Patent ID: 8205413

Claim:
A decapping system for opening reagent containers stored in cartridge systems closed by lids, said lids being removed and secured by a rotational movement, said decapping system having a centering unit, said centering unit having at its lower end an element for engaging a lid, said decapping system has at least one driven and vertically movable screwing head, said screwing head comprises a screw support and a crown-shaped screwing ring being spring-loaded by at least one tensioning spring allowing for a relative movement between the crown-shaped screwing ring and the screw support, such that a vertical movement of the lid engaged by the crown-shaped screwing ring with respect to the container during rotational movement of lid relative to the container may compensate for variable heights of containers to be processed, the screwing head being kept in a predetermined position, which remains unchanged during an unscrewing process, said centering unit further comprises a spring-loaded tensioning tool, and said decapping system further comprises an adapting device, wherein the relative position of a surface of the cartridge system to be processed relative to the crown-shaped screwing ring of the screwing head is adjusted by means of the adapting device.