Design and implementation of novel 4-arm Rotary Slide Stainer

The design of a novel 4-arm Rotary Slide Stainer for cytological study is proposed in this paper. In this design, both the structure and software control systems are developed. The objective was to achieve higher staining efficiency by the simultaneous staining of 96 (24x4) slides in one complete staining cycle, through an indigenous design having the minimum possible footprint. The design should also enable the user to run custom staining cycles as required. Structurally, the system consists of a rotary and a linear type actuator with controllers housed in a metal enclosure, and with 30 reagent jars arranged in a circular pattern. Manually controlled running water supply-in is provided. User interfacing is done by a Raspberry Pi single board computer by using a custom-built GUI. This GUI enables the user to perform the required staining cycle using a touch-based interface. User is able to customize parameters such as stain time, dwell time, slide positioning etc. Pap smear technique was used for slide preparation. The testing of the prototype unit yielded satisfactory results, both in terms of the staining efficiency as well as stain quality of the slides.