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Application · Precise Dosing

QB Precise Dosing

Software-defined precise dosing and titration for liquid processes — standalone or as an add-on to any bioreactor, skid or PLC.

Precise dosing & titrationHybrid pumpsGravimetricVendor-agnostic
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QB Precise Dosing system

QB Precise Dosing is a modular platform for accurate dosing, feeding and titration in liquid handling. It is built from independent QB Modules — pumps, valves, balances, gas controllers and sensors — orchestrated by QB Control, and it is software-defined: what the system does, and how each module maps to each process, is configured through a no-code recipe rather than fixed in hardware.

Dose with peristaltic pumps, precision syringe pumps, or a centrifugal pump — in any combination — into a single vessel, a bag, a microfluidic cartridge, or many targets at once. Route through a shared path with a QB Selector Valve, or give every line its own dedicated path. Add a QB Multiscale and balances for gravimetric feeding or titration. Dose in sequence or in parallel. There is no software limit on how many sources and destinations a system can have.

Run it as a standalone dosing station, plug it into a QB Systems bioreactor, or add it to equipment from any other vendor — over OPC-UA where the controller allows it, or independently where it does not. Because QB Modules are compact, the solution most often fits inside a biosafety cabinet — and there are no annual software license fees.

Why dosing needs to change

The pumps aren't the problem — the systems around them are.

The problem What QB Precise Dosing does
Controllers ship with a fixed number of pumps, permanently wired in Independent, hot-pluggable pump modules — add channels as you need them, no new controller
Peristaltic tubing wears and flow drifts days into a run Gravimetric closed-loop compensation from QB Multiscale holds accuracy as tubing ages
Gas mixing lives in a separate box with its own software QB GasFlow brings mass-flow gas control into the same platform and the same recipe
One dosing system rarely spans a mixed-vendor fleet Vendor-agnostic; integrates over OPC-UA or runs independently alongside any controller
One pump technology can't cover every application Peristaltic, syringe and centrifugal pumps share one bus, one controller, one recipe engine
Recurring software licenses erode the budget Perpetual QB Control license — no annual software fees

Advantages

Seven things that set it apart.

Where it stands apart

  • Modular expansion to 20+ channels
  • All three pump technologies — peristaltic, syringe, centrifugal
  • Integrated gas mass-flow control (QB GasFlow)
  • Up to twelve gravimetric balances
  • One controller, one recipe engine — perpetual license

Ways to deploy

Four ways to deploy.

The right one depends on what you already own and how you want it controlled.

Fluid paths, footprint & scale: choose shared-path dosing (with QB Selector Valves), dedicated lines, or a combination — with no software limit on sources and destinations. Compact modules mean the solution most often fits inside a biosafety cabinet, and many lines into many systems run from a single centralized QB Control.

System architecture

Choose modules, not a fixed appliance.

Core modules

Module Role
QB Edge (EDG-001) Central controller and HMI. 10.1" touchscreen, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, PoE module ports; real-time orchestration; native OPC-UA / Modbus / MQTT / REST.
QB Control Web-based control software. No-code Recipe Designer, dynamic P&ID, three control modes, alarms (ISA 18.2), audit trail, reporting. Perpetual license.
QB Switch (SWT-001) Module-expansion hub. 4 PoE ports, daisy-chainable to connect 20+ modules.
QB Pump (peristaltic) PMP-001: 3-roller, 0–300 rpm, 0.0033–365.69 mL/min. PMP-002: 4-roller, 0–600 rpm, 0.0079–2690 mL/min. Feeds, acid/base, perfusion.
QB Syringe Pump (SPM-001) Precision syringe pump. 5–10 mL syringes, 0.001–50 mL/min, ±0.5% of set volume. Micro-dosing, concentrated pH correction.
QB Centrifugal Pump (PMP-003) 0–13,000 rpm, 0–7.7 L/min, 1.0 bar max ΔP. High-volume perfusion recirculation.
QB Selector Valve Rotary valve for switching between sources or destinations on a shared path.

