Bibby has launched two sample-cooling products from Techne at Achema 2009.
The N Ice is an electronic ice bucket containing ceramic-coated beads, and the Blckice cools tubes held in two Dri-Block inserts.
The N Ice and Blckice are ideal for incubating samples for short or long periods at temperatures down to 0C - no more tubes floating in boxes of melting wet ice.
Bead technology enables the N Ice to maintain any set temperature in the range 0 to 40C; for example, to keep reagents at 4C throughout the working day.
The small, autoclavable and chemically resistant beads give the N Ice the versatility to support sample or reagent vessels of any shape.
Cooling time can be saved by keeping the bucket of beads in a fridge overnight and simply inserting it into the N Ice when needed.
The Blckice offers the same 0 to 40C range as the N Ice, but with more accurate temperature control, and additional timer and alarm features.
This product holds different-sized tubes in two standard aluminium block inserts from the Dri-Block range.
Fast cool-down times ensure the unit is quickly available for use.
An integrated timer allows up to nine days to be programmed, with a buzzer sounding when the set temperature is reached and at the end of the elapsed time.
The Blckice also accommodates the N Ice bucket of beads if required.
The N Ice and Blckice are suitable for life science and molecular biology laboratories, providing accurate, stable sub-ambient temperatures for a wide range of applications.
Both products can display temperature to one decimal place in C or F.