Automated liquid handling (ALH) grew from the high-throughput needs of medical diagnostic labs in the late 1980s through the 1990s and then received an additional boost from genomic sequencing. As it evolved from a specialized, expert-driven instrument system to a generalized laboratory workstation, ALH has become more accessible to more workers in more labs.

Some expect the mobile apps market to quadruple over the next four years, from $6.8 billion to $25 billion. Others forecast revenues at $29.5 billion by 2013, increasing from $7 billion in 2010.

In recent years, research labs have been a notable beneficiary as a variety of highly functional and specialized apps have gained the acceptance and even gratitude of a broad spectrum of laboratory managers, research scientists and bench technologists.

David F. Beyerlein, vice president of global operations at MicroConstants, Inc., talks to contributing editor Tanuja Koppal, Ph.D., about the options he had available and the decisions he made regarding consolidating the servicing and maintenance

Routine maintenance and proper training can extend the life of any piece of laboratory equipment. Unfortunately, even with proper maintenance, and sometimes resulting from lack of maintenance, large equipment can break down—sometimes at the worst possible time.

Nowhere is the controversy over instrument upgrades more animated than in HPLC, or more correctly, in the debate over switching from HPLC to UHPLC.