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Application · QB AutoSampler

Modular automated sampling for bioprocess R&D

Software-defined sampling from your vessel to a cooled vial: automated draw, configurable path cleaning, in-vial dilution, split aliquoting and 4 °C sample storage. One QB Edge, one QB Control, and modules you add as your lab grows.

From €15,000 — perpetual licence

Starting price; the final price depends on configuration and consumables.

Request a demo See specifications
QB AutoSampler setup on a lab bench: QB Edge, QB Selector Valve and QB Syringe Pump with a media bottle and a vial rack
valve positions per Selector Valve, stackable
24
valve positions per Selector Valve, stackable
syringe pump accuracy, of set volume
±0.5 %
syringe pump accuracy, of set volume
cooled sample storage for more than 72 h
4 °C
cooled sample storage for more than 72 h
dilution factor in the vial
1.0–6.0
dilution factor in the vial

How it works

From your vessel to a cooled vial in four steps

Every sample takes the same route: the Selector Valve picks the port, the Syringe Pump moves the liquid, and QB Control runs the sequence as a recipe step.

  5. Select a step to follow the liquid.

Why sampling needs to change

Manual sampling limits what you can run in parallel

Manual sampling introduces variability and limits what a process-development lab can run in parallel. Fixed-port systems force trade-offs.

  • Manual errors

    Human sampling introduces variability, contamination risk and inconsistent volumes across batches.

  • Limited scalability

    Fixed-port systems cannot grow with your process. Adding vessels means buying entirely new hardware, not adding modules.

  • Cross-contamination risk

    Shared fluid paths without proper cleaning protocols compromise sample integrity and data quality across parallel experiments.

  • Sample degradation

    Samples left at ambient temperature between draw and analysis lose analytical value.

Capabilities

Six core capabilities

What the system does today, built from QB Modules and QB Control services.

Hardware

Build your sampler from QB Modules

Every module is powered and connected over one PoE Ethernet cable, auto-discovered by QB Edge and run from the QB Control web interface.

  • QB Edge
    Core EDG-001

    QB Edge

    • Central controller, hosts QB Control
    • Powers and connects up to 7 QB Modules (more via QB Switch)
    • Ethernet, WireGuard VPN; Wi-Fi and LTE optional
    • OPC UA connector in QB Control
  • QB Selector Valve
    Core SVL-001

    QB Selector Valve

    • Electrical valve, up to 24 positions
    • Routes source, wash, air, waste and destination ports
    • Tubing OD 1.6 mm; stackable
    • One cable for power and data
  • QB Syringe Pump
    Core SPM-002

    QB Syringe Pump

    • 5 mL or 10 mL single-use syringes
    • 0.001–50 mL/min, depending on syringe size
    • ±0.5 % of set volume (final accuracy depends on the syringe)
    • Calibrate after every syringe change and after maintenance
  • QB Multisensor
    For cooled storage MTS-001

    QB Multisensor

    • Data acquisition for up to 6 sensors
    • Reads the chamber temperature from a Pt100 (with converter)
    • Feeds the Temperature Control by TCU service
  • QB Sample Cooling Chamber
    For cooled storage SCM-001

    QB Sample Cooling Chamber

    • Insulated chamber with cooled, exchangeable vial holders
    • 42 × 4 mL, 36 × 8 mL or 21 + 18 mixed vials
    • Tubing pass-throughs, coolant quick connectors
    • Needs an external chiller loop
  • QB Thermo
    For cooled storage TCT-001

    QB Thermo

    • Heating and cooling device, 2–42 °C
    • Cooling power 580 W, heating 460 W
    • Self-sealing quick-connect thermofluid fittings
    • The chiller for the cooling chamber loop
A gloved hand placing a vial in the QB AutoSampler vial rack next to the Selector Valve
Vials, analytical devices and waste are all ports of the Selector Valve.
A single-use syringe being fitted to the QB Syringe Pump
Single-use 5 or 10 mL syringes; recalibrate after every change.

Fluid paths

Your contamination strategy, configured in software

Dedicated, shared and hybrid paths run on the same platform; you choose per source group.

