Laser marking system for histology cassettes
A fiber laser system that engraves patient data and DataMatrix codes onto histology cassettes: up to 40 cassettes a minute across four independent streams.
The problem
Pathology labs handle hundreds of biopsy specimens a day, each in a plastic cassette, often still labelled by hand. Handwriting leads to illegible labels and mixed-up specimens, and it makes the specimen trail required by ISO 15189 hard to maintain. In pathology a labelling error is a diagnostic error.
What we built
A fiber laser controller plus a Raspberry Pi running a C++17/Qt 5 core application. Four independent print streams, each fed by a 40-cassette hopper. Every cassette gets plain text (patient name, case number) and a DataMatrix code in about 1.5 s.
A web operator interface available on any device in the lab network. Jobs can also arrive from the LIS/HIS through a REST API or a watched folder. STM32F401/FreeRTOS firmware drives cassette transport.
Software documented to IEC 62304 (SRS, verification plan, traceability matrix, SOUP register). Risk management under ISO 14971, with 16 hazards identified and controlled.
Results
- Up to 40 cassettes/min
- Permanent, chemically resistant marking at 2,500 DPI
- DataMatrix codes readable by standard scanners
- LIS/HIS integration
- About 341,000 lines of source code
- Hardware documentation: 17 documents, 600+ pages
Technical specifications
| Throughput | Up to 40 cassettes/min |
|---|---|
| Streams | 4 independent, 40-cassette hopper each |
| Marking time | About 1.5 s per cassette |
| Marking | Fiber laser, 2,500 DPI |
| Content | Text and DataMatrix code |
| Integration | REST API, watched folder |
| Operator interface | Web, any device on the lab network |
| Standards | IEC 62304, ISO 14971 |
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