Optional modules

Module Role
QB Multiscale (MSC-001) Gravimetric module. Up to 6 balances per module (12 with two); RS232; Mettler-Toledo (MT-SICS) and Kern balances.
QB GasFlow (GFC-001 / GFC-002) Mass-flow gas control. 0.1 SCCM–2 SLPM / 0.1 SCCM–20 SLPM; 2 channels each; Air, Ar, CO₂, N₂, N₂O, H₂, He, CH₄.
QB Multisensor (MTS-001) Up to 6 digital sensors; Hamilton and Mettler-Toledo probes, Levitronix/Sonotec flow meters, QB foam sensor.
QB Pressure Sensor (PRS-001) Inline pressure monitoring (e.g. transmembrane pressure), up to 2 sensors.
QB Thermo (TCT-001 / TCT-003) Temperature control for jacketed or small vessels.

Software-defined, no-code recipes

Modules are represented and assigned in QB Control, and processes are built with a no-code Recipe capability rather than programmed. Recipes are versioned and portable between processes and systems, and a dynamic P&ID reflects the live configuration. Which capabilities are available depends on the licensing level applied.

Fluid-path configurations

Shared, dedicated, or combined.

Configuration How it works Best for
Shared path Sources or destinations switched through a QB Selector Valve. Fewer pumps and lines for the same reach. Sequential dosing across many targets (e.g. one source to 16 vessels)
Dedicated path Each line has its own independent dosing path — no shared surfaces. Parallel dosing where carryover must be excluded (e.g. 8 bottles to 8 vessels)
Combined Shared and dedicated paths mixed within one solution. Real setups that need both efficiency and isolation

Dosing can run in sequence (reusing a shared path across targets) or in parallel (independent lines dosing at the same time), to your preference.

Control, recipes & services

Three control modes, one system.

  • Manual

    Direct control of pump speed, valve position and gas setpoint from device faceplates on the P&ID. For setup, troubleshooting and quick tests.

  • Semi-automatic

    Control loops (services) triggered manually and running independently. For process development and parameter exploration.

  • Full-automatic

    The no-code Recipe Designer drives all services with conditional logic (IF-THEN), split/merge parallel paths and wait-until triggers. Draft / Validated / Archived workflow and a Batch Board for multi-process monitoring.

Dosing-related services

  • Constant-flow & volume-based pump dosing
  • Gravimetric mass-based transfer (titration & feeding)
  • Precision syringe dosing
  • pH control (base pump and/or CO₂)
  • Glucose control (PID from a glucose signal)
  • Transmembrane-pressure control (perfusion)
  • Antifoam control
  • Gas services (set flow, volumetric, mixed-gas ratio)

Technical specifications

At a glance.

Pump channels 2 (base QB Edge) to 20+ via QB Switch expansion; each an independent module
Peristaltic pumps PMP-001: 3-roller, 0–300 rpm, 0.0033–365.69 mL/min; PMP-002: 4-roller, 0–600 rpm, 0.0079–2690 mL/min
Syringe pump SPM-001: 5–10 mL syringes, 0.001–50 mL/min, ±0.5% of set volume
Centrifugal pump PMP-003: 0–13,000 rpm, 0–7.7 L/min, 1.0 bar max ΔP
Gravimetric system QB Multiscale MSC-001: up to 6 balances per module (12 with two); RS232; Mettler-Toledo (MT-SICS) + Kern
Gas flow control QB GasFlow GFC-001 (0.1 SCCM–2 SLPM) / GFC-002 (0.1 SCCM–20 SLPM); 2 channels each; Air, Ar, CO₂, N₂, N₂O, H₂, He, CH₄
Process sensors QB Multisensor MTS-001: up to 6 sensors; Hamilton + Mettler-Toledo, Levitronix/Sonotec flow, QB foam sensor
Targets Vessels, bags, bottles, microfluidic cartridges — single or many, in sequence or parallel
Fluid paths Shared (QB Selector Valve), dedicated, or combined
Control modes Manual, Semi-automatic, Full-automatic (no-code Recipe Designer)
Communication OPC-UA (server + client), MQTT, Modbus, Profibus, Serial, 4–20 mA, 0–10 V, REST API, SQL, LDAP/AD, MTP, PLC (Wago / Siemens / Beckhoff)
Controller QB Edge EDG-001: 10.1" touchscreen, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, PoE ports; 310 × 270 × 115 mm, 3.5 kg, IP40, CE
Footprint Compact modules; the solution most often fits inside a biosafety cabinet (BSC)
Compliance Audit trail and data integrity via QB Control; ISA 18.2 alarm management; CE marking
Licensing Perpetual QB Control license — no annual software fees

