What QInstruments does

QInstruments GmbH is a German laboratory automation company founded in 2003 in Jena, where it maintains 100% in-house manufacturing. The company designs and builds precision orbital mixing and temperature control instruments for life science sample preparation, anchored by the BioShake family of thermoshakers, orbital shakers, and plate mixers, and extended through ColdPlate and HeatPlate thermoblocks, TiltStation and TurnStation plate-processing modules, and the wireless DockingStation integration platform. Core engineering differentiators include the patented Edge Locking Mechanism (ELM) for ±0.1mm microplate positioning, maintenance-free PELTIER-based heating/cooling, vibration-free shaking technology, and a proprietary mathematical model for orbital mixing dynamics. QInstruments holds ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications (TÜV), CE and UKCA conformity marking, and offers approved SiLA drivers across its product line.

The company operates a direct sales and e-commerce model (bioshake.com) alongside OEM partnerships, supplying modules to system integrators and to liquid-handling platforms including TECAN FLUENT and Opentrons. Customers span life science research laboratories, university medical centers, drug discovery laboratories in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and OEM automation partners. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; support services, repair, and calibration supplement direct hardware and OEM module revenue. Over 20+ years QInstruments has shipped approximately 39,781 instruments to 836 customers worldwide across roughly 211 high-end product configurations.

Since 2021, QInstruments has been a subsidiary of BICO (Nasdaq Stockholm: BICO), a Swedish publicly traded lab automation group organized into Lab Automation, Life Science Solutions, and Bioprinting. QInstruments operates as a core component of BICO's Lab Automation business area, retaining its Jena headquarters, Made-in-Germany production, and brand portfolio (BioShake, ColdPlate, HeatPlate, TiltStation, TurnStation, DockingStation) while gaining access to BICO's broader commercial infrastructure. Leadership remains with founders Olaf Simmat (CEO) and Christian Stange (CFO).

Name

QInstruments

Legal name

QINSTRUMENTS GmbH

Website

https://qinstruments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QInstruments GmbH is a German lab automation company that designs and manufactures precision orbital mixing and temperature control instruments—anchored by its BioShake thermoshaker family—for life science research, pharmaceutical, biotech, and OEM automation customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Automation Equipment

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

General Lab Equipment (Centrifuges, Incubators, Shakers, Ovens) (HLAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Laboratory automation equipment
• Microplate mixing systems
• Thermoshaker instruments
• Cell culture automation
• OEM automation modules

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of high-end laboratory automation equipment including orbital shakers, thermoshakers, heating, and cooling units. Products sold as complete units with integrated electronics and multiple product lines (BioShake, ColdPlate, HeatPlate, TiltStation, TurnStation, DockingStation).
2. OEM Modules: Custom OEM solutions developed end-to-end for individual applications, from development through series production, serving system integrators and automation platform manufacturers.
3. Support Services: Technical support, repairs, maintenance, and calibration services including free technical support via email, telephone, or in-person visits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

QINSTRUMENTS designs, manufactures, and sells precision mixing and temperature-control instruments for laboratory automation, with the BioShake family of orbital shakers and thermoshakers as its core offering. The portfolio is complemented by ColdPlate and HeatPlate thermoblocks, TiltStation and TurnStation plate-processing modules, the DockingStation wireless integration platform, and custom OEM modules developed for system integrators. Products are engineered, manufactured in Jena, Germany, and deployed into robotic workstations and OEM platforms used by life science research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic laboratories worldwide.