Dedicated

One Syringe Pump and Selector Valve pair per source vessel. No shared fluid path between vessels.

Typical use: Contamination-sensitive work

Services

Five services, one platform

Sampling logic runs as QB Control services, configured per recipe step. Every service validates its configuration before any liquid moves, supervises both devices and every step, and reports precisely why it stopped.

  • Available

    Automated Sampling

    Core service

    • Takes a defined volume from a vessel through the Selector Valve and dispenses it into a tube or vial.
    • Empty to waste, optional priming, optional clean before, draw, dispense, optional clean after, optional fill.
    • Resume repeats the interrupted step; a partly drawn volume is completed, not drawn twice.
  • Available

    Sampler Cleaning

    Port washing

    • Washes selected Selector Valve ports with one washing liquid, port by port.
    • Per-port switches for ports 1–24; the washing source port is excluded automatically.
    • Always one full syringe per port.
  • Available

    Sampling Aliquoting

    One draw, two ports

    • Draws X = Y + Z and pushes Y to port A, the remainder Z to port B.
    • Compensates the dead volume of both destination lines; a deviation above 0.05 mL or 2 % raises a warning.
    • Delivery is sequential within one cycle, not simultaneous.
  • Available

    Sampling Dilution

    In-vial dilution

    • Dilution factor D = total ÷ sample, 1.0–6.0; sample first, then diluent, then an air chase.
    • Interleaved dosing in up to 10 portions; a vial capacity check stops the run before any liquid moves.
    • The service does not mix: vortex the vials before analysis.
  • Available

    Temperature Control by TCU

    Cooled storage

    • Cascade control: an external sensor measures the process, and the service's PID sets the chiller setpoint.
    • Optional process limits, six-level temperature alarms, chiller and sensor supervision.
    • In the sampler it holds the cooling chamber at its storage temperature through QB Thermo.

Path cleaning

Wash, rinse, dry — before and after every sample

Cleaning runs through the Syringe Pump and Selector Valve. Each leg is switched on or off separately, before the sample, after it, or both.

  1. 1

    Wash ×N

    Fill the syringe from the washing port and empty it to waste, 1–24 times.

  2. 2

    Rinse ×N

    The same with the rinsing liquid port, 1–24 times.

  3. 3

    Air-dry ×1

    Fill the syringe with air and push it to waste at the drying flow rate.

  4. 4

    Fill (optional)

    Fill the syringe with a filling liquid; it keeps the path wet between samples.

Washing, rinsing and filling liquids and the air connect to ports of the same Selector Valve. You choose the liquids and your cleaning strategy.

Run Sampler Cleaning together with Automated Sampling, before and after sampling, so tubing and valve ports stay clean and unclogged.

Aseptic sampling setup

Dedicated consumable sets, an A4BEE-provided SOP for assembly and operation, and an aseptic testing report available on demand. The same hardware supports standard and aseptic sampling.

Cooled storage

4 °C storage right next to the process

The QB Sample Cooling Chamber keeps drawn samples in an insulated, cooled holder until collection. It needs an external chiller loop; final performance depends on chiller settings, coolant, tubing and ambient conditions.

The QB Sample Cooling Chamber connected to the QB Thermo chiller with coolant hoses
  1. 1

    QB Thermo (TCT-001)

    Circulates glycol-based coolant to the chamber through self-sealing quick connectors (2–42 °C).

  2. 2

    QB Sample Cooling Chamber (SCM-001)

    Holds the vial rack in an insulated cooled volume; sample lines enter through pass-throughs without disconnecting.

  3. 3

    QB Multisensor (MTS-001)

    Reads the chamber temperature from a Pt100 sensor (with converter).

  4. 4

    Temperature Control by TCU

    Regulates the QB Thermo setpoint so the chamber reaches and holds the temperature you set.

  5. 5

    Recipe condition

    A Wait Until condition on the chamber temperature holds the sampling step until the storage temperature is reached.

