See the Colonies Others Miss.
Smart colony picking for microbiomes, straight from your benchtop or your hypoxic chamber.
Plating, streaking, picking, and liquid handling, all in one compact device? The QPix® FLEX™ Microbial Colony Picker makes it look easy. With advanced color imaging, it helps you spot the right colonies faster. And yes, it fits on your bench or in a hypoxic chamber – because why wouldn’t it? The QPix FLEX system replaces the clutter with one smart, streamlined system built to move your research forward.
You research deserves better than manual guesswork.
Whether you're advancing microbiome studies, engineering microbial strains, or chasing the next breakthrough in synthetic biology, traditional workflows can slow you down. The QPix FLEX system was built to eliminate those bottlenecks, so you can focus on science, not sample prep.
Five Instruments? Nah, Just the One.
Pain Point: Fragmented workflows with multiple instruments increase variability and contamination risk.
Solution: End-to-end automation, all in one system.
Plating, streaking, picking, hit picking, and liquid handling are fully automated in a single compact device, saving you up to 8 hours a day and ensuring consistent, reproducible results.
Stop Guessing. Start Picking Smarter.
Pain Point: Manual colony picking is slow, error-prone, and based on guesswork.
Solution: High-resolution color imaging and white light detection.
The QPix FLEX system empowers you to classify colonies based on morphology and color, selecting only the most viable strains. No more rework. No more missed hits.
Low-Oxygen Labs? Bring It On.
Pain Point: Most lab automation doesn’t work inside hypoxic or anaerobic chambers.
Solution: Compact, chamber-ready design.
The QPix FLEX system fits seamlessly into hypoxic environments, enabling fully automated colony picking where others can’t operate. Finally, automation meets anaerobic microbiology.
No More Lost Colonies.
Pain Point: Tracking hundreds of colonies manually is tedious and unreliable.
Solution: Integrated 2D barcode reader.
Maintain full traceability across every plate and pick, boosting reproducibility and simplifying compliance for even the most regulated workflows.
Introducing the all-new QPix FLEX
Smart design meets powerful functionality.
1. High-resolution color and white-light camera
Enables precise colony classification based on morphology and pigmentation – ideal for phenotype-based selection and microbial diversity screening.
2. Multi-function pipetting head (4-channel)
Automates media dispensing, plating, cherry picking, and streaking, reducing manual intervention and ensuring consistent sample preparation.
3. Swappable tip system
You can quickly switch between sterilizable metal pins and disposable tips without changing hardware. Depending on your lab's needs, you can maximize sterility, sustainability, or budget.
4. Integrated barcode reader
Built-in 2D barcode scanning ensures full sample traceability from plating through picking and downstream analysis.
5. Modular labware deck
Supports flexible source and destination labware configurations: Petri dishes, PCR plates, microfuge tubes, 96/384-well plates, and more.
6. Proprietary plating and streaking tip
Gently streaks colonies across agar surfaces with precision, preserving plate quality and minimizing disruption to delicate media.
7. Compact, chamber-ready footprint
Sized for benchtops and hypoxic chamber use (25.2 x 21.6 x 27.6 in), allowing full automation even in space-constrained or anaerobic environments.
8. Automation-ready connectivity
API integration enables connection to robotic arms or full lab automation systems for extended walkaway time and higher throughput.
Why choose QPix FLEX?
Precision Picking with Phenotypic Insight
With its advanced high-resolution color camera, the QPix FLEX system analyzes microbial colonies based on morphology and pigmentation. This means smarter, more selective picks, so you're working with the most viable strains every time. Say goodbye to manual guesswork and hello to confident selections.
End-to-End Automation in One Device
Colony picking. Plating. Streaking. Liquid handling. Barcode tracking. All seamlessly automated in one instrument. The QPix FLEX system consolidates what once took multiple instruments and hours of manual labor into a single streamlined process, saving researchers up to 8 hours a day.
Compact and Hypoxic Chamber-Ready
Space constraints? No problem. The QPix FLEX system fits easily on a benchtop or inside a hypoxic or anaerobic chamber, making it the ideal solution for microbiome researchers studying low-oxygen organisms. It’s automation that works where other systems can’t.
Flexibility on Your Terms
Need sterile, reusable tips? Prefer disposable ones for convenience? With its swappable tip system, the QPix FLEX system gives you the choice, without compromising performance. Control sterility, sustainability, and cost your way.
Pick. Plate. Streak. Learn More Now.
One Instrument. Every Step. Built for Microbiomes.
End-to-end automation inside and outside hypoxic chambers.
Talk to our experts to explore other microbial colony picking solutions
QPix LH-AWES
The QPix LH-AWES is engineered for high-throughput environments, providing robust solutions for microbial screening and colony picking.
- Automated high-throughput screening: Screens up to 30,000 colonies per day.
- Advanced imaging technology: Utilizes high-resolution imaging for precise colony identification and selection.
- Integrated data management: Integrates for efficient data tracking and analysis.
- Customizable workflows: Flexible software allows for customization.
QPix 450/460
From plating to picking, the QPix 450 and 460 Microbial Colony Pickers offer unparalleled throughput and efficiency, perfect for high-demand laboratory environments.
- Increased throughput: Process up to 210 destination plates.
- Flexible stacker options: Up to 3 stacker lanes available.
- Extended walkaway time: Pick 14,976 colonies in 4.5 hours.
- Optional fluidics: Integrates plating and streaking seamlessly.
QPix XE
The QPix XE system is a compact solution designed for efficient microbial colony picking, suitable for smaller labs or specific applications.
- Space-saving design: Compact footprint ideal for laboratories with limited space.
- Accurate colony selection: Ensures precise picking with advanced imaging technology.
- User-friendly operation: Simplifies the colony picking process with an easy-to-use interface.
- More than just colony picking: Do more, like plate replication and hit picking.
We Empower Scientists to Advance Discovery
Customer Success Stories
Fermentalg® uses QPix® 420 colony picker to leverage microalgae metabolism to produce natural food dyes
Recognizing the need for a time-saving and labor-efficient method, Fermentalg made a groundbreaking decision to equip its laboratories with a high throughput screening platform. This platform enabled them to streamline their screening process and optimize their industrial strains effectively. A crucial component of this platform is the QPix 420 instrument, which revolutionized the colony picking step.
Inscripta enables scientists to perform digital genome editing
Inscripta’s vision is to democratize scalable genome editing to the world by offering a holistic platform consisting of software, instrument, reagents, & consumables to enable forward engineering solutions that are faster, easier, & more cost-effective for their customers. Using the QPix 420, customers may effectively generate and screen phenotypic diversity to enable successful bioeconomy solutions for the next generation of synthetic biology companies.
We're a trusted life sciences partner to researchers around the world