Product overview

QINSTRUMENTS offers a comprehensive portfolio of laboratory automation and benchtop products centered on mixing and temperature control technologies for life science applications. The core BioShake product line includes multiple automation variants (BioShake Q1, Q2, 3000, 3000 elm, 5000 elm, D30, D30 elm, and heater-shaker models 3000-T, 3000-T elm, D30-T, D30-T elm) designed for integration into robotic workstations, alongside plate processing modules (TiltStation, TurnStation) for cellular applications and DockingStation for wireless connectivity. Temperature control is provided through ColdPlate (heater-cooler) and HeatPlate (heater-only) thermoblocks. The laboratory benchtop segment features BioShake iQ (thermoshaker with heating and mixing) and BioShake XP (high-speed mixer without heating). All products share a compact aluminum housing design and support exchangeable adapter plates for various labware formats including microplates, tubes, and vials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BioShake: Product line of high-end thermoshakers, orbital shakers, and plate mixers for laboratory automation, including BioShake Q1, Q2, 3000, 3000-T, D30, D30-T, 5000 elm models and laboratory versions iQ and XP.
• ColdPlate
• HeatPlate
• TiltStation
• TurnStation
• DockingStation

Products and services

• BioShake Q1 Professional heater-cooler shaker for 48-, 96-, and 384-well microplates combining cooling, heating, and mixing in one unit with Peltier technology, ELM plate locking, and a temperature range from -20°C to 99.9°C. Targeted at robotic workstations in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic laboratories.
• BioShake Q1 3.0mm Professional 3 mm heater-cooler shaker for 24, 48, and 96 deep-well plates featuring orbital mixing technology and temperature control. Designed for laboratory automation workflows processing deep-well plates.
• BioShake Q2 Professional 3 mm heater-cooler shaker for vials and tubes that combines heating, cooling, and orbital mixing into a single compact unit. Engineered for automated laboratory workflows with tubes and vials.
• BioShake 3000 Orbital shaker for vials and tubes with exchangeable adapter plates that provides reliable mixing at speeds up to 3,000 rpm. Designed for laboratory automation integration with a compact SBS-format footprint.
• BioShake 3000 elm High-end orbital shaker for microplates marketed as the world's most efficient orbital shaker for 96-well plates and PCR plates, featuring a 2.0mm mixing orbit and the patented automatic Edge Locking Mechanism (ELM). For automated robotic workflows requiring precise plate positioning.
• BioShake 3000 elm DWP Optimized version of the BioShake 3000 elm for deep-well plates with mass balance elements tuned for plate weights exceeding 200g and adapted for 0.5-2.2 ml volumes. Targeted at automated deep-well plate workflows.
• BioShake 5000 elm High-speed orbital shaker for 384- and 1536-well plates with a 1.2mm mixing orbit and mixing speeds up to 5,000 rpm with the patented ELM plate-locking mechanism. Engineered for automated high-throughput screening.
• BioShake D30 3 mm high-end vial shaker for laboratory automation designed for vial-format mixing in robotic workstations with reliable mixing performance.
• BioShake D30 elm 3 mm high-end plate shaker for larger deep-well plates with ELM plate locking and optimized mass balance elements that reduce noise and vibrations. Demonstrated integration into TECAN FLUENT as a third-party device.
• BioShake 3000-T Optimized heater shaker for tubes and vials featuring high-precision heating from ambient to 99°C combined with orbital mixing. Suited to automated workflows requiring reliable heating.
• BioShake 3000-T elm High-end heater shaker for well plates combining heating from ambient to 99°C with the automatic Edge Locking Mechanism (ELM) plate lock for precise positioning in robotic workflows.
• BioShake D30-T 3 mm orbital heater shaker for vials and tubes that combines 3mm orbital mixing with precise heating for automated workflows handling tubes and vials.
• BioShake D30-T elm 3 mm orbital heater shaker for 24-, 48-, and 96-well plates optimized for DNA/RNA extraction workflows with temperature range up to 99°C and ELM plate-locking for automated workflows.
• ColdPlate Professional heater-cooler thermoblock for microplates with a temperature range from -20°C to 99.9°C using heat pipe and Peltier element technology. Designed for robotic applications requiring precise heating and cooling of microplates.
• HeatPlate Professional heater thermoblock for robotic applications with a temperature range from room temperature to 99°C and 75W heat output. Provides precise plate heating for automated workflows.
