Bluechiip Limited a developer and manufacturer of a unique chain-of-custody tracking and monitoring system has announced it has signed a supply agreement with RC Precision Engineering, based in Malaysia.
The agreement is to manufacture and assemble Bluechiip’s cryogenic storage equipment which incorporates the bluechiip CryoTag technology.
The two companies have collaborated to develop the manufacturing processes for the cryotags, cassettes and racks, which form the basic storage hardware for biobanks and their customers.
The bluechiip CryoTag is used in storage containers such as cassettes and racks, which are normally stored in ultra-low temperature freezers and tanks (i.e. in temperatures as low as -196°C) in biobanks. The use of the bluechiip CryoTag technology allows the recording of temperature history for both tanks and stored samples.
RC specialises in contract manufacturing, engineering design and assembly services. The company provides customized equipment design for semiconductors, circuit boards, disc drives, and for the automation and packaging industries.
Bluechiip Chief Technology Officer Jason Chaffey said in a statement, “Bluechiip’s technology is very valuable for storage equipment used in life sciences, where samples are stored in ultra-cold environments like liquid nitrogen.
“Current tracking and labelling techniques – principally labels and barcodes – do not operate well in these ultra-low temperature environments, especially when frost is prevalent. Bluechiip’s tracking technology is able to critically monitor the temperature of these valuable samples.”