The shaking incubator is an indispensable tool for essentially any laboratory involved in biological or biomedical research. Since this piece of equipment is most frequently employed for the growth of bacterial cultures, spring-loaded clamps of many sizes are available to secure culture flasks to the platform. While currently available clamps suffice for most work, there are many cases where jury-rigged devices must be constructed to secure non-flask-shaped vessels such as culture tubes or multi-well plates. Although these makeshift solutions work fine most of the time, the rubber bands or label tape used to secure these vessels can fail unexpectedly, resulting in lost time and a mess to deal with. A very effective alternative is Sticky Strip Tape, sold by Bellco (Vineland, NJ).
Sticky Strip Tape is a double-sided, acrylic foam tape from 3M Company (VHB, No. 4910). The tape is 2.54 cm wide, 1 mm thick, very strong, and retains its adhesive properties over long periods of time and after repeated use. This means you can stick some down in your incubator and use it for months to hold flasks, racks, or whatever else you might have need for. Once stuck down on the rotating platform, vessels and racks can be attached and detached repeatedly.
The strength of the tape is remarkable. In fact, my Bellco rep cautioned me to use the tape sparingly as using too much would make flasks very difficult to remove. The 3M website lists several quantitative characteristics of the tape related to strength and solvent resistance. The amount of force needed to separate 2 aluminum blocks held together by the tape is 100 lb/in2 (690 kPa). With this much adhesiveness, a couple of strips of the tape are sufficient to hold even the largest flasks. The tape is resistant to heat (149°C for hours or 93°C for weeks) and water-based solutions.
We’ve used the tape in our incubators for a couple months and have been very pleased with it. We’ve secured glass flasks of all sizes and plastic 96-well deep-well trays with excellent results. Since our incubators have stainless steel platforms, to which the tape adheres the strongest, it’s easy to remove the flask or plate before the tape attached to the platform comes off.
Bellco currently offers the tape in one size only, a 36 yd roll for around $115. Although this may seem pricey, it’s likely a lifetime supply given the tape’s longevity. Splitting a roll with a neighboring lab is an economical option.
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Michael Campa, PhD
Associate Research Professor
Department of Radiology
Duke University Medical Center
United States
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