The QB Sample Cooling Chamber, open, with two vial holders full of capped vials
Storage temperature 4 °C; 1 °C minimum reached in laboratory conditions
Storage time More than 72 h at 4 °C
Cool-down ca. 10 min to 4 °C pre-cooled; ca. 20 min from room temperature (with QB Thermo)
Vial capacity 42 × 4 mL · 36 × 8 mL · 21 × 4 mL + 18 × 8 mL
Vial limits 4 mL vial: max. 3 mL sample · 8 mL vial: max. 6 mL sample
Coolant Glycol-based recommended; not demineralised water (corrosion)
Size and weight 237 × 273 × 278 mm; 2.0 kg empty

Size the two capacities together

The chamber holds 42, 36 or 21 + 18 vials, while one Selector Valve offers up to 24 positions, including the source, wash, air and waste ports. Filling a full chamber in one run needs stacked Selector Valves — or exchange the vial holder between runs.

Choose a setup

Which configuration do you need?

Pick what you need to sample and where the samples go. We size the final configuration with you.

I need…

One vessel, several destinations

Configuration

1 Syringe Pump + 1 Selector Valve

Good to know

Up to 24 positions shared between source, wash, air, waste and destination ports.

Use cases

Built for your workflow

Automated sampling for non-regulated R&D and process development, adapted to your process.

  • Unattended monitoring

    Periodic or condition-triggered sampling from a bioreactor, with samples held at 4 °C for more than 72 hours: overnight and weekend runs without an operator.

    Setup · Automated Sampling · Sampler Cleaning · Temperature Control by TCU · SCM-001

  • Multi-vessel screening

    Sample parallel vessels in time-shifted rounds on a shared path, or give each vessel its own path. Clean between samples and between cell lines.

    Setup · Shared or dedicated path · recipe rounds · Sampler Cleaning

  • Sample preparation at the point of draw

    Send one draw to a cooled vial and a second destination in the same cycle, and dilute dense samples in the vial before analysis.

    Setup · Sampling Aliquoting · Sampling Dilution · no extra hardware

Specifications

Technical specifications

For evaluation, taken from QB Systems documentation.

Sampling performance
Sample volume 1.0–6 mL recommended. Below 1.0 mL the dead volume becomes comparable to the sample; the upper limit is set by the syringe (5 or 10 mL) and the vial (4 mL: max. 3 mL; 8 mL: max. 6 mL).
Volume accuracy Syringe Pump: ±0.5 % of set volume (depends on the syringe). Complete sampling path: approx. ±0.5 mL, driven by liquid left in the tubing.
Dead volume per sample 0.5–1.0 mL (aspiration path approx. 0.5 mL plus approx. 0.5 mL residual liquid). The sampling path volume is configurable and cleared before the draw.
Syringes and flow rate 5 mL or 10 mL single-use; 0.001–50 mL/min depending on syringe size.
Paths, preparation and storage
Valve positions Up to 24 per Selector Valve, stackable; tubing OD 1.6 mm.
Fluid paths Dedicated, shared or hybrid. Concurrent sampling needs a pump + valve pair per vessel; in-sequence sampling reuses pairs through recipe rounds.
Destinations Vials, analytical devices and waste, as Selector Valve ports.
Sample preparation In-vial dilution, factor 1.0–6.0; one draw split between two ports, sequentially within one cycle.
Sample storage 4 °C for more than 72 h; 42 × 4 mL, 36 × 8 mL or 21 + 18 vials; chiller loop required (QB Thermo).
Cleaning Wash ×N, rinse ×N, air-dry ×1, optional fill; before and/or after the sample.
Control, data and compliance
Sampling triggers Schedule, time, counter and live-tag conditions in the Recipe Designer; external triggering over the OPC UA connector.
Communication OPC UA connector (QB Control); MQTT.
Records Audit trail and auto-generated PDF batch reports. QB Control is conformant with the 21 CFR Part 11 requirements it implements (audit trail, PDF reports); electronic signatures are on the roadmap. No claim of compliance or validation is made — that is a property of the user's validated process.
Positioning Non-regulated R&D process-development tool.
Control software QB Control, in a web browser.
Module dimensions Selector Valve 320 × 115 × 115 mm; Syringe Pump 240 × 60 × 120 mm (without syringe); Sample Cooling Chamber 237 × 273 × 278 mm.
Certification and warranty CE marking on QB Edge, Selector Valve, Syringe Pump, QB Thermo and QB Multisensor. 12-month warranty on QB Modules.

