Integrated X-ray diffraction protein crystal screening system

As synchrotron beamlines have become more prevalent for research in structural biology, many home lab X-ray systems are used mainly for screening crystals in advance of synchrotron data collection. To meet the needs of this type of work flow, Rigaku has developed the ScreenMachine, a self contained unit that is optimized for safe crystal mounting and recovery, optimized for evaluating small crystals, designed for minimal maintenance, and, best of all, collects amazingly high quality data.

Easily and simply screen crystals

Built around the time tested design of an inverted φ-axis, the ScreenMachine offers the best possible geometry for safe crystal mounting and recovery. Utilizing the most popular processing software in use today, researchers can quickly and efficiently evaluate the diffraction quality of a mounted sample.

Train and teach your students

Having a ScreenMachine in a structural biology lab ensures that students and other researchers will have the opportunity to learn proper crystal mounting and handling techniques with the instant feedback that can only come from having an in-house X-ray source. Learning to effectively use crystallographic software is as important as learning to properly mount and handle crystals and collect proper data. As with all Rigaku’s protein crystallography systems, the HKL3000-R software suite provides instrument control, data processing, and structure solution capabilities.

Produce research grade data

Of course, to really be an effective home lab X-ray system the ScreenMachine must be capable of producing outstanding data; there are times when everyone wants needs to collect a full data set at home. The optic has been specifically designed to provide a beam at the crystal position of 90 μm FWHM. This small beam is particularly useful for evaluating the small crystals that often are obtained at the beginning of a crystallization project.