Lab Consumables & Instruments (LIMS)

In the day to day process of a laboratory, analysts use various solutions and instruments to analyze samples. Traceability of these items is necessary to ensure the results from testing are accurate and timely. Vault LIMS tracks the use of these as Consumables and Instruments.

About Lab Consumables

Lab Consumables are the trackable items used in performing an analysis method, which are grouped into three types: Reagents, Standards, and Equipment. Analysts or other users must record and track the use of any specific consumable during an analysis of a set of samples.

Reagents and Standards consumables are chemical reagents that when used in the process become part of the solutions tested. They are purchased from a vendor or prepared in-house. It is often important to note the concentration of these consumables.

Equipment consumables are items that when used in the process do not become part of the solutions tested, such as pipette tips. Concentration is not recorded for Equipment consumables.

In Vault LIMS, the Consumable Family object represents item groupings indicated by a Lab Consumable, for example, 0.5 N Sulfuric Acid. The Consumable object represents an individually tracked unit of that reagent with a Lot Number, for example, 0.5 N Sulfuric Acid-12345. An individual Lab Consumable can be further broken down into Lab Consumable Components if the Lab Consumable is created from other Lab Consumables. For example, Concentrated Sulfuric Acid-4321 with an Amount value of 27 mL, and Water-321 with an Amount value of 973 mL.

About Instruments

Instruments are machines that analyze solutions to qualify the presence or quantify the amount of a specific analyte within those solutions. Analysts or other users must record and track the use of any specific instrument during an analysis of a set of samples.

In Vault LIMS, the Asset Family object of the Instrument object type represents a type of machine, while the Asset object of the Instrument object type represents the unique physical machine.

Working with Lab Consumables

Before adding consumables to Lab Tests, you must create Lab Consumable Families in your Vault to reflect your reagents, standards, and consumable equipment.

Creating Lab Consumable Families

To create a Lab Consumable Family:

  1. Navigate to a Lab Consumable Families custom tab.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Select a type from the drop-down: Reagent, Standard, or Equipment.
  4. Enter a Name.
  5. Click Save.

The Lab Consumable Family is now available for selection when creating individual Lab Consumable records.

Creating Lab Consumables

To create a Lab Consumable:

  1. Navigate to a Consumables custom tab.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Select a type from the drop-down: Reagent, Standard, or Equipment.
  4. Enter a Name.
  5. Select the appropriate Consumable Family.
  6. Select a Preparation Type. If you select Created, ensure that you define any necessary Lab Consumable Components after saving your record.
  7. Enter a Lot Number.
  8. Fill in any additional field information required by your organization’s processes, such as storage condition and location.
  9. If your organization tracks the amount remaining for consumables, fill in the Amount Units, Initial Amount, and Remaining Amount fields.
  10. Click Save.

The consumable is now available to add to a Lab Test, or for use as a Lab Consumable Component. The consumable will no longer be available for use when its state is changed to Complete or if it reaches an entered expiration date.

Defining Lab Consumable Components

To define the Lab Consumable Components of another Lab Consumable:

  1. On a Lab Consumable object record of the Created preparation type, navigate to the Lab Consumable Components section and click Create.
  2. Select a Component. The record you select is a Lab Consumable record.
  3. Fill in any additional field information required for this type of consumable.
  4. Click Save.

Repeat these steps for each component of the created consumable.

Tracking Use of Consumable Components

To view a list of all the Lab Consumables that use a particular Lab Consumable as a component, you can navigate to the Lab Consumables using this Component section.

Working with Instruments

Before adding instruments to Lab Tests, you must create Instrument (Asset) Families in your Vault to reflect your instrumentation types.

Creating Instrument Families

To create an Asset Family of the Instrument type:

  1. Navigate to an Asset Families custom tab.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Select the Instrument type from the drop-down.
  4. Enter a Name.
  5. Click Save.

The Instrument Family is now available for selection when creating individual Instrument records.

Creating Instruments

To create an Asset of the Instrument type:

  1. Navigate to an Assets custom tab.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Select the Instrument type from the drop-down.
  4. Enter a Name.
  5. Select the appropriate Asset Family.
  6. Fill in any additional field information required by your organization’s processes.
  7. Click Save.

The Instrument is now available to add to a Lab Test. It will no longer be available for selection if its state changes to Out of Service or it reaches its Next Due date for maintenance.

To manage consumables and instruments, a user must have a security profile or role which grants them View, Create, and Edit permissions for the following objects (and applicable object types):

  • Lab Consumable
  • Lab Consumable Component
  • Lab Consumable Family
  • Asset
  • Asset Family