Note on electronic signatures: QB Control provides an audit trail, alarm management and data integrity, but does not currently support electronic signatures. Where e-signature workflows are required, they are handled through the customer's LIMS or quality management system.

Applications

Configured for the job, not the equipment.

  • Microfluidics & micro-dosing

    Syringe pumps dosing precisely (2–10 mL) into a target solution or a microfluidic perfusion chamber or cartridge.

  • Flow- & weight-based feeding

    Peristaltic pumps feeding one or more bioreactor vessels based on flow rate, or on source-scale readings with a configured feeding flow rate.

  • Multi-source blending

    A combination of syringe and peristaltic pumps dosing from several source bags or bottles into a target vessel, bag or bottle.

  • Sequential vs parallel dosing

    Dose glucose in sequence over a shared path to 16 vessels, or dose nutrients in parallel over separate paths from 8 source bottles to 8 vessels.

  • Gravimetric perfusion feeding

    Single-line gravimetric feeding to one bioreactor, or independent lines to several — all from one QB Control, with transmembrane-pressure control where needed.

  • Extending a PLC-based system

    Add feeding and dosing capability to an existing PLC-based installation over OPC-UA using a QB Systems software connector.

Frequently asked questions

What can QB Precise Dosing dose into?

Single or multiple targets — vessels, bags, bottles, or even a microfluidic perfusion chamber or cartridge. Dosing can run in sequence or in parallel across many targets. The target system has no limitation beyond the tubing.

Which pumps can it use?

Any combination of QB peristaltic pumps (3- and 4-roller), precision syringe pumps, and a centrifugal pump — all sharing one controller and one recipe engine, so you configure for the application rather than the equipment.

How does gravimetric dosing and titration work?

A QB Multiscale connects balances (up to 6 per module, 12 with two) and QB Control closes the loop on weight — compensating for tubing wear and supporting both loss-in-weight and gain-in-weight modes for titration and gravimetric feeding.

Can I add it to bioreactors I already own?

Yes. It runs standalone under QB Control, plugs natively into a QB Systems solution, or attaches to a third-party system — integrated over OPC-UA if the controller supports it, or running independently if it does not. PLC-based systems integrate over OPC-UA with a QB Systems software connector.

What is the difference between shared and dedicated paths?

A shared path uses a QB Selector Valve to switch one line across several sources or destinations (efficient for sequential dosing). A dedicated path gives each line its own independent route (no carryover, ideal for parallel dosing). Both can be combined in one solution.

How is it programmed?

Through QB Control's no-code Recipe capability with a drag-and-drop designer and dynamic P&ID — no coding. Recipes are versioned and portable between processes and systems. Control logic can act on pump RPM, flow rate, scale readings, or any other available signal such as pH or temperature.

Are there recurring software license fees?

No. QB Control ships under a perpetual license with no annual software fees. Optional support tiers add updates and priority response, but the system keeps full functionality regardless.

Does it support 21 CFR Part 11 / electronic signatures?

QB Control provides an audit trail, alarm management and data integrity. Electronic signatures are not currently supported and are handled through the customer's LIMS or quality management system.

See QB Precise Dosing configured for your process.

Request a live demonstration, discuss a standalone or add-on deployment, or get a configuration matched to your pumps, targets and workflows.

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