Lab glassware washers serve diverse needs Labconco’s new SteamScrubber, FlaskScrubber, and FlaskScrubber Vantage Series laboratory glassware washers offer advanced features as well as durability. General features for the SteamScrubber and FlaskScrubber models include Type 304 stainless steel interior and exterior; LCD information center to monitor cycle and wash conditions; and up to six purified water rinses with a purified water pump included. Other features are interchangeable spindle and open racks for a variety of glassware; programmable wash and rinse temperatures to 93°C to sanitize glassware; forced air drying up to 99 min; and up to 10 preprogrammed wash protocols.    The FlaskScrubber Vantage Series features a type 304 stainless steel spindle rack with 36 detachable large spindles with 10 additional small spindles included. Other features include HEPA- filtered forced air drying through spindles; a water conductivity monitor to confirm rinse water cleanliness; automatic liquid detergent and rinse aid dispensers; and an audible alarm and LCD information center that alerts the user of hot glass, low or high water levels, water overflow, and low detergent and rinse aid supplies. Included is a clear tempered safety glass window and interior. www.labconco.com. Class II biological safety cabinet designed for safety, reliability The Thermo Scientific 1300 Series A2 Class II biological safety cabinet offers the highest levels of safety and reliability with significantly improved energy efficiency, simpler operation, and less maintenance than traditional cabinets. These features make both the 4- and 6-ft-wide models a good choice for all laboratories that require stringent safety performance with reduced energy consumption. With advanced internal airflow and motor technology, Thermo Scientific 1300 cabinets are intended to offer best-in-class safety, ergonomics, and energy efficiency. At full speed the motors consume significantly less energy than standard cabinets. To further conserve energy, the intelligent speed control automatically reduces the blower speed to 30% when the window is closed. This unique technology extends HEPA filter life while ensuring a sterile working environment and saves energy to minimize operating costs. Noise output has also been reduced to <63 dB(A) (4-ft model), increasing user comfort. In addition, a simple-to-operate microprocessor control clearly displays essential operational, safety, and service data. www.thermo.com/1300. Light animal rooms with reliability and flexibility Edstrom’s Light Module and Advanced Light Module control the light cycle inside animal rooms. Designed specifically for vivariums, Edstrom lighting uses in-room sensors to detect the actual lighting conditions that the animals experience. Local override switches provide temporary control that will automatically return the lights to the correct setting, eliminating the need for timers. A light-flashing safety feature notifies personnel in the room before the lights turn off. In addition to these standard features, several options are available including night-light control and relay redundancy, which guarantees light performance in critical situations. Edstrom lighting for the Watchdog system is designed to offer reliable, verifiable, and flexible lighting for the vivarium. www.edstrom.com. Medical RF interconnects engineered to requirements Custom-engineered RF microwave cables, cable assemblies, and connectors that utilize proprietary technologies to improve performance and/or reduce manufacturing costs are being introduced by TRU Corp. TRU custom RF medical interconnects are engineered to customer requirements for solving problems relative to broadband RF frequency performance, power levels, magnetic shielding, materials, size, and connectivity. The firm can manufacture flexible and semi-rigid cable assemblies that can incorporate modular blind mate connectors, quick- disconnects, multiple ports, and other OEM application-specific properties. Specializing in cable sizes from 1/4-in. to 11/2-in. outside diameter, TRU Custom RF Medical Interconnects can provide >75 dB shielding typical (>100 dB or better available), broadband RF frequency performance to 18 and 26.5 GHz, power levels to 50 kW, and voltage protection to 25 kV, depending upon design and construction. Connector materials can include brass, medical-grade alloys, specialty steels, BeCu contacts, and PTFE, ceramic, or composite insulators. www.trucorporation.com. Leak detector prevents equipment mishaps As little as three drops of liquid will cause the OS250 leak detector to react. The system consists of a moisture sensing mat and control unit. The mat is made from a material specially developed for detecting liquid spills. It is connected to the control unit by a simple connection cable. When liquid is detected on the sensing mat the OS250 controller will sound an audible alarm, flash an LED, and turn off the power of any device plugged into the single outlet, solid-state power controller. The switched power outlet can control up to 8 amps. The OS250 spill sensor is supplied with the controller and four reusable 30- 3 30-cm mats that can be cut to any size with a sharp scissors or knife. It also includes the connector cable between the mat and