User manual

4-14 VITEK
®
2 Instrument User Manual
510731-10EN1
Instrument Hardware Components VITEK
®
2 Instrument
Various temperature and air pressure sensors in the system monitor the
inside of the vacuum chamber. VITEK
®
2 ensures proper test card fills by
monitoring these parameters throughout the entire cycle and controlling the
rate at which the vacuum is drawn and released.
Note: The seal on the vacuum chamber should be cleaned periodically. See the
maintenance schedules and procedures in Chapter 7 of this manual.
Sealer Station
CAUTION: The sealer station contains a wire that is heated
during the sealing operation. Do not reach into the instrument
during the sealing operation.
The Sealer station completes the functions inside VITEK
®
2 that prepare the
test cards for incubation and reading. This is accomplished by heat-sealing
the transfer tube that delivered inoculum to the test card from its test tube.
This seals off the contents of the test card.
As the boat and cassette move through this station, a heated wire comes in
contact with each transfer tube. The plastic tube melts, causing most of it to
separate from the test card and drop into the test tube. The portion that
remains in the test card is sealed by the melting plastic.
Note: The stub left from the transfer tube may be up to 0.1 inch (0.25 cm) long.
Test Card Incubation and Reading
Once test cards are sealed, they are ready to be incubated and read. The test
card transport system moves the boat and cassette into position for a
mechanism, called the Card Loader, to place each test card into a slot on a
carousel, where it remains throughout the reading cycle.