This system was built for a client who had developed a method of growing human tissue in a petri dish tray for use in skin grafts. The function of the system was to drain and refill the nutrient solution used in growing the tissue grafts. The challenge was the requirement for a class 100 or better cleanroom environment in the areas of the machine where the skin would be exposed to air, as the skin grafts were highly sensitive to foreign matter. All sections the machine which came in contact with or passed over the skin trays needed to be removable and autoclavable. All exhausts from pneumatic actuators needed to be routed outside of the machine, and an elaborate error-handling control system set in place to prevent the possibility of cross contamination between trays. The system procedure was as follows. The operator inserted a stack of sealed trays containing grafts and used nutrient solution into the system. An escapement mechanism removed one tray at a time from the bottom of the stack and indexed it along rails through the stations of the system. The tray would then be restacked at the other end of the machine in First-In-First-Out order. As the tray traveled through the system, it would first be oriented correctly for the nutrient draining and filling process, as the trays would be loaded in a random orientation by the operator. The trays would be tilted and drained, then refilled with solution.

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