the controller. Applications exist in any areas where spill will cause problems to equipment, such as HPLCs. www.kdscientific.com. BSC provides protection, user comfort The ergonomic slanted control panel of NuAire’s LabGard Series 50 biological safety cabinet enables more head room allowing the user closer access to the work. The new Touchlink system uses a touch-screen LCD to display real-time airflow information, alarms, diagnostics, and step-by-step on-screen instructions to aid laboratory personnel and certifiers in maintaining the cabinet. Supervisors may also set an optional password preventing unauthorized access to the blower. The LabGard Series 50 can start and stop cabinet operations on a customizable schedule, and integrates with current laboratory security systems. The HEPEX Zero Leak Airflow System is designed to eliminate the possibility of cabinet and gasket leaks. Lowering the airflow of the cabinet creates a quieter environment, minimizes vibration, lowers energy consumption and increases the life span of the HEPA filter while maintaining Class II product, personnel, and environmental protection. Cabinets are RoHS-compliant, helping labs reach safety goals. They carry NSF, UL, CUL, TUV, and CE quality assurance listings, and are available in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-ft models. www.nuaire.com. ‘Clean’ tubes meet bioprocessing standards Sandvik Calamo, specialists in the manufacture of “clean” tubes and fittings for the pharmaceutical, medical, and semiconductor industries, has launched a new range of tubes, which meet the ASME standards for bioprocessing equipment. The standard covers materials, design, fabrication, pressure systems, testing, inspection, and certification and provides designers and process engineers with a reliable and consistent method of specifying “clean” tubes for use in high-purity applications such as water-for-injection (WFI), clean steam, and ultrafiltration, etc. The manufacturer can supply either electropolishing or mechanical polishing, and uses a wet-in-wet process to avoid contamination and dry spots during the cleaning process. Purging with filtered nitrogen is carried out before tubes are end sealed and packed in plastic sleeves. The new range of tubes is available in sizes from 3/4-in. up to 4-in. outside diameter in AISI 316L/1.4404 welded tubes and from 1/4-in. up to 2-in. outside diameter in AISI 316L/1.4435 seamless tubes. www.smt.sandvik.com/calamo. UPS equipment operates in harsh environments Falcon Electric Inc. has introduced the new line of SSG Series TM industrial-grade UPS Plus models from 1.5 to 3 kVA. This regenerative on-line UPS is an advanced, robust, and rugged solution that gives users a higher level of power protection that can tolerate many of the elements found in harsh environments. Due to its rugged design, the SSG Series is capable of withstanding elevated temperatures of up to 55º C (131º F).   The equipment can be placed on a rack or installed as a stand-alone tower, in close proximity to the critical load. This eliminates the need to shield the UPS from the environment. This point-to-point installation strategy saves users the time and effort required to configure and wire elaborate power distribution for the various devices that need protection and dramatically lowers the cost of installing the UPS units. The SSG Series also provides users an improved level of battery monitoring and replacement notification, as well as user-friendly, hot-swappable battery packs. Slide-out battery packs are easily replaced through the UPS front panel, without having to remove the UPS from the equipment rack, eliminating the handling of individual batteries and the associated wiring hassles. www.falconups.com. Potentiometric titrator features vivid display JM Science’s new potentiometric titrator (COM-1600) is a flexible potentiometric titrator that features a large color graphics liquid crystal display yet is compact and very easy to use. GLP functions enhance the storage and processing of results while reducing operating costs. This unit can process large numbers of samples when configured with the automation option. Large-sized color graphics LCD displays real-time titration curves and differential curves to show reaction tendencies, and other characteristics. All information is easily viewed. Measurement with half of the sample volume is possible by using sample vessels and electrode holders that are designed for small amounts of samples. The reagent amount to be used and the waste solution volume after measurement can be greatly reduced, thus saving time and money. Buret precision tests and electrode calibration slope measurements add to the reliability of the titration results. Useful functions for maintenance such as electrode information display and reagent remaining volume indication are also provided. The titration results and titration conditions including titration/differential curve data can easily be downloaded to a laptop or PC for recalculation, storage, or reprocessing. www.jmscience.com. Growth chambers offer controlled environments Environmental Growth Chambers provides controlled environment rooms, tissue culture growth rooms, and plant growth chambers, as well as a complete line of related specialty