Benchtop Centrifuges

A centrifuge is an integral piece of laboratory equipment that is driven by an electric motor that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis. Benchtop centrifuges have the advantage of a small foot print; laboratories with limited space can accommodate this instrumentation. Compact centrifuges are used in both research and clinical laboratories for many applications including filtration, sedimentation, and column chromatography. Clinical centrifuges are especially designed to centrifuge blood. Microcentrifuges are used to spin small (2 ml or less) liquid samples at high speeds (generally tens of thousands times g-force). Refrigerated centrifuges offer the added benefit of cooling to protect from sample degradation caused by heat generated by the action of spinning. Ultracentrifuges are laboratory centrifuges with rotors that spin at very high speeds, usually ranging from 60,000 RPM and 200,000 x g to 150,000 RPM and 1,000,000 x g. When choosing a benchtop centrifuge for your laboratory, consider the types of applications needs for the rotor type, speed, size and capacity.