Centrifuge Tubes

Centrifuge Tubes are plastic or glass containers shaped like a cylinder. They are made to fit into centrifuge slots to analyze and separate material components. They are small containers whose purpose is to be filled with a substance or sample to be analyzed. They are designed to fit into laboratory centrifuges, a type of laboratory equipment that rotates samples at high speeds in order to separate its components. Therefore, the design of Centrifuge Tubes is made so that they can fit the centrifuge perfectly, keep balance, and stay in place during the centrifugation speed process.

Centrifuge Tubes are used to keep liquids in place during the centrifugation process, which separates the sample into its different components by speed rotating it around a fixed testing point. Centrifuge Tubes tend to have conical bottoms for the purpose of collecting solid or heavier parts of the sample that is centrifuged. They also must be able to withstand the centrifugal pressure created during their use, and their specifications may indicate the maximum speed at which they can safely be used.

Centrifuge Tubes are different from regular test tubes because they are explicitly used for centrifugation, which consists of spinning liquids at high speeds in order to separate the material components. These tubes can either be plastic or glass made. Centrifuge Tubes are used to prevent laboratory instruments from clogging, to guarantee the lab equipment’s longevity and well-being. The tubes are used to separate potential substances that could interfere or clog the test samples. Centrifuge Tubes are commonly used for blood related samples, because the centrifugation process separates organelles from the blood cells that sink at the bottom of the tube, and also facilitates DNA and RNA extraction from the cells. Centrifuge Tubes are also useful to separate contaminants from the samples studied, centrifugation can be employed to separate contaminants away in order to have more viable specimens to study.

The closure types on Centrifuge Tubes are either screw-on plugged or flat caps, having both attached and separated options. The markings may have writing areas, graduations, or other markings. The shape is mostly conical, either skirted or non-skirted. The materials are either glass or plastic resin, and within those categories, polypropylene is the most commonly used material. In terms of sterility, they can either be sterile or nonsterile, and may be heat or gas sterilized. The packaging can be done in bulk or rack tube packages.

There are several things that must be considered when selecting what kind of centrifuge tube is going to be used. First, one would have to consider the relative centrifugal force, since there is a maximum speed at which a centrifuge tube can spin, and brands differ as to how much speed a tube can reach. We must look at the relative centrifugal force to determine which tube type to use, which usually determines the brand’s pricing. The tube must be selected according to how much gravitational force it can take, so the way to go would be to figure out what kind of speed is going to be necessary for the test in order to select the right tube.

Another factor to consider is to select between glass or plastic Centrifuge Tubes. Glass is a good option because it ensures that the tube is sterile, since the material is easier to clean. On the other hand, plastics are not difficult to clean, but they are harder to sterilize. Additionally, glass is safer when it comes to testing corrosive substances. However, glass Centrifuge Tubes are harder to find, and plastic ones are by default the standard. Glass has more resistance against hot temperatures, but plastics are more durable and less expensive. Finally, it is important to note that its harder to find glass tubes that are small enough in size to fit microcentrifuges.

Volume also has to be taken into account when purchasing Centrifuge Tubes. You need to know how much you are going to be filling the samples, since in most cases tubes are filled ¾ of the way, because overfilling a tube can cause leaking. In the case of ultraCentrifuge Tubes its the opposite, since they operate at very high speeds and must be filled to the top in order to avoid failure, so caution with underfilling is also important. The best way to know the correct filling is to read the manufacturer’s instructions. It is also important to make sure that the centrifuge tube fits the centrifuge rotor capacity, which can be assured by purchasing a rotor adapter.

TAAG Life Sciences offers 15ml and 50ml Centrifuge Tubes, available in both rack and bagged forms. These tubes are chemically resistant and can withstand high centrifuge speeds, going up to 12,000g in the case of 15ml tubes and 9,500g for the 50ml tubes. Optically clear and conically shaped, they also include accurate graduations and a large, white marking area. The 15 ml Centrifuge Tubes bagged come with 500 pieces per bag, the 15 ml Centrifuge Tubes with rack come with 50 pieces per rack, the 50 ml Centrifuge Tubes bagged come with 25 pieces per bag, and the 50 ml Centrifuge Tubes with rack come with 25 pieces per rack. All of them are made of virgin polypropylene to ensure the most reliable test results, come with screw caps to prevent leakage, have custom graduations at interval increments with graduated marks, and are adapted to a wide range of temperatures from -80 °C to 121 °C. Meanwhile, the rack products come with 50 holes in the case of the 15ml units, and 25 holes in the 50ml units. Finally, the Centrifuge Tubes are pre-sterilized, as well as RNase, DNase, and DNA free.