What is a Laboratory Centrifuge?
A laboratory centrifuge is a piece of lab equipment that is used to separate liquids into its individual components based on their densities. It employs centripetal force by spinning the samples at very high speed, which in turn causes the denser components to move to the bottom of the centrifuge tube while the lighter substances rise to the top. This behavior is called the sedimentation principle.
The mechanical components of a centrifuge include an electric motor and centrifuge tube holders for the samples. The individual centrifuge tubes may or may not be included by the manufacturer.
There are four main types of the laboratory centrifuge:
The Microcentrifuge
This is the smallest of the centrifuges. The capacity of the centrifuge tubes ranges from 0.2 ml up to 2.0 ml. This is mostly used for small sized samples.
The clinical centrifuge
As the name implies, the clinical centrifuge is mostly used to separate human organic liquid samples, mostly blood. The size ranges from small to medium (0.2 ml up to roughly 10 ml). The main difference with other types of centrifuges is the lower speed options as organic samples generally sediment easier than chemical samples and a high speed is not only unnecessary, but may damage the integrity of the samples.
Multi-purpose bench-top centrifuges.
For laboratories that lack the necessary resources to purchase specialized centrifuges for each function, the multi-purpose bench-top centrifuge is a one size fits all device. It can be fitted with a wide range of centrifuge tubes sizes depending on the amount of your sample. The speed is also adjustable to the sample being separated. While it costs more than some individual specialized centrifuges, you will only need one to satisfy all your centrifuge needs.
Stand-alone centrifuges.
The biggest centrifuge of them all. This is for those laboratories that handle large sample sizes. The centrifuge tubes can handle liters of sample. This is most common in chemistry oriented labs and industrial settings.
The centrifuge tubes are usually made of plastic or glass. Plastic is preferred as it is cheap and individual tubes can be disposed of to avoid cross-contamination of samples. However, if the lab usually works with the same sample, glass tubes are cheaper, and can be washed and reused. Plastic tubes can also be reused so it is up to the individual lab preference.
Safety procedures.
Although most labs already have extensive safety regulations, when handling centrifuges, extra vigilance is required to avoid accidents.
Before starting the centrifuge motor, ensure that all lids on the individual centrifuge tubes are properly locked into place. This is especially important if you are dealing with corrosive, harmful or biohazardous samples.
Never touch the moving parts of the centrifuge while the motor is running. The spinning motion is deceptively slow looking but it can cause major injuries to your fingers and hands.
For bench top centrifuges, never set it up close to the surface edge, as some brands have been known to ‘travel’ slightly during operation.
Observe all the regular safety lab rules and the safety information included in the centrifuge user manual and you should have absolutely no problems.
The Microcentrifuge
The clinical centrifuge
Multi-purpose bench-top centrifuges.
Stand-alone centrifuges.
Before starting the centrifuge motor, ensure that all lids on the individual centrifuge tubes are properly locked into place. This is especially important if you are dealing with corrosive, harmful or biohazardous samples.
Never touch the moving parts of the centrifuge while the motor is running. The spinning motion is deceptively slow looking but it can cause major injuries to your fingers and hands.
For bench top centrifuges, never set it up close to the surface edge, as some brands have been known to ‘travel’ slightly during operation.
Observe all the regular safety lab rules and the safety information included in the centrifuge user manual and you should have absolutely no problems.
