Daily Precautions for Using Laboratory Centrifuges

Release time:

2011-12-27

Overview:

High-speed centrifuges are commonly used in laboratories. Given their high rotational speeds, it’s crucial to prioritize safety—especially to prevent the centrifuge from shifting or moving while operating due to imbalance or aging of the tube holders. Such movement could cause the centrifuge to fall off the lab bench. Additionally, if the lid is not properly secured, centrifuge tubes might rupture from vibration, sending glass fragments flying around and potentially causing accidents. Therefore, when using a centrifuge, you must pay close attention to the following operational precautions.

Pre-use inspection of the centrifuge

1. When the centrifuge is in the pre-cooling state, the centrifuge lid must be closed. After the centrifugation is complete, remove the rotor and place it upside down on the lab bench. Wipe dry any remaining water inside the chamber, and leave the centrifuge lid open.
　　2. During precooling, the rotor lid can be placed either on the centrifuge’s platform or on the lab bench. Under no circumstances should it be left floating loosely on the rotor without being securely tightened, as an accidental start-up could cause the rotor lid to fly off, leading to a serious accident!
　　3. After tightening the rotor cover, be sure to use your fingers to check for any gaps between the rotor and the rotor cover. If there is a gap, loosen and retighten the cover until you confirm that there are no gaps before starting the centrifuge.
　　4. During the centrifugation process, operators must not leave the centrifuge room. If any abnormal situation occurs, operators must not turn off the power supply (POWER); instead, they should press the STOP button. Before pre-cooling, operators must complete the centrifuge usage log.
　　5. Do not use substandard or counterfeit centrifuge tubes, nor use centrifuge tubes that are aged, deformed, or cracked.
　　6. During holidays and in the evening, you may leave only after performing the routine safety check following the last use of the centrifuge.
　　7. If the instrument malfunctions or any components are damaged during use, please contact us promptly at: 021-68113426.

Precautions for Using a Centrifuge

　　Currently, high-speed centrifuges are commonly used in laboratories. These centrifuges rotate at very high speeds, so safety precautions must be taken seriously. In particular, it is crucial to prevent the centrifuge from moving or even falling off the lab bench during operation due to imbalance or aging of the tube holders. Additionally, if the lid is not properly secured, the centrifuge tubes may rupture from vibration, causing glass fragments to spin and fly out, potentially leading to accidents. Therefore, when using a centrifuge, you must pay close attention to the following operational guidelines.
　　(1) The bottom of the centrifuge tube sleeve must be padded with cotton or a test-tube pad.
　　(2) If the centrifuge makes noise or the machine body vibrates, immediately disconnect the power supply and promptly troubleshoot the issue.
　　(3) Centrifuge tubes must be placed symmetrically in the rotor to prevent vibration of the machine. If there is only one sample tube, the other tube should be replaced with an equal mass of water.
　　(4) When starting the centrifuge, you must first close the top cover before slowly starting it up.
　　(5) After the separation is complete, first turn off the centrifuge. Only after the centrifuge has come to a complete stop may you open the centrifuge lid and remove the sample. Do not use external force to forcibly stop the centrifuge from rotating.
　　(6) The centrifugation time is generally 1 to 2 minutes; during this period, the experimenter must not leave to attend to other tasks.

Centrifuge Speed Units and Calculation Formulas

The role of freezing in centrifugation during experiments.