Why Good Preventive Maintenance Will Help Keep Your Centrifuge Working for Many Years

It is the same as anything important, if you treat it properly and handle it with care, you will be able to keep it working for many years to come.  A centrifuge is an expensive piece of equipment that is valuable in your scientific or medical research lab.  Proper care and preventive maintenance are major factors, along with making the initial correct purchase.

How Are Centrifuges Used?

Centrifuges are used to increase the sedimentation rate of particles by using centrifugal forces, which are forces that are greater than gravity.  Centrifuges consist of several parts including a rotor, motor, imbalance detector, tachometer, safety lid, and braking system.  Some centrifuges also include a refrigeration system.

It classifies them into three categories: low-speed, high-speed, and ultra-speed.  Low-speed centrifuges separate serum or plasma from red blood cells.  High-speed centrifuges separate cell constitutes.  The usage of ultracentrifuges is mainly to isolate and purify membrane components.

How Can a Centrifuge Be Damaged?

Insufficient centrifuge care can lead to damage to critical parts, resulting in the malfunction of the centrifuge.  Aggressive chemicals can lead to corrosive spots on the rotors, which can lead to holes forming.  Inadequate cleaning can also damage coatings and lead to corrosion. Sensors, gaskets, seals, and wiring can become damaged if flooded with water.

Centrifuge Use Log

A good way to track the amount of time your centrifuge and rotors are accruing is the use of a centrifuge use log.  This log can help researchers and lab managers significantly balance the amount of usage time of the rotors.  As well as provide data on the wear and tear each rotor is receiving.  The log tracks the cleaning schedule of the equipment, thus preventative maintenance.

How Can I Keep My Centrifuge Working Long Term?

There are several important cleaning and safety procedures to follow that will ensure your centrifuge works properly.  First, you should clean your centrifuge daily both interior and exterior.  Do not use caustic detergents or products that contain chlorine ions, use a mild neutral detergent.  Do not use steel wool, wire brushes, abrasives, or sandpaper, since they may damage the rotor coating increasing the risk of corrosion.

Also, check for residue and corrosion on the rotors on a weekly or monthly basis depending on how much use it gets.  It is most important to pay attention to the manufacturer’s recommendations.  Look in the user manual or contact the manufacturer.

Refurbished Laboratory Equipment Benefits

Purchasing refurbished equipment is a viable and appropriate solution for laboratories that require reliable centrifuges in their day to day operations.  One of the primary and more fundamental benefits of purchasing refurbished lab equipment is cost.  You can save a great deal of money.

The idea of purchasing a refurbished centrifuge may make you worry that it will not perform at peak efficiency.  However, if you purchase from a certified reputable company that has experience in lab equipment then you do not need to worry.

What to Ask When Purchasing a Refurbished Centrifuge

There are some major differences between recertified and refurbished.  This can make it hard when you are in the market to purchase a centrifuge.  Here are the questions that you need to ask before purchasing.

• Is the centrifuge recertified to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifications? By whom?
• Was the tech formally trained on this make and model?
• Did they use a service manual to set all voltages and bus current settings for the drive motor?
• Were the OEM calibration and service procedures followed? If these are not set correctly it will run, for a while, and then parts will begin to fail.
• Was the refrigeration system checked for proper charging levels?
• Do they know what the proper levels are supposed to be?
• Did they check all the power supply voltages?
• How much A/C ripple was measured on the DC supplies?
• Was that measurement within specification?
• Do they have records of the readings that were done during Recertification?
• Was the cleaning inside and out?
• Were all gaskets checked for wear and dry rot and replaced as needed?
• Did they check the vacuum system? In fact, some centrifuges do not have revolution counters like ultracentrifuges. There is no way to know how many revolutions the drive has seen. Due to this fact, Tritech rebuilds all drives before selling a centrifuge.
• Were the moving parts in the drive replaced and was the drive tested?

What Do They Do on a Recertification of an Instrument?

In many instances, the seller has in-house techs that run the instrument to a set time, temperature, and speed. If the instrument runs to those settings, then it’s Recertified!

A Company that Specializes in Centrifuge Equipment

Tritech carries a variety of refurbished laboratory equipment from low-speed, high-speed, and ultracentrifuges. We specialize in refurbishing high-quality legacy instruments no longer supported by the manufacturer as well as the current state of the art instruments.

Tritech features a wide range of centrifuge equipment for many types of applications in the life science research, clinical, or educational laboratory setting. Tritech provides on-site warranties (parts & labor) on all centrifuges. If you’re unsure of which centrifuge best fits your requirements, our experienced technicians can assist you.