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In the previous articles, we introduced in detail the culture vessels such as cell culture flasks, centrifuge tubes, and cell culture plates which are widely used in Incubator Shaker, as well as how to use various accessories to secure these vessels on the shaker platform. This article will bring you more Incubator Shaker accessories series to help you fully understand the application potential of this multifunctional device. I believe that through these articles, you have a deeper understanding of the functions and accessories of Incubator Shaker!

Stand for stacking incubator shakers

When incubator shaker is placed directly on the ground, the operator needs to squat or bend down to operate, which may affect comfort and efficiency. In this case, it is recommended to use it with a base frame, which can properly raise the device, conform to ergonomic design, and make the pick-up and placement operation more convenient. It should be noted that if you plan to stack three devices, in order to avoid the top operating height being too high, you can choose not to use the stand to ensure that the equipment is more flexible and comfortable to use.

Frame stand available for various incubator shakers

In order to meet the requirements of easy cleaning of GMP workshops, closed stands with flip doors and internal space for storage are also prepared for the WIS4000 and WIS4000M series stacking shakers.

Double Layer

When using small conical bottles below 150mL, it is recommended to use a double-layer rocker to fully improve the internal space utilization and double the capacity. However, to ensure the operating stability of the equipment, the maximum speed should be controlled within 180rpm. This configuration is mainly suitable for WIS5000 and WIS4000 series. These two products can better meet the use requirements of double-layer rockers due to their higher internal space.

Separating funnel fixture

For culture vessels with special shapes, such as separatory funnels, specially designed fixing accessories can be used. The funnel is clamped by two L-shaped plates with rubber rings, which can firmly fix the container during the shaking process and effectively protect this relatively fragile glassware from damage caused by shaking, thereby improving the safety and reliability of use.

Passive humidification automatic water replenisher

In a cell culture shaker, in order to maintain a high humidity (80%~90%) in the chamber, a humidifying plate is usually placed to reduce the evaporation of water in the culture chamber, thereby stabilizing the pH value of the culture medium. However, the water in the humidifying plate usually evaporates by half within a few days, so it is recommended to refill water every 3 days. If you forget to refill water, it may lead to culture failure.

Humidification liquid reservoir

To solve this problem, an automatic water replenisher is provided as an auxiliary accessory. When the water level of the humidification disk is low, the device can automatically detect and replenish water, and automatically stop supplying water when the water volume reaches the upper limit. If it is used in conjunction with a humidification liquid reservoir with a capacity of 15L, it will be more efficient and convenient. Not only can it meet the evaporative humidification needs for several weeks, its transparent design also makes it easy to observe the water level at any time and replenish water in time, thereby significantly reducing the frequency of manual operations and improving the safety and stability of the experiment.

Active humidifier

In order to more accurately maintain the pH value of the culture medium during cell culture, an active humidifier can be used that provides real-time feedback from a humidity sensor and directly monitors the humidity inside the chamber. This device generates suspended water vapor molecules through high-temperature and high-pressure sterilized liquid steam (outlet temperature exceeds 110°C), and uses the airflow of the circulating fan inside the chamber to evenly diffuse the sprayed water vapor throughout the chamber. In this process, the steam and air are fully mixed, quickly increasing the humidity while preventing the water vapor from condensing on the inner wall of the chamber or the surface of the accessories. In addition, since the amount of steam used is extremely small, the temperature inside the chamber will not increase significantly.

The active humidifier has an intelligent design. When the humidity reaches the set value, it will automatically stop injecting water and thus stop humidification. Its water consumption is very low. A 15L bucket of water can be used for 1-3 months. The more significant advantage is that its humidification is accurate and responsive, which is particularly suitable for operating environments with frequent door openings. It not only reduces the evaporation of culture medium water more effectively than traditional humidification trays, but also greatly reduces the risk of bacterial growth. This makes it an ideal choice for maintaining humidity and stability during cell culture.

Active humidity controller

Active humidity controller: controllable humidity range 40%~90%

For some cell or bacterial cultures that have special requirements for low humidity, an active humidity controller can be used to accurately control the humidity of the culture environment. The device extracts the gas in the box through a pipe and processes the gas in the accessories: after steam humidification or refrigeration, the conditioned fresh air is input into the box, thereby achieving precise control of humidity. At the same time, the humidity controller will automatically adjust the gas temperature to ensure that the return air does not interfere with the original temperature field in the box and maintain the stability of the culture environment.

This accessory adopts an integrated pipeline design and is seamlessly connected to the shaker host, providing a more flexible and precise humidity control solution for culture, suitable for experimental needs with strict environmental conditions.

Static Separator

Static separator for WIS2500/WIS5000/WIS4000/WIS1900/WIS1900M series shakers

The upper space of the shaker can be equipped with a static separator for static culture, which is convenient for placing culture dishes and culture plates for related experiments. When users need to use larger conical flasks for culture, they can easily remove the static separator to free up the upper space to meet different culture needs. This design is flexible and convenient, and can quickly switch between static and dynamic culture modes, fully improving the versatility and efficiency of the equipment.

Cell culture dish rack

Window shade

Removable window shade with viewing window

During cell culture, some components in the culture medium (such as glutamine) need to be protected from light, while ultraviolet light or visible light may cause riboflavin, tyrosine, tryptophan, etc. to produce toxic photoproducts, thereby inhibiting cell growth. Therefore, cell culture not only needs to turn off the lighting, but also needs to prevent external light from entering through the observation window.

In order to solve the problems of unreliable light protection and inconvenient observation when users use opaque materials to block the observation window, a metal shading plate is specially designed. The shading plate is very convenient to install and disassemble, with a precise and strict structure and a light transmittance of "zero", ensuring that the culture environment is completely protected from light. In addition, the shading plate comes with an openable observation window, and users can conveniently observe the culture situation without removing the shading plate. It takes into account both the light protection effect and the convenience of operation, and is an ideal auxiliary accessory in the cell culture process.

The above is Welso’s detailed introduction to the various accessories of the Incubator Shaker. The content of these issues has helped us to fully explore the flexible configuration of shaker accessories to optimize the culture environment according to different experimental needs. These accessories not only improve the versatility of the equipment, but also provide more precise and safe solutions for specific application scenarios.

I believe that through the sharing of this series, you will have a deeper understanding of the operation and application of Incubator Shaker, which will bring more convenience and efficiency to your experiment!