Centrifuges separate particles and structures suspended in liquid by applying thousands of gravitational force equivalents to the sample through spinning. Laboratories use centrifuges to clarify suspensions, separate liquids, isolate suspended particles, perform density measurements and for many other applications. Many users, and some manufacturers, specify centrifuges and centrifugation in terms of rotor revolutions per minute (rpm), but as one expert notes, rpm is a vague term that says nothing about separation power. The operative term these days is RCF (relative centrifugal force), which is a function of rotor radius and the square of the rotational speed. Two centrifuges with the same RCF provide comparable resolving power. We recently surveyed readers about centrifuge use in their labs.
The fields of work our surveyed readers belong to include:
| Biochemistry and biology | 29% |
| Chemical | 8% |
| Environment | 7% |
| Pharmaceutical industry | 7% |
| Food and related products | 7% |
| Clinical and blood banking | 21% |
| Microbiology | 9% |
| Other | 13% |
The speed range (RPM) of the centrifuge(s) respondents are currently using in their labs:
| 0 - 7,500 RPM | 91% |
| 7,500 - 10,000 RPM | 92% |
| 10,000 - 15,000 RPM | 94% |
| 15,000 - 20,000 RPM | 88% |
| 20,000+ RPM | 90% |
The 10 factors that our respondents found most important in the daily use of their centrifuges:
| Important | Not Important | Don't Know | |
| Reliability | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Ease of use | 97% | 2% | 0% |
| Low maintenance / operating costs | 96% | 3% | 1% |
| Price | 94% | 5% | 1% |
| Safety Features | 87% | 11% | 2% |
| Warranty | 81% | 16% | 4% |
| Service and Support | 80% | 17% | 4% |
| Accuracy | 74% | 20% | 6% |
| Ease of installation | 71% | 27% | 2% |
| Noise reduction | 70% | 27% | 3% |
Types of centrifuges respondents are currently using in their labs:
| Floor UltraCentrifuge | 89% |
| Floor Refrigerated Centrifuge | 93% |
| Floor Centrifuge | 93% |
| Microcentrifuge | 93% |
| Benchtop Refrigerated Centrifuge | 93% |
| Benchtop Clinical Centrifuge | 94% |
| Benchtop UltraCentrifuge | 88% |
| Benchtop Centrifuge | 89% |
| Other | 77% |
Types of centrifuge rotors our surveyed readers are currently utilizing in their labs:
| Swinging-bucket rotors | 92% |
| Fixed angle rotors | 91% |
| Vertical rotors | 88% |
| Other | 69% |
Questions our readers felt were the most important to have answered before committing to buying a centrifuge:
| What type of centrifuge is best to follow the evolution of the laboratory? | 33% |
| Plastics and composites vs. metal rotors: which makes the most sense for my lab? | 17% |
| What are the considerations for selecting a centrifuge that increases the speed (g-force) and capacity? | 20% |
| How do I select the appropriate centrifuge tube for the centrifuge I am purchasing? | 13% |
| Can I get the features and function of a floorstanding centrifuge in a benchtop? | 11% |
| Other | 5% |
For more information on centrifuges, visit www.labmanager.com/centrifuges
Completed Surveys: 467
