Bibby Scientific is offering the Stuart SI505 combined incubator shaker to reduce sample evaporation and provide optimised mixing of small sample volumes in microtitre plates and microfuge tubes.
The chamber of the Stuart SI505 can accommodate up to four standard microtitre or deep-well plates, or two racks holding 0.2, 0.5 or 1.5ml micro tubes.
The high-speed orbital shaking action is said to be suitable for effective mixing of samples in small vessels, while a microprocessor enables accurate and reproducible control of temperature between ambient +7C and +60C.
The integrated timer can be set from one second to nine days.
Removable water reservoirs increase the humidity in the chamber of the SI505, minimising sample loss due to evaporation.
Tests have shown that at 78 per cent humidity, samples incubated at 37C for 24 hours in lidded microtitre plates lost on average only six per cent of the total sample to evaporation, based on a 200ul sample in each well.
The warm air feed from above also prevents condensation of sample on the lid, eliminating the risk of light scattering by liquid droplets when the plate is to be read in a plate reader.
The compact, benchtop SI505 shares several features with the Stuart SI500 shaking incubator.
A retractable stainless steel platform provides easy access to samples.
A digital display shows the independently controlled temperature and speed, and USB connectivity allows long-term monitoring of the incubator temperature via a PC.
The outer casework of the SI505 incorporates Biocote antimicrobial technology as standard to minimise microbial contamination.
