Predictika · Laboratory automation quotes

An AI sales agent's liquid handling workstation quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a Fluent liquid handling workstation: the model and the robotic arms mounted on it. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the published arm rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Tecan Fluent 480, 780 and 1080 workstation quotes: how many arms each model holds, how many Flexible Channel Arms, Multiple Channel Arms and Robotic Gripper Arms are allowed, and the stated arm and channel counts. See everything this validator covers

This validator models the arm configuration of Fluent 480, 780 and 1080 workstations as published in the Tecan Fluent Reference Manual (399937 v1.7, section 2.3.1) and Tecan's Fluent product pages (read October 5, 2026), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Arms per model — a Fluent 480 holds up to two arms and a Fluent 780 or 1080 up to three, in any order.
  • Arm types — at most one Flexible Channel Arm (Liquid or Air) on a 480 and two on a 780 or 1080; at most one Robotic Gripper Arm and one Multiple Channel Arm (MCA96 or MCA384) per instrument.
  • Stated figures and approvals — the stated arm count and the stated individual pipetting channels (8 per Flexible Channel Arm) must equal the quoted arms; a Liquid and an Air Flexible Channel Arm on the same instrument goes to a person, because the manual does not say whether that is allowed.

Any Fluent arm configuration that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (Tecan does not publish list prices, so this validator produces no price build-up or line-item quote), deck layout and grid positions (the sources read disagreed on deck sizes, so they are not modeled), Fluent Dx, software, carriers, pipetting options and service contracts.

The AI sales agentBuilds the workstation quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
A limit on the number of arms that depends on the modelOnly with care
A per-model maximum works as a rule, but each model needs its own limit that has to be kept in step with the manual.		The limit is looked up from the model and compared with the quoted arms on every call.
Limits on each arm type: one gripper, one multiple channel arm, fewer pipetting arms on the smaller modelOnly with workarounds
Each limit is a count across lines of the quote and some depend on the model, so each needs its own cross-line rule that interacts with the others.		Every arm and the model are in one request and all limits are checked together.
Stated arm and channel counts that must equal the quoted armsOnly with care
A stated figure is a free-entry field; a rule can compare it with a computed total, but each total has to be defined and maintained.		The stated counts travel with the quote and are compared with the computed totals on every call.
A combination the manual does not describeOnly with workarounds
Anything the manual is silent on is usually either allowed by default or blocked by a catch-all rule; neither routes it to a person.		Combining a Liquid and an Air arm is flagged for a person to confirm instead of being guessed.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The quote has 2 Flexible Channel Arms; this Fluent model allows at most 1.
2The quote has 3 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 2 arms.
3The quote has 4 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 3 arms.
4The quote has 3 Flexible Channel Arms; this Fluent model allows at most 2.
5The quote has 2 Robotic Gripper Arms; the reference manual allows at most one per instrument.
6The quote has 2 Multiple Channel Arms (MCA96 or MCA384); the reference manual allows at most one per instrument.
7The quote combines a Liquid and an Air Flexible Channel Arm; the reference manual does not say whether this is allowed, so a person should confirm it.
8The quote states 2 arms; the quoted arms add up to 3.
9The quote states 24 individual pipetting channels; the quoted Flexible Channel Arms give 16 (8 per arm).
10The quote has 7 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 3 arms.
11The quote states 3 arms; the quoted arms add up to 7.
12The quote states 16 individual pipetting channels; the quoted Flexible Channel Arms give 24 (8 per arm).

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Fluent 780 order: Fluent 780 with five arms, two gripper arms and a wrong arm count

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 780 workstation with 2 Liquid Flexible Channel Arms, 1 MCA96 Multiple Channel Arm and 2 Robotic Gripper Arms. The quote states 3 arms and 16 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many arms for the model. The quote has 5 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 3 arms.
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  • More than one Robotic Gripper Arm. The quote has 2 Robotic Gripper Arms; the reference manual allows at most one per instrument.
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  • Stated arm count does not match. The quote states 3 arms; the quoted arms add up to 5.
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2. Fluent 780 order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 780 workstation with 2 Liquid Flexible Channel Arms and 1 Robotic Gripper Arm. The quote states 3 arms and 16 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Arm summary. 3 arm(s) of at most 3, 16 individual pipetting channels (8 per Flexible Channel Arm).
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3. Fluent 480 order: Fluent 480 with four arms, two pipetting arms and a wrong arm count

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 480 workstation with 1 Liquid Flexible Channel Arm, 1 Air Flexible Channel Arm, 1 MCA384 Multiple Channel Arm and 1 Robotic Gripper Arm. The quote states 3 arms and 16 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many arms for the model. The quote has 4 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 2 arms.
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  • Too many Flexible Channel Arms. The quote has 2 Flexible Channel Arms; this Fluent model allows at most 1.
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  • Stated arm count does not match. The quote states 3 arms; the quoted arms add up to 4.
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  • Liquid and Air Flexible Channel Arms together. The quote combines a Liquid and an Air Flexible Channel Arm; the reference manual does not say whether this is allowed, so a person should confirm it.
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4. Fluent 480 order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 480 workstation with 1 Liquid Flexible Channel Arm, 1 MCA384 Multiple Channel Arm and 1 Robotic Gripper Arm. The quote states 3 arms and 16 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many arms for the model. The quote has 3 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 2 arms.
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  • Stated channel count does not match. The quote states 16 individual pipetting channels; the quoted Flexible Channel Arms give 8 (8 per arm).
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5. Fluent 480 order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 480 workstation with 1 Liquid Flexible Channel Arm and 1 Robotic Gripper Arm. The quote states 2 arms and 8 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Arm summary. 2 arm(s) of at most 2, 8 individual pipetting channels (8 per Flexible Channel Arm).
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6. Fluent 1080 order: Fluent 1080 with three pipetting arms and two multiple channel arms

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 1080 workstation with 3 Liquid Flexible Channel Arms, 1 MCA96 Multiple Channel Arm and 1 MCA384 Multiple Channel Arm. The quote states 3 arms and 24 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many arms for the model. The quote has 5 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 3 arms.
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  • Too many Flexible Channel Arms. The quote has 3 Flexible Channel Arms; this Fluent model allows at most 2.
    • 
      
  • More than one Multiple Channel Arm. The quote has 2 Multiple Channel Arms (MCA96 or MCA384); the reference manual allows at most one per instrument.
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  • Stated arm count does not match. The quote states 3 arms; the quoted arms add up to 5.
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7. Fluent 1080 order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Fluent 1080 workstation with 2 Liquid Flexible Channel Arms and 1 MCA384 Multiple Channel Arm. The quote states 3 arms and 16 individual pipetting channels. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Arm summary. 3 arm(s) of at most 3, 16 individual pipetting channels (8 per Flexible Channel Arm).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a Fluent liquid handling workstation: the model and the robotic arms mounted on it. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the published arm rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote a Fluent 1080 workstation with 3 Liquid Flexible Channel Arms, 1 MCA96 Multiple Channel Arm and 1 MCA384 Multiple Channel Arm. The quote states 3 arms and 24 individual pipetting channels. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with four findings, all in one answer. The quote has 5 arms; this Fluent model holds at most 3 arms. The quote has 3 Flexible Channel Arms; this Fluent model allows at most 2. The quote has 2 Multiple Channel Arms (MCA96 or MCA384); the reference manual allows at most one per instrument. The other one is on screen.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned four blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for limits on each arm type: one gripper, one multiple channel arm, fewer pipetting arms on the smaller model, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the Liquid Flexible Channel Arms to 2, the MCA96 arms to 0 and the stated pipetting channels to 16.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All four earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
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  13. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.