VCode Microplate Labeler

The VCode prints and applies barcode labels to microplates. Revolution calls it at the point in a schedule where labware needs identifying, and the labeler prints and applies in one step.

Naming and lineage

VCode is the original Velocity11 product name, which is what Revolution’s driver is built around. Velocity11’s automation line was acquired by Agilent, and the current equivalent product is sold as the Agilent Microplate Labeler (models G5404B and G5581A). The specifications below are Agilent’s, for that product line.

If you are running an original VCode rather than a current Microplate Labeler, treat the figures as indicative of the line and confirm against your own unit’s documentation.

At a glance

Labelling	Up to four sides of most compatible labware
Throughput	Up to one label every four seconds
Barcode types	Linear or two-dimensional (2D)
Construction	A barcode applicator and a printer on a common baseplate
Revolution control	Apply a label

Specifications

Agilent publishes the following for the Microplate Labeler.

Standard label media	DMSO resistant, −80 to +100 °C, 6.35 mm H × 50.8 mm W (0.25″ × 2″)
Smaller label media	DMSO resistant, −80 to +100 °C, 4.32 mm H × 50.8 mm W (0.17″ × 2″)

The label media rating is the specification that matters most for scheduling: −80 to +100 °C and DMSO resistant means a label survives both cold storage and solvent exposure. If your workflow puts plates into a −80 store or exposes them to DMSO, the label has to be rated for it or the barcode becomes unreadable exactly when you need it.

Optional barcode reader

With the optional reader fitted, Agilent states the labeler can:

• Verify a label after applying it, and re-apply if verification fails
• Clone an existing label
• Perform systematic microplate tracking

Verification is worth having in an unattended cell. A label that printed blank is indistinguishable from a label that printed correctly until something tries to read it — by which point the plate may be several steps downstream.

Supported methods

• Apply label — print and apply a label to the plate on the stage

Integration

Prerequisites

• The labeler must be reachable from the Revolution host and loaded with label media suitable for the workflow — see the temperature and DMSO ratings above.
• The plate must be presented to the stage in the orientation the label position expects. Labelling up to four sides means side selection is part of the setup, not something Revolution chooses per call.
• Barcode content comes from the labeler’s configured data input source.

If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.