Laboratory shakers, also known as mixers, are laboratory products used in the chemical and biological sectors to mix liquids and prepare solutions and suspensions. These equipment create a movement between liquids or between liquids and solids in order to achieve mixing, suspension, dispersion, homogenization, heat transfer, etc. Currently, agitation systems (agitators) are used in all laboratories, whether chemical, biology, among others.
What’s your story?
Before the automated stirrer, scientists had to do this process manually, in order to create chemical reactions and other processes. It was not until the early 20th century that the first automated laboratory stirrers began to facilitate this task to the laboratory team, thus being able to achieve a prolonged and controlled agitation.
In 1917, the first hot plate stirrer was patented and operated with stationary magnets embedded in a hot plate base. By 1940, the bar magnet used to shake solutions became obsolete, as the magnet was found to react with the chemicals in the solution, altering reactions. To solve this, the coated magnetic stirring rod was created, which was chemically inert.
The first magnetic stirrer appeared in 1950 and the first vortex mixer would be patented in 1959. From 1990 to the present, companies would be fully engaged in perfecting the designs of stirrers, developing microprocessors that would make stirring equipment more accurate and improving their productivity, by being able to mix more units in one set at the same time.
Types of laboratory shakers
If you are thinking about what type of agitator you need for your laboratory, below, you will find a list with all those currently available in the market, so you can choose the one that best suits your type of work, since each of them has specific functions and characteristics:
Orbital shakers
The orbital shaker is a medical equipment used in laboratories, clinics and others; for mixing, homogenizing and / or preparation of combinations of substances. There is a wide variety of presentations of these devices and they mostly depend on their size and whether their speed is fixed or adjustable. This equipment consists of a time control which can be adjusted as needed, likewise some have a speed control which can be adjusted as required. At the top is a platform where the sample holders are placed, which has a non-slip material.
Linear stirrers
For gentle movement or intensive agitation in continuous operation. There are a wide variety of possible stirring movements for the most diverse applications. Linear stirrers are used in laboratories, incubation rooms and temperature control rooms at ambient temperatures between 10 and 60 °C to shake bottles, test tubes or separation funnels.
3D laboratory shakers
It allows substances to be mixed in all dimensions. They usually have a platform that traces smooth circular movements according to the configuration. Highly applicable in the fields of biology.
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