Incubators

A standard incubator only heats, so it works above room temperature; that suits most bacterial cultures, for example the incubator with natural convection, 55 l. If you need to incubate at or below room temperature, as for BOD tests, yeasts or environmental samples, or in a warm lab, choose a cooled incubator such as the cooled incubator with a working range of 0 to +70 °C. For mammalian cell culture you need controlled CO₂, and usually humidity, in a CO₂ incubator, 107 l. Tell us your organisms and temperatures: sales@luminixhealth.com.

A static incubator is enough for plates, tubes and cultures that grow without agitation. Liquid bacterial and yeast cultures in flasks grow faster and more evenly when they are shaken, because shaking brings oxygen into the medium. A shaking incubator combines temperature control and orbital shaking in one unit, for example the incubator shaker from 5 °C above room temperature to 60 °C, 30–300 rpm. If you already have an incubator, a shaker placed inside can also work; see stirring, shaking and mixing. Check the flask clamps and platform size too.

The chamber volume in litres is in the product title. Start from what has to go in: the number of plates, racks or flasks, plus room for air to circulate between them. A compact unit such as the incubator, 18 l suits membrane filters and a few plates. For a shared lab, a mid-size model such as the incubator with natural convection, 35 l or a 55 l unit gives room for several racks. Do not fill the chamber completely: overloaded shelves give uneven temperatures. Also check the outer dimensions against your bench.

Some incubators are listed in several electrical versions. Titles that mention a UK or Swiss plug, or 120 V, are meant for those networks and do not fit a standard European socket. For use in Europe, choose the 230 V version with a standard plug, for example the cooled incubator, 230 V version or the incubator shaker in the standard version. Some compact units, such as the incubator, 18 l, accept 100–240 V. If the title does not state the plug, ask us before ordering and we will confirm the right version: sales@luminixhealth.com.

An incubator holds the mild, even temperature a culture needs, often 25 °C or 37 °C, sometimes with carbon dioxide. It is not a drying oven. Uniformity and, for cells, the gas control are the specification. A flask of cells in a drying oven is a dead flask.

Temperature equipment either holds a set point or drives a sample toward one. An oven dries. A furnace reaches the temperatures of ashing and melting. A bath surrounds a vessel with water or oil. A circulator moves that fluid. An incubator holds the mild warmth of a culture. An autoclave uses steam under pressure to sterilise. The number that matters is the temperature the article actually reaches, not the number painted on the dial. Temperature is part of the international system kept by the BIPM and compared by EURAMET.

This shelf belongs to Heating, drying & cooling, inside Lab instruments. Luminix Health distributes this range for laboratory use.

The neighbouring shelves are Muffle & tube furnaces, Heating mantles, Circulators, chillers & thermostats, Drying ovens & climate chambers, Water & oil baths, Hot plates & heating blocks, Heating & cooling (other), Temperature control accessories, Laboratory refrigerators & freezers, Autoclaves & sterilisers, Bunsen & gas burners and Heating tapes, cables & plates. The category above this shelf is Heating, drying & cooling.

Luminix Health distributes this range from the heart of Europe. We deliver across the EU in two to five days if in stock. Standard delivery is free from €250 excl. VAT. Cold-chain goods and dangerous goods under ADR are never included in that free delivery. The terms are in the Shipping Policy. Send a quote request, contact the team, or read who we are. The full brand index is on shop by brand.

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