Automated Liquid Handling & Lab Automation Financing:
A Cross-Brand Guide.

iLease Capital finances automated liquid handling and lab automation equipment across a range of major brands, new, used, and certified refurbished, and you can call (866) 545-3273 to talk through structure before you apply. Automated liquid handlers and the workcells built around them are capital equipment, not consumables. The financing question is rarely as simple as new versus used. The platform, the configuration, the software and licensing, the seller, and the rest of the automation around the pipetting head all affect how the transaction should be structured.

This guide is deliberately cross-brand. Laboratories shopping for automation compare systems from several manufacturers at once, and a lender that understands the category needs to see what the instrument actually is. For how we approach analytical instruments generally, see our laboratory equipment financing overview, and for a single-brand deep dive see our Beckman Coulter Biomek financing guide.

What Counts as Automated Liquid Handling

Automated liquid handling covers more than one technology, and the distinction matters to a lender because different systems serve different markets and carry different values. Most platforms are tip-based, meaning they move liquid with disposable or fixed tips using air or liquid displacement. A smaller set use acoustic droplet ejection, which moves nanoliter droplets with ultrasonic energy and no physical contact. A third group, magnetic-bead particle processors, are sometimes grouped with automation but do not pipette at all, they purify samples using magnetic beads.

Those categories are not interchangeable collateral simply because they all automate a bench task. A high-throughput tip-based workstation, an acoustic dispenser, and a magnetic-bead processor are different instruments with different acquisition costs and different secondary markets, so the financing request should identify exactly which system the laboratory is buying.

The Major Platforms, by Brand

Current tip-based liquid handling platforms include the Hamilton Microlab family, the STAR, STARlet, STAR V, VANTAGE, NIMBUS, and the compact Prep. Tecan's current platforms include Fluent and Veya; confirm the exact platform and deck configuration on the quote. The earlier Tecan Freedom EVO has reached end of sale and is now a secondary-market system. Beckman Coulter's current tip-based line is the Biomek i-Series, offered as the i3, i5, and i7, while the purpose-built Biomek NGeniuS is a legacy platform that Beckman lists as no longer available for purchase.

Agilent builds the Bravo Automated Liquid Handling Platform and the AssayMAP Bravo configuration used for automated protein and peptide sample preparation ahead of mass spectrometry. Opentrons offers the modular Flex and the benchtop OT-2. Revvity offers the JANUS workstation and the Sciclone line used in genomics and sample-prep workflows. Thermo Fisher equipment encountered in this category includes the tip-based Versette and KingFisher instruments. Confirm current availability and support for the quoted model. KingFisher systems are magnetic-bead particle processors rather than pipettors, a distinction worth keeping clear when comparing quotes.

On the acoustic side, the Beckman Coulter Echo series, which originated with Labcyte, dispenses nanoliter volumes without tips. Model names and configurations change over time, so confirm the exact system and generation on the quote, because that is what the laboratory is financing and what the lender is evaluating.

What These Systems Actually Do

Automated liquid handlers earn their keep on repetitive, precise, high-volume pipetting. Common workflows include next-generation sequencing library preparation, PCR and qPCR reaction setup, nucleic-acid extraction and purification, ELISA and other immunoassays, protein and peptide sample preparation, high-throughput screening and drug discovery, synthetic biology, and clinical diagnostics. For a revenue-producing or grant-funded laboratory, that business case matters as much as the instrument. A lab automating NGS library prep to raise throughput has a clear operational reason for the purchase, and a lender that understands lab equipment wants to see the connection between the asset and the work it supports.

Current Systems vs. the Used Market

One of the most important distinctions in financing lab automation is the gap between the current manufacturer lineup and the equipment actually changing hands in the secondary market. A laboratory shopping used automation will encounter retired platforms such as the Tecan Freedom EVO and the Beckman Biomek NGeniuS, along with earlier Biomek and Microlab generations. An established used and refurbished channel exists across the major brands through specialist dealers, and refurbished units are commonly offered at a discount to new.

An older or discontinued model is not automatically unfinanceable. For used equipment, condition, configuration, and documentation become more important as the system ages, and the remaining manufacturer support window is worth confirming on a retired platform. This guide makes no claim that any brand or model guarantees a particular resale value. A system that is operational, maintained, appropriately configured, and sold by a reputable dealer presents a very different collateral story from an undocumented unit of unknown condition.

Software, Audit Trails, and 21 CFR Part 11

An automated liquid handler is only as useful as the software driving it, and for used systems the software is also a financing consideration. Method files, user accounts, and licenses do not always transfer cleanly between owners, so confirm the software and license status before funding a used purchase.

For records within its scope, 21 CFR Part 11 addresses electronic records and electronic signatures. Applicability depends on the underlying FDA recordkeeping requirements and how electronic records are used or submitted; it is not determined simply by owning laboratory automation. Access controls and audit-trail capabilities may support a laboratory compliance program, but software features alone do not establish compliance. The laboratory should assess its applicable requirements, validation, procedures, and intended use before selecting a system.

Do Not Forget the Rest of the Workcell

A liquid handler rarely operates as an isolated box. Depending on the workflow, the complete acquisition may involve robotic plate movement, a gripper or integrated arm, plate readers or detectors, a thermal cycler or incubator, labware and deck hardware, a safety or HEPA enclosure, a workstation and control software, and installation, integration, and operational qualification. When requesting financing, provide the entire vendor quote, not just the liquid handler line item. If the laboratory is acquiring several components as one automation project, presenting the complete package lets the financing company determine which line items are eligible; equipment, software, consumables, and service costs may receive different treatment.

What You Will Need to Finance Lab Automation

The financing package depends on transaction size and borrower profile, but laboratories should begin with the equipment information. Have available the make, model, and full configuration, the vendor quote or purchase invoice, the equipment condition if used, the year and serial number when available, the software and license status, business and ownership information, the requested financing amount, and a brief explanation of how the system will be used. For an established laboratory, noting that the equipment supports an existing contract, raises throughput, or replaces aging instrumentation provides useful context. For a newer laboratory, additional information about contracts, certifications, ownership, and the planned revenue stream may matter.

We help arrange financing for laboratory instruments, including new, used, and certified refurbished automation platforms, with application-only financing available on qualifying smaller transactions. For how used analytical and lab instruments are evaluated generally, see our guide to financing used lab equipment.

Frequently asked questions