Specifications as of 14.10.2026. QB AutoSampler is a non-regulated R&D process-development tool.

Pricing & licensing

Predictable pricing

Hardware configuration and consumables drive the cost. The software licence is perpetual and scales with your modules and services.

What impacts the price

Sampling mode In sequence or concurrent; concurrent needs more device pairs
Port configuration Source and destination ports set the Selector Valve setup
Fluid paths Dedicated or shared paths for the sampling lines
Consumables Standard or aseptic consumable sets
Cooled storage Cooling chamber, QB Thermo, QB Multisensor and the TCU service
Sample preparation Sampling Dilution and Sampling Aliquoting licences

Consumables are ordered separately as sets: the Single-Use Consumables Sampling Set includes tubing, fittings and needles; single-use syringes come in 5 mL and 10 mL, vials in 4 mL and 8 mL. The Syringe Pump and Selector Valve ship with the cabling to QB Edge only.

QB AutoSampler questions, answered

How many sources can the QB AutoSampler sample?

One Selector Valve offers up to 24 positions, shared between source, wash, air, waste and destination ports, and valves are stackable. The recipe can switch sources and destinations per cycle, and more vessels are added with more Syringe Pump and Selector Valve pairs on the same QB Edge.

Is it compatible with my bioreactors?

We do not publish a bioreactor compatibility list. The sampling source is a tubing connection (OD 1.6 mm standard) to a Selector Valve port; wider tubing with a lower-port valve suits dense or viscous media. Contact us to discuss your vessels and sampling interfaces.

How does aseptic sampling work?

With dedicated consumable sets and an A4BEE-provided SOP for assembly and operation; an aseptic testing report is available on demand. The same hardware supports standard and aseptic sampling — the difference is in consumables and procedure.

What is the difference between concurrent and in-sequence sampling?

Concurrent sampling uses a dedicated Syringe Pump and Selector Valve pair per vessel, so all vessels are sampled at the same time. In-sequence sampling reuses pairs in recipe rounds — for example 12 vessels on 6 pairs in 2 rounds — when time-shifted sampling is acceptable. A shared path makes the cleaning strategy critical.

How is sampling triggered?

Three ways: natively in the QB Control Recipe Designer; from your control software over OPC UA, with the strategy kept in QB Control; or fully externally, with QB Control exposing tags over OPC UA and the logic in your system — recommended only for complex integrations such as a DCS.

How accurate is the sampled volume?

The QB Syringe Pump is specified at ±0.5 % of the set volume. Across the complete sampling path, the delivered sample is approx. ±0.5 mL, driven by liquid remaining in the tubing. The Automated Sampling service also dispenses the second-aspiration volume with the sample, so plan aspiration plus sample volume within the syringe.

What do I need for sampling with cleaning and cooled storage?

QB Edge, QB Multisensor (for the Pt100 sensor), QB Selector Valve, QB Syringe Pump, QB Thermo and the QB Sample Cooling Chamber, with the Automated Sampling, Sampler Cleaning and Temperature Control by TCU services. Sampling Dilution and Aliquoting are optional services on the same hardware.

Do the dilution and aliquoting services mix or split at the same time?

No to both. Sampling Dilution does not mix, so vortex the vials before analysis. Sampling Aliquoting delivers the two portions one after the other within one cycle.

Is the QB AutoSampler a regulated or validated system?

No. It is a non-regulated R&D process-development tool. QB Control records an audit trail and generates PDF batch reports, and is conformant with the 21 CFR Part 11 requirements it implements; electronic signatures are on the roadmap. No claim of compliance or validation is made — that is a property of the user's validated process.

Are there recurring software fees?

No. The licence is perpetual: a one-time cost with no subscription. It is linked to your modules and services, and scaling with new hardware requires a licence upgrade, applied in real time.

What support plans are available?

Every system includes 12 months of remote support with software updates, new versions and bug fixes. Optional extended support adds prioritised reaction times, spare parts shipment and dedicated support.

Ready to automate your sampling?

Request a live demo or a configuration quote for your vessels, paths and storage needs.

Contact us