equipment. Light, temperature, and airflow are uniformly maintained within the chambers by a continuous thermal balance using precise controlling elements. Air delivery and return systems are designed appropriate to the client’s needs. Multiple alarm systems provide fail-safe protection for both equipment and the chamber contents. Among the offerings are the M Series research chambers for demanding applications; the EGC feed-on-demand system for nutrient, crop, and plant physiology research; a gas exchange chamber that is environmentally sealed to monitor plant performance in closed systems; recirculating hydroponic plant growing systems; and controlled environment rooms. www.egc.com. Carpet qualifies for LEED points Mystic carpet from Cambridge Commercial Carpets is a modular carpet tile using a linear, 0.10-gauge textured loop pattern. Four colored blends are available. A tufting technology enables use of small lots of various colored yarns, diverting materials from the manufacturing waste stream. An integrated air refreshing chemical, Puralex, is incorporated; the Nexterra backing contains 85% post-consumer recycled content from glass and plastic. The tiles qualify for LEED points under the recycled content and IAQ/low-emitting materials categories. www.beaulieucommercial.com/styledetails.asp?id=440. Fume hood designed to reduce power consumption Lab Fabricators Co. has redesigned the air plenum and unique directional air vanes within the Energy Efficient fume hood line. The redesigned system creates a uniform, low velocity air curtain (across the hood’s face) that contains and carries away the fumes inside the hood to the rear exhaust port. The supplemental air is not forced down and on to the hood operator. The combined supplemental air and exhaust air form a push-pull effect that requires minimal energy power consumption of conditioned room air while offering maximum protection to lab personnel from toxic fumes. The 90% Energy Efficient fume hood is designed to be the industry’s highest performing supplemental air or push-pull hood. A 90% reduction of expensive heated and air conditioned room air is achieved when the supplemental air comes from outside the laboratory. Also, the significant cost of installing new or larger air conditioning and heating equipment is reduced when additional fume hoods are installed within a laboratory. The hood passes the extensive, three-stage ANSI/ASHRAE 110 test. www.labfabricators.com. Vertical lift stencil printers deliver high throughput and value Two similar high-precision vertical lift stencil printers, each with double-sided board-processing capability, are now available from Manncorp. The 4500R and the 5500R share many specifications and operational characteristics, However, the larger 5500R is air cylinder powered and offers a dual-squeegee shuttle with metal blades for faster processing and better ergonomics. Its 20- 3 22-in. print area will accommodate larger boards and pallets. The 4500R print area is 16 3 18 in. To meet the challenge of ultra-precise solder deposition required for today’s fine-pitch sub-miniature devices, both systems offer a registration repeatability of ±0.0003-in. Quick setup is made possible by self-locking precision X, Y, and Theta adjustments, a sought-after feature among low to mid-volume assemblers seeking high flexibility without the necessity of investing in automatic printers. www.manncorp.com. Device makes GC column installation easier Phenomenex Inc. has introduced the Cool-Lock Nut, a unique device that simplifies GC column installation and eliminates the need for wrenches or other tools. The low thermal mass design allows the Cool-Lock Nut to cool rapidly, preventing users from burning their fingers during column changes. Other unique design elements prevent the column from slipping to ensure a more reproducible installation depth for improved method accuracy. The Cool-Lock Nut is designed for use with Agilent Technologies GC instruments and works with all standard GC columns. The nut is available in both long and short ferrule-style dimensions and can be used over and over for accurate column installations. www.phenomenex.com. Flow restrictors ensure consistent gas flow Porous metal flow restrictors from Mott Corp. are designed to provide permanent, reliable flow control in high-purity applications without the high cost of mass flow controllers or needle valves. Mott flow restrictors allow gas to move through thousands of micro-channels without increasing flow velocity or creating irregular flow streams. By distributing the flow over the entire porous metal insert, particle plugging is prevented. Mott’s flow restrictors consist of a porous metal element permanently inserted into a standard fitting or specialty hardware. In operation, the porous metal element meters or limits the uniform flow of gas from high pressure to low pressure in a precisely controlled manner. In comparison, competitive technology, including single orifice and capillary tubes, experience limitations in accuracy and capabilities. Flow restrictors are robust and reliable choices for metering or limiting fluid flow. Benefits of porous metal restrictors include multiple flow paths that resist plugging and improve their repeatability and accuracy, a compact size and