the solvent front migration distance. When the selected solvent front migration distance is reached, solvent is drained from the chamber (first generation) or remains in the chamber in the cur-rent generation. The layer is dried with filtered cold air (warm air in the first generation). An external module allows control of relative humidity during the development process. The operator is free of all process monitoring responsibilities. The repeatability of separations is improved compared with manual methods due to the improved control of the individual steps in the development process.