A device for maintaining a constant temperature for chemical analysis performed with slides having at least one layer adapted to absorb a substance to be analyzed. The slides are conveyed upon a lower conveying belt which may have projections or recesses formed therein for receiving the slides. The upper portions of the slides are sealed by a sealing guide belt which has a surface disposed parallel to and adjacent the conveying belt with the slides passing therebetween. A heater may be provided within the conveying belt and the guide member provided within the sealing guide belt which may itself perform a heating function.

An incubator is provided with an inlet, a measurement station and an outlet for chemical analysis slides, and a number of levers or pushing devices for stepwisely circulating the slides through the apparatus. The device is useful for uniformly incubating a plurality of chemical analysis slides or the like according to a continuous, rather than batch, process.

Apparatus is disclosed for processing a generally planar analysis slide in which a shuttle is adapted to remove a slide from a distributor, deposit the slide in a preconditioner and simultaneously move a slide from the preconditioner into an incubator. A picker is adapted to remove processed slides from the incubator. In order to ensure a constant temperature within the incubator and an effective transfer of slides into and out of the incubator within a relatively short time, the shuttle and picker are located at the same station and are operable independently of each other over a common path.

An incubator includes an incubator ring assembly having at least two concentric rings supported for rotation about a common axle defining an axis of rotation. Each concentric ring includes a plurality of circumferentially defined load positions, each load position being sized for accommodating a test sample. At least one test station is arranged in relation to the plurality of load positions to selectively test a test sample, the test samples being are sequentially shuttled into and out of load positions of at least one of the concentric rings to increase the overall throughput of the analyzer.

A chemical analyzer includes a transport mechanism having a rotatable turntable adapted to hold a plurality of reagent test slides, a sample metering device, an incubator or temperature controller, a reflectometer and associated electronics and software. The rotatable turntable preferably holds up to twelve slides about its circumference, which slides are loaded onto the turntable by an inserter mechanism. The turntable positions the reagent test slides under the metering device, which device deposits a predetermined amount of sample onto each slide. The turntable also carries the slides above a reflectometer. After testing has been completed, an ejector mechanism automatically removes the reagent slides from the turntable.