Servicing Flex¶
Opentrons Flex is designed for years of full-time operation. Unlike cleaning, you should not attempt to service or repair Flex yourself. Opentrons offers multiple levels of service for Flex and related Opentrons hardware, some of which include maintenance and repairs.
Opentrons services¶
Opentrons offers two levels of service, Opentrons Care and Opentrons Care Plus, both of which include benefits for onboarding, maintenance, repair, and more. Both services are available in the continental United States; Opentrons Care is also available internationally. Both services include:
- Onboarding with an Opentrons field applications scientist.
- Parts for yearly preventive maintenance.
- Access to a dedicated support engineer.
In addition, Opentrons Care Plus includes on-site visits for:
- Installation.
- Preventive maintenance, yearly.
- Repairs, as needed.
You can also purchase services individually, including installation, protocol development (remote or on-site), repair, relocation, and preventive maintenance. Contact Opentrons Sales for more information.
Installation qualification and operation qualification¶
Opentrons recommends performing installation qualification and operation qualification (IQ/OQ) after you first set up Flex, after you attach hardware, and after having service performed. IQ/OQ generally verifies:
- The serial numbers of your hardware, including the Flex robot, pipettes, gripper, and modules.
- Software and firmware versions.
- Proper connection of attached hardware.
- Pipette and module calibrations.
Consult the Flex IQ/OQ form for a complete checklist of IQ/OQ activities to perform.
Preventative maintenance¶
Along with routine cleaning, Opentrons also recommends the following optional procedures to help keep your Flex running smoothly. These suggestions are based on a Flex that operates for about 20 hours per week, 50 weeks per year. Feel free to adapt this schedule to your robot's workload. Alternatively, let Opentrons do the work for you—see the Instrument Services section of our website for information about our service contract offerings.
| Frequency | Task | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Empty trash | Take the movable trash out of its deck slot, safely discard its contents, and replace it into the deck. |
| Inspect working area | Clear the deck of any debris, liquid, or no-longer-needed labware. Check that the plastic labware clips are not damaged. | |
| Weekly | Clean surfaces | Clean the exterior surfaces of the deck, gantry, windows, instruments, and other hardware, as described above. |
| Monthly | Power cycle | Turn off Flex and all connected modules. Then turn them back on. |
| Every six months | Inspect pipettes | Inspect the O-rings on the pipette nozzles for signs of wear (notches, deformation). Replace the O-rings with the provided spares, if needed. |
| Inspect gripper | Inspect the rubber pads on the gripper paddles. Replace the gripper paddles with the provided spares, if needed. | |
| Recalibrate instruments | Run recalibration for the pipettes and gripper. | |
| Yearly | Evaluate pipette performance | Evaluate the overall performance of your Flex pipettes. Replace any pipette that is not performing according to the published accuracy and precision standards. |
The annual on-site preventative maintenance visit that is part of Opentrons Care Plus includes performance of all of the tasks listed above, as well as replacement parts.
Warranty¶
All hardware purchased from Opentrons is covered under a 1-year standard warranty. Opentrons warrants to the end-user of the products that they will be free of manufacturing defects due to part quality issues or poor workmanship and also warrants that the products will materially conform to Opentrons' published specifications. See the Services page of our website for information about service contracts, custom protocol development, and other support offerings.
Contact us at support@opentrons.com if you have any questions about our warranty.