices, high speed temperature sensors, complex PID control, profile linearization and more that enable our thermal-cycling solutions to help you smash your time-to-result and assay precision targets.
Example Applications: PCR amplification, Cell analysis, Molecular diagnostics, NGS library prep
Commonly required in medical devices and automated cell therapy systems
The ever-increasing sensitivity of the technologies within the healthcare field requires matching improvements in thermal control and detection methodologies to achieve product performance requirements. We understand the importance of control algorithms, sensing elements and thermal conductivity in system design, and have designed and built many high performance thermal systems. Our designs have provided some of the fastest PCR cycle times possible, with thermal ramp rates beyond 12⁰C/s achieved while holding steady state performance.
Working with our in-house science team, we combine our engineering knowhow with our clients’ product needs to find optimal solutions. Successful challenges we have solved in the past include:
- Maintaining a constant and precise temperature for cell growth
- Rapid cycling of temperature for DNA multiplication (PCR)
- Sustaining a specific storage condition
- Providing the appropriate thermal environment for sensitive instrumentation
- Ensuring that the internal temperature of an instrument is maintained
Our proven methodologies allow us to achieve excellent thermal control early in the development process, minimizing the risk of unexpected issues in the quality of results, processing speed or functionality of the assay chemistry.
Thermal mass: How much energy can the system store for a given temperature rise.
Coolant flow: How much air or liquid can we get through the system to remove the heat out to the environment.
Surface area: How big is the surface that we can flow our coolant over to remove the heat.
Across all device and assay types typical implementations will include items such as fans, heatsinks, heat-exchangers and heat transfer compound. When the requirements become tougher, higher performance components such as heat-pipes, liquid cooling loops, phase change material and more will start to be introduced. It is crucial to think about thermal management at the architectural level when planning out a diagnostic device. Early planning allows you to reduce the cost and space requirements of a thermal management system.
Thermal cycling, or thermocycling, is a core component of a range of assays. A typical and probably the most common application is Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for molecular testing or Next Gen Sequencing (NGS) library preparation. Thermocycling involves heating and cooling a sample through a tightly controlled, pre-defined temperature profile. How quickly, accurately and repeatably this can be executed directly drives the sensitivity, specificity and speed at which a diagnostic result can be produced.
At Invetech, we have extensive experience designing various thermocycler implementations with our most common applications being:
- Microfluidic cartridge thermal cycling for ultra-fast multiplexed PCR with heating and cooling speeds of 12°C/s and 10°C/s, respectively
- Vial thermocycling for NGS library prep
We understand the deep technical details of thermal interfaces, thermo-electric devices, high speed temperature sensors, complex PID control, profile linearization and more that enable our thermocycling solutions to help you smash your time-to-result and assay precision targets.
Almost every assay requires some form of heating, whether it be a typical clinical chemistry application that requires a constant temperature, incubation in a microbiology application, or a sensitive next generation sequencing library preparation system. We have implemented hundreds of general heating systems using technology that covers the spectrum from flex-heaters, PCB heaters, peltiers, cartridge heaters, liquid heating, IR heating systems, and more. The key considerations that typically leads to the success of a general heating solution are uniformity and reliability.
Cooling applications can range from cooling a few individual vials in a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) assay all the way through to a clean-room based refrigeration system for a cell processor that requires high uniformity throughout the machine. At Invetech, we have designed cooling systems leveraging typical compression/expansion refrigeration systems, advanced thermo-electric peltier based devices or ambient temperature liquid cooling systems. Requirements such as the minimum temperature required and the accuracy/uniformity of the application are key drivers for solution cost and complexity. The right solution needs to consider size, condensation management, waste heat removal, ramp rate and how a user may interact with the system.
Controlling a thermal system can be as simple as an on/off thermostat that turns on when you are below a setpoint and then off when above. This control strategy is great when your accuracy/precision requirements are not particularly stringent. When higher performance is required, thermal control strategies become more advanced. Invetech understands the nuance required to achieve outstanding repeatability of a thermal system and how long-term impacts of component drift and calibration can impact your requirements.
To achieve the right balance of performance and cost in a thermal control system we will consider aspects such as:
Physical system: How much thermal mass is there and what is your susceptibility to the ambient conditions.
Non-linearity: Components such as peltiers are highly non-linear and require advanced control algorithms to achieve optimal performance.
Component life: Drift and component integrity play a key role when defining switching characteristics and thermal cycling profiles.
Power Management: Power within a device may be limited, as such heating and cooling profiles can be adapted to suit the available power and workflow at any point in time.