Automation Senders enable workcells to enter vials into lab2lab systems. Functionally they are the equivalent of manual Senders: vials are transported from them to the Router and from there to analytical instruments. The design of Automation Senders will depend on the workcell they are used with e.g. the Automation Sender shown below uses the design of the Brucker NMR Receiver. The arm is extended and the robot inserts the vial to be sent.
Instead of manual data entry through the Client, registering the vial and its methods is done directly via two shared database tables. After loading the vial, a third database table is then edited to let the Lab2Lab Director know that there is a vial in the arm, and it should be retracted.
The only interaction between Lab2Lab and whatever third-party software is handling the vial registration and submission is through these three Oracle database tables (as well as read-only access to a fourth table for general sub-system status information). This is described in the 'lab2lab System Administrator's Manual' and the 'lab2lab Installation Requirements'.