Autosamplers enable substantial gains in productivity, precision and accuracy in many analytical scenarios, and therefore are widely employed in laboratories.
Usually, by spinning by the carousel a fixed number of degrees, a sample falls into the reactor, which is constantly purged by a carrier gas (He, for example).
Another common design for autosamplers for liquids is of a sampling apparatus that moves freely in the 3D space, similarly to CNC routers and 3D printers, for instance.
This kind of design is appropriate for small sample volumes (in the order of tens of microliters), commonly used in gas chromatography, for example.
[5] Autosamplers for gases can be as simple as a pump that continuously sucks air or any gas mixture inside the analytical device, or be the same as the one used for liquids, but with a gas-tight syringe.
Many autosamplers are sold as optional parts of the analytical setup, and make up for a substantial portion of its total cost.