Last Updated on July 18, 2022
As a lab manager, lab assistant, or researcher, you will find yourself under constant pressure to reach higher throughputs. You strive to improve the efficiency of experiments and running samples, to maximize the work you can do with limited time in the day.
There are two fundamental ways you can do this in a lab:
1) Changing one thing (usually this means investing in new equipment or people), or
2) Changing things you do all day long.
Of course, the gold star here would combine those two, making major improvements to an activity you do in the lab.
In this article, we’ll review the throughput efficiencies of the recently released Tomy MDX-310 Refrigerated Centrifuge with a “Rack-in-Rotor” system. Then you can decide if a “Rack-in-Rotor” centrifuge hits that gold star for increasing throughput in your lab.
What is a “Rack-in-Rotor” system?
Centrifugation is a pretty standard lab activity. And, when you consider the time to load and unload tubes for analysis, repeatedly, all day long, a faster option sounds appealing.
“Rack-in-Rotor” is a centrifuge solution that uses a convenient, easy-load rotor bucket. Which fit drop-in stackable centrifuge rotor racks.
5 Ways Drop-In Rotor Racks Improve Lab Throughput
Speedy Loading and Unloading
Look for a centrifuge with rotors that attach. Newer automatic locking features make for easier, safer, and faster centrifuge rotor attachment. As well as quick, easy swapping and loading of racks.
Portable Trays Improve Workflow
With easy load, and easy unload rotor racks, using them as portable trays speed up your workflow. They can transport samples across the laboratory, so you won’t need to handle and transport each tube.
Tomy MDX-310 Centrifuge holds either fixed-angle rotors or a rotor bucket. With the bucket to hold rotor racks, lab researchers enjoy easy placement and replacement of tubes. A variety of centrifuge tube racks hold various sized sample tubes. Which can be used as a stand, holder, transporter, or for storage.
Automatic Identification Eliminates Manual Settings
Some centrifuges need you to program the time and speed settings needed for a sample spin. Programming time and speed in a menu can be necessary. But with a rotor identification system, the centrifuge knows the settings without wasting time on common entries. Using a centrifuge with an automatic rotor identification feature speeds up your research.
Perfect Your Spin with Rotor-Recognition Technology!
When a centrifuge can accommodate many rotors, like the Tomy MDX-310, it must adjust the speed settings. With the Tomy MDX-310, a high-speed refrigerated centrifuge, the rotor identification function recognizes the installed rotor. Besides supporting higher throughput efforts, automatic rotor identification helps to prevent accidents caused by exceeding the greatest allowable speed for the specific rotor. Once identified, the MDX calculates the RCF value from the preset Function Settings. Speed can be shown in either centrifugal g-force RCF(G) or centrifugal speed rpm.
Along with the Rotor Identification System, the MDX-310 has many other standard safety devices. Including imbalance detector, over-speed detector, motor over-current detector, over-current circuit breaker, lid open/close detector, overheat/overcool detector, and lid interlock. While the rotor is spinning, it activates the safety interlock system to prevent the accidental opening of the chamber lid.
Fast, Safe Spin Down
Lightweight rotors and racks can also increase acceleration and deceleration performance.
Acceleration / Deceleration Time – Acceleration or deceleration time may vary depending on the type of rotor installed in the Rack-In-Rotor.
MDX Centrifuges quickly and efficiently separate a sample solute from a solvent by the centrifugal force resulting from their rotation. The MDX Centrifuge is simply fantastic for speeding up centrifugation work. – increasing throughput in your lab.
High Capacity Loads
With stackable centrifuge racks, the capacity of a centrifuge is optimal for high-volume lab operations. Centrifuging is a combination of microtubes, conical tubes, or PCR plates in a variety of sizes.
In the MDX-310, you can fit up to 3 racks, stacked in a layer. For instance, rack ARO15-24 fits 24 tubes at one rack. With three ARO15-24 racks in the MDX-310 centrifuge, you can spin down 72 tubes at one time. All tubes are in the same G force because of the same radius.
How Many Centrifuges Do You Need in Your Lab?
Centrifuges play a vital role in routine laboratory procedures. Separating fluids, gases, or solids by density supports a researcher’s work in many applications, separating blood components, live cells, proteins, tissue culture, or viruses.
When choosing a centrifuge for your lab, the options are plentiful – large-capacity refrigerated centrifuges, low-speed benchtop centrifuges, micro-centrifuges, and floor-standing high-speed refrigerated centrifuges. Explore the options and technologies available for your needs. Do you need a centrifuge that can hold tube racks, 96-well plates, fixed-angle rotors, or an all-in-one centrifuge that can handle all of your lab essentials?
For more information on selecting a centrifuge, centrifuge technologies, and understanding how a centrifuge works, check out LabX’s ‘Laboratory Centrifuges: Advanced Features for Modern Applications’.
An All-In-One Centrifuge for All Your Lab Samples
Evaluate for yourself if you require multiple centrifuges for your lab, or if working with one all-in-one centrifuge fits your needs. Look at capacity, required space, refrigeration, speed, and rotor compatibility to determine if the rack-in-rotor centrifuge works with your sampling requirements.
Refrigerated Centrifuges
If you ever plan to run samples that are temperature sensitive, a refrigerated centrifuge is a necessity. Refrigerated centrifuges maintain temperatures while spinning, neutralizing the heat generated during high-speed operations.
High-Speed Centrifuges
When looking for a centrifuge that meets all your lab needs, speed and capacity are important criteria. You may need to run lower speeds down to 300 rpm for blood samples. In multi-user, large-scale research environments running cellular and molecular biology batches, the high-speed, high-capacity centrifuge is a good fit.
Centrifuges with Rotors
Interchangeable rotors that accommodate small centrifuge tubes, PCR tubes, or 96-well plates are better suited to the multi-user environment. Centrifuges rotors help to cover even more applications required in a lab.
Already have a bunch of rotor racks lying around your lab? Not a problem! Tomy MDX-310 Centrifuge is highly compatible with many buckets, racks, and adapters from third-party manufacturers (see Operator’s Manual for full compatibility) including Assist Co., Ltd., Becton, Dickinson And Company., Beckman Coulter, Inc., Corning International Corp., Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd., Eppendorf Ag, Falcon/ Corning International Corp., Herolab Gmbh Laborgeraete, Koki Holdings Co., Ltd., Ina-optika Corporation., Iwaki/Agc Techno Glass Co., Ltd., Nalgene/ Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Nunc/Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Nichiden-rika Glass Co., Ltd., Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Bakelite Company Limited, Terumo Corporation, Tomy Seiko Co., Ltd.
Do not use accessories or parts other than those specified by Tomy. We are available to consult if using commercially available tubes which are not referenced in the manual.
Of course, with an investment like a centrifuge, particularly one that can replace all others, ensure the warranty and support are top-notch.
Together, the time savings of high-performance rotors and racks, as well as operating at a higher capacity, bring cost savings through higher throughput into your lab. For more ideas on increasing throughput, explore the next article on choosing an autoclave for your lab.
For more information on centrifuges that may be the right match for your laboratory,
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