tamper-proof design with no moving parts or maintenance requirements, materials that are corrosion-resistant, and a manufacturing process that individually calibrates each restrictor at its designed operating condition. www.mottcorp.com. Hydrogen coolers useful in power generation applications Unifin announces its generator hydrogen coolers for superior performance in the most demanding applications. Unifin’s hydrogen coolers are widely used in new and existing power generation installations. In the production of electricity, heat from conductor resistance is unavoidable. Unifin’s generator coolers effectively and reliably remove this heat, in a system that is easy to clean and maintain. The RCP air cooler line features Unifin’s plate fin technology, which provides optimal heat transfer efficiency and exceptional durability. Other fin surfaces are also available from Unifin. A removable, bolt-on cover plate facilitates access for cleaning while keeping the cooler installed, without disturbing the piping. Unifin RCP coolers also deliver enhanced reliability. A unique leak detector configuration is available to prevent catastrophic failure of the motor or generator. www.unifin.com. Units keep computers cool Stultz Air Technology Systems Inc. specializes in critical environmental control needs, including design and manufacturing of energy-efficient temperature and humidity control equipment. The company’s floor-mounted precision air conditioners come in sizes from 1 to 90 tons; ceiling-mounted units are available in sizes from 1 to 10 tons. The units control air, temperature, and humidity to close tolerances, making them well-suited to use in computer rooms, control rooms, cleanrooms, and server rooms. Special configurations suit high-heat-density environments. http://www.yourpowernet.com/solutions/fsa/stulz_air_tech/stulyz_air_tech.htm. Fatigue system aids in materials testing Instron, a provider of testing equipment solutions, offers the R.R. Moore rotating beam fatigue system. Applying flexural stress on materials through failure, this portable system can easily be used as a hands-on tool for classroom testing to demonstrate the basic principles of fatigue, as part of a materials science curriculum. The system has a variable speed motor that rotates the specimen while an adjustable deadweight applies a flexural stress value chosen by the operator. The system is straightforward and requires no special installation or power requirements. Options include a high- temperature furnace and conditioning transformer. www.instron.com. Large capacity hybridization oven provides precise temperature control Boekel Scientific now offers the Big Shot II hybridization oven. Useful for all types of hybridization and incubation applications including northern blots, southern blots, and microarrays, the Big Shot III features a PID controller that provides rapid heating and excellent temperature stability from 10°C to 100°C. A fully programmable digital timer and an adjustable safety oven temperature cutout enables unattended operation for up to 99 hr and 59 min. The Big Shot III provides efficient mixing options with carousel speed control up to 60 RPM in 1 RPM increments. In addition to the standard 35mm bottle carousel supplied with each unit, accessory carousels are available for 55mm and 70mm bottles for processing larger membranes, for conical and round bottom sample tubes, and for standard or deep-well microplates. To provide additional flexibility and to make optimum use of laboratory bench space, the Big Shot III is stackable and comes with a reversible door. A removable drip pan is also provided for easy cleaning. www.boekelsci.com. Pipe mounting collars compensate for thermal expansion A line of tube and pipe mounting collars that are stackable and feature PTFE bushings to compensate for thermal expansion is available from Stafford Manufacturing Corp. Stafford pipe mounting collars provide an effective method for rigidly mounting tubing and pipe and feature PTFE bushings to compensate for thermal expansion and variations in pipe size, and to reduce vibration and noise. Permitting flexible mounting configurations, these two-piece collars have flats on both outside surfaces, are drilled and tapped for stacking to each other, and have a countersunk hole for mounting to virtually any surface. Machined from aluminum, steel, and stainless steel, Stafford pipe mounting collars are available in six pipe sizes from 1/4 in. to 11/4 in. outside diameter. The PTFE bushings can be supplied with one or two flanges and are split to easily fit inside the collars. Optional nylon bushings are also offered. www.staffordmfg.com. Green roof system is modular The GreenGrid system, licensed for distribution in the U.S. by Weston Solutions Inc., is designed to be a cost-competitive alternative to traditional built-in-place vegetated roofs. The system comprises a series of preplanted modules made of recycled plastics that can be placed directly on a roof or other structure with sufficient structural capacity. The modules sit atop the roofing membrane and are lightweight and easy to install and maintain, and can also be used for non-roof applications such as plazas and medians. Four-in.-deep and 8-in.-deep modules are available, and can be planