The Digital Enabled Formulation Toolset (Deft) is a scalable, laboratory digital network product to integrate bench-top instruments together in for chemical formulation and R&D labs. Deft can work as a stand-alone system or as part of an existing LIMS connected infrastructure. At the heart of the system is the Deft Gateway which combines Bluetooth instrument connectivity with Wi-Fi protocol to connect the lab instruments to any secure in-house or cloud-based server network. Aimed at the bench scientist, Deft provides the ‘information gap’ when comparing manually made bench formulations or lab method requiring pH monitoring and has a host of additional features such as experimental design, workflow control, remote access, audit trail and Asset Management worthy of a fully digital Lab-of-the-Future program.

SiLA (Standardisation in Lab Automation) enables Lab-of-the-Future technology through free and open communication protocols and data standards. Applied Scientific Technologies (AST) have implemented the SiLA 2 communications protocol into a wide range of standard lab bench equipment linking them to Deft automatically. The adoption of industry-led SiLA standards helps to future proof lab equipment by enabling end-to-end integration with LIMS or local area networks with a control App for Android or iOS devices and by them to connect to each other are share data more seamlessly. www.sila-standard.com/

Figure 2: Typical Deft network for laboratory equipment such as : balance, electronic pipettor, mixer/shaker/stirrer and now pH meter

AST are the global specialists for SiLA 2 driver development and the latest addition to our growing library includes a custom SiLA driver for the Mettler Toledo range of pH Meters. The Mettler Toledo Seven Compact (S220) is a widely used pH Meter controlled via the front user panel to manually take readings and set measurements. https://www.appliedst.co.uk/DEFT

A common SiLA 2 Feature (pH provider) was defined to represent a pH measuring device. Within the Deft Gateway, a S220 control interface of this feature was created. A parser was added to handle messages returned from the pH meter which can account for the varying printout configurations and extract the value and units accordingly and then update the fields (value, units). A pH provider control was then added to the Tablet App which displays the current pH and units received from the Gateway.

Figure 3. Deft, Digital Enabled Formulation Toolset USPs

The Tablet connects to the Deft Gateway enabling control and monitoring of the Mettler-Toledo pH meter by interacting with the commands and properties from protocols defined in the SiLA feature. The pH meter can be used in combination with other instruments such as heater/stirrers, balances, and pumps e.g. Compudil syringe pumps of Integra Bioscience VIAFLO electronic pipettes, rheology instruments, particle counters typically associated with formulation laboratories.

Implementing SiLA 2 drivers for this technology provides many benefits such as digitisation information capture and standard Deft benefits which include specific user experimental design and workflow integration via an Android Tablet or mobile phone App. The Tablet App GUI is intuitive and requires no formal training. The App allows many functions that are not possible when using the device alone such as capturing all communication and data digitally, allowing the device to be controlled wirelessly and automatically run multiple experiments in sequence under user control. Deft is cloud-ready to allow Asset Management, remote access and Over-The-Air updates seamlessly integrating into any digital laboratory or Lab-of-the-Future environment.

Applied Scientific Technologies (AST) is an emerging, innovative spin-out company founded in 2017 based in Stokesley, North Yorkshire. Founded by two directors from Applied Integration UK Ltd, a company celebrating its 15th working anniversary. AST are innovative specialists in laboratory robotics, digital Lab-of-the-Future connectivity and hardware integration for the chemical, pharmaceutical, physical and life science industries supporting your laboratory digitalisation journey.

Mettler-Toledo pH Meter - Adopting Lab Automation SiLA drivers into a Lab-of-the-Future digital network