• TiltStation Automated device for cellular applications with an 8° tilt angle enabling walk-away automation for cell culture maintenance, media exchange, feeding, and cell-based assays on liquid-handler workstations.
• TurnStation Automated device for rotating and aligning microtiter plates with defined rotation angles of 45°, 90°, 180°, and 360°. Supports plate orientation in liquid-handler workflows and automated plate-processing stations.
• BioShake iQ High-end benchtop thermoshaker for microplates, tubes, and vials with heating from ambient to 99°C and mixing speeds from 200 to 3,000 rpm. Targeted at biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and academic laboratories for benchtop use.
• BioShake XP High-speed benchtop microplate mixer for microplates, tubes, and vials delivering mixing from 200 to 3,000 rpm without active temperature control. Designed for laboratory benchtop mixing applications.
• Exchangeable Adapters High-precision exchangeable adapter plates for BioShake, ColdPlate, and HeatPlate units enabling optimal fit for various tubes, vials, microplates, and other disposables with optimized heat transfer. Sold separately as accessories for the QINSTRUMENTS product range.
• Custom OEM Module Development End-to-end custom OEM module development for individual applications, from initial development through series production, serving system integrators and automation platform manufacturers that integrate QINSTRUMENTS technology into their own platforms.
• Technical Support, Repair, Maintenance and Calibration Services Aftermarket technical support, repair, maintenance, and calibration services for QINSTRUMENTS products, including free technical support via email, telephone, or in-person visits. Supplemented by warranty service, a HelpDesk ticketing platform, and a device-registration program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Temperature accuracy better than ±0.2°C with uniformity better than ±1.0°C across cooling surface
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heidolph Instruments: German manufacturer of laboratory shakers, mixers, and magnetic stirrers serving pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic labs; closest like-for-like competitor in orbital-mixing equipment with similar build-quality positioning.
• Hamilton Company: US lab automation specialist whose Microlab, STAR, and small-footprint mixer/heater modules address the same high-throughput pharmaceutical screening and cell-handling workflows as QInstruments' BioShake and Cold/HeatPlate lines.
• Eppendorf: German-headquartered lab equipment manufacturer with overlapping thermoshaker/mixer platforms (e.g., ThermoMixer, MixMate) targeting the same life-science sample-preparation use cases and competing head-to-head on OEM integration into robotic decks.
• IKA Works: German lab equipment maker with a comprehensive shaker/mixer/stirrer product line that overlaps with QInstruments' BioShake XP/iQ benchtop range for academic and pharmaceutical sample preparation.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Broadest life-science tools vendor with overlapping microplate shaker, heater-cooler, and plate-processing products sold alongside its automation, reagents, and instrumentation franchises; competes across every lab product category QInstruments touches.
• Agilent Technologies: Acquired BioTek in 2019 and now sells a broad microplate reader/washer/pipetting portfolio; competes with QInstruments' OEM modules inside high-throughput automation workflows and benefits from even larger service footprints.
• Tecan: Global leader in liquid handling and lab automation whose Fluent platform already integrates QInstruments' BioShake D30 elm; a strategic partner/competitor whose broad portfolio dwarfs QInstruments but whose willingness to OEM-in third-party modules validates QInstruments' technology.
• PerkinElmer: Life-science instrumentation vendor (now Revvity) with plate-handling and cell-culture automation products that intersect QInstruments' mixing and temperature-control niches, especially in pharma/biotech production environments.

Emerging players

• Opentrons Labworks: Open-source liquid handling robot maker explicitly supported by QInstruments modules; an emerging channel/ecosystem partner that expands QInstruments' reach into smaller, budget-constrained labs that traditional OEMs underserve.

Regional players

• Analytik Jena: Jena-headquartered lab equipment maker (now part of Endress+Hauser) with adjacent sample-preparation and analytical instruments; same regional ecosystem and overlapping German life-science customer base as QInstruments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/QInstruments
• Facebookfacebook.com/QInstruments
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qinstruments
• Instagraminstagram.com/qinstruments

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about QInstruments