Drastic Improvement to Incubator Logistics

March 07, 2019

Integral Molecular
Antibody Discovery
Senior Research Associate

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

What do these ratings mean?
Write a Review

Company:

IKA Inc

Product Name:

STICKMAX Sticky Mat

Catalog Number:

SKA-SM

The STICKMAX sticky mat are small 7.75” square flat mat which adheres to the platform of a shaker. The upward facing side has adhesive properties that allow you to place flasks, plates and shake. The vessels stay securely on the mat but are easy to remove. This eliminates the need for interchanging flask clamps and attachments for a universal platform. Going in and out of the incubator with various culture sizes and formats is no longer dreaded!

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

VLP based phage panning, phage production, bacterial culture growth

Protocol Overview

I have tested the mat in the GYROMAX 737R incubator from Amerex instruments at 275 RPM with the following formats: Axygen 1 mL deep well plate with 1 mL media, 2 L flask with 600 mL media, 500 mL flask with 200 mL media, 250 mL flask with 50 mL media, Thermo microtiter 96-well plate (no liquid). All stayed securely fixed to the mat overnight and were easy to remove.

Tips

Be prepared for installation with paper towels, water, a ruler, and/or pipette (for rolling bubbles out during placement). Consider loss of vertical space (i.e., plate stacker attachment) and think about only covering a section of the platform with sticky mats.

Features Summary

Ideal for frequently changing vessel types and sizes, self adhesive, able to be disinfected & refreshed. Max shake 300 RPM per manufacturer.

DOI or PMID #

N/A

Additional Notes

N/A

Related Categories

Image Gallery

Summary

The Good

If you have never used a good sticky mat before, it is like magic. This drastically increases ease in our incubators due to several different formats used by multiple people in our lab.

The Bad

It can be a little tough to get the bubbles out during installation on a universal platform due to the screws/surface of the platform but it's been great for us for a few weeks now.

The Bottom Line

If you can afford to lose some vertical space, these have quickly become a treasured tool in our lab and have drastically reduced frequent interchanging of clamps on the universal platform. So much easier and less frustrating!

Join the discussion