CSIRO_ramp_03
[Music plays and CSIRO logo and text appears on screen: RAMP: Rapid Automated Materials and Processing]
[Images flash through of scientists at work in the RAMP Centre, the Chemspeed robot, some gauges on the side of the robot, a sign reading “Nanoparticle Handling Lab” and then the camera zooms in on different angles of the Flowrence machine]
Ben Muir: So the Rapid Automated Materials and Processing Centre is a state of the art laboratory which helps fast track chemicals, materials and formulation research.
[Image changes to show scientists at work in the RAMP centre and the camera pans along the room as one of the scientists walks away from the camera]
The RAMP Centre is part of the CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency and we’re open to working with people from all over the globe.
[Image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera]
Hi, I’m Ben Muir and I manage the RAMP Centre within CSIRO.
[Images changes to show the Chemspeed robot and then the camera zooms in on the arm of the robot screwing on the lid of a specimen jar]
One of the main benefits of using our laboratory is the fact that we use robotics to automate our research which means that we can do research much faster than is commonly done by traditional means.
[Image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera and then the image changes to show the Chemspeed robot again and then the camera zooms in on a microscope slide]
Within Australasia, we’re the only laboratory which has the capability to do all the different types of formulation and chemical reactions and characterisation. So we’re a very unique facility.
[Image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera and then images flash through of a scientist looking at a computer screen and scientists in the laboratory]
A great example of research which was conducted within RAMP is a project we had with a company making catalysts and when they did that research we were able to conduct five years worth of research in six months which was absolutely amazing and fantastic for the company to get the outcome so rapidly.
[Image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera]
So we have a number of robots located within the RAMP Centre.
[Image changes to show the Chemspeed robot and the camera pans around the robot and then the camera zooms in on the arm moving along a series of numbered containers]
The two biggest robots are called Chemspeed Robots and they have an arm which goes around and picks up different tools and so that arm can do different tasks.
[Image changes to show the Chemspeed robot adding liquid to a multi cube plastic tray]
It can dispense solids or liquids.
[Images flash through of the Chemspeed robot]
It can homogenise, sonify, we can do reactions at high temperature, low temperature and even centrifuge within the robots.
[Images flash through of the Flowrence unit and text appears on the side of the unit “Air, High Purity Nitrogen, High Purity Helium, High-Throughput Catalysis]
We have a catalyst unit called a Flowrence, that’s able to do 48 catalytic reactions in one go and analyse the products which are formed
[Image changes to show the “Biodot” sign on the side of the Dotbot robot and then the image zooms in on the arm of the robot putting spots on to microscope slides]
and we also have a Dotbot robot so we can spot materials onto surfaces and we can spot thousands and analyse those materials and the effects they have on different parameters.
[Camera zooms in on the scientists at work in the RAMP centre]
We work with companies that make paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, catalysts. We work with companies doing formulation, recycling. We work with food companies and even nutraceutical companies.
[Image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera]
The best thing about working with RAMP is working with the scientists and conducting the research and just finding amazing discoveries for our customers.
[Images flash through of scientists talking and a scientist looking at a microscope slide]
Within the RAMP Centre we’ve got scientists with a range of expertise. We have scientists with expertise in chemistry and material science.
[Images flash through of a female scientist looking at a sample in a test tube, a scientist looking at a computer screen and then the camera zooms in on the computer screen and then the image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera]
We have a statistician who allows us to do design of experiments and we also have scientists with expertise in data analysis and characterisation of materials to really enable the whole work flow when people do experiments in RAMP to be utilised.
[Images flash through of the Chemspeed robot]
Looking forwards to the future, a big opportunity within RAMP is to help companies with their formulation.
[Images flash through of scientists at work]
We have a lot of expertise within the laboratory to develop new products and use the formulation and characterisation expertise that we have.
[Image changes to show Ben Muir talking to the camera]
We really would like to get new industry projects in and we’re really excited about engaging with new companies. If you’re a business just get in touch with us via the website and we’re more than happy to host you, show you the lab and hopefully discuss some new projects with you.
[Music plays and CSIRO logo and text appears: Big ideas start here, www.csiro.au/ramp]
