Laboratory Centrifuges

Laboratory centrifuges are used in many scientific fields, such as chemistry, biology, medicine and engineering. Laboratory centrifuges are a very common piece of equipment in the daily work of scientists, as their use is required for all kinds of laboratory work and experimental procedures. It is during the centrifugation of sample tubes placed in rotors that many chemical reactions take place. Among other things, the centrifugation process dissolves substances, separates samples, separates suspensions and emulsions, and deactivates or activates processes. Centrifugation allows for an infinite number of various reactions.

Applications of laboratory centrifuges

Professional laboratory centrifuges are devices whose functionality is essential in the laboratory. They use centrifugal force generated during the spinning process. Laboratory centrifuges are commonly used in laboratories and vary in size and thus rotor capacity, rotor shape, centrifugal forces or operating temperature range. Laboratory centrifuges range from mini centrifuges, or benchtop centrifuges, to ultrasonic centrifuges with fixed-angle or swing-out rotors.

Laboratory centrifuges can perform a variety of functions depending on your needs: from very simple spins providing the basic parameters needed simply to separate biological samples to the multifunctionality offered by ultrasonic centrifuges with very large capacities.

When choosing a laboratory centrifuge, it is worth paying attention to its technical parameters such as maximum rotational speed, rotor capacity, operating temperature range, spinning time, as well as the availability of additional accessories such as replaceable rotors, adapters, racks or discs. It is also important to choose a centrifuge that is suitable for the tests to be performed. In addition, you need to ensure that the centrifuge is properly maintained and serviced.

Types of laboratory centrifuges

There are many different types of laboratory centrifuges available, depending on their different properties such as, among others, the aforementioned rotor capacity, interchangeable rotors, rotational speed, rotor type, temperature range, time ranges, operating environment of the device or purpose of the centrifuge. Here are some examples of different types of laboratory centrifuges:

1. Benchtop centrifuges, also known as countertop centrifuges or microcentrifuges, are simple centrifuges with rotor capacities ranging from 6 to 12 tubes, sometimes with 24 places, from a few microliters to several milliliters, usually with a rotor for standard test tubes and adapters for strip tubes. They are typically used for separating sample components at low speed, for daily spins of biological samples, or simply for proper “placing” of the sample in the tube.

2. Laboratory centrifuges, so-called ultracentrifuges, are high-performance centrifuges that allow very high speeds, up to 1,000,000 rpm. These centrifuges are typically used to separate components in small volumes or to separate very small particles.

3. Refrigerated laboratory centrifuges are centrifuges that allow you to control the temperature during centrifugation. These centrifuges are particularly useful when handling samples that require low temperatures, such as proteins or enzymes. In standard refrigerated centrifuges we can achieve an operating temperature range of - 20 ^◦C to + 40 ^◦C.

4. Multi-purpose centrifuges are centrifuges that allow different functions to be performed in a single device, such as spinning, mixing or homogenisation. If there is a need, it seems that these centrifuges are a more economical option than buying separate devices. In addition, such a device takes up much less space in the laboratory than several stand-alone devices.

Apart from the above, there are also many other types of laboratory centrifuges, such as blood cell separation centrifuges, cell separation centrifuges, industrial centrifuges, etc. The choice of the right type of centrifuge depends on many factors, primarily the type of sample, the purpose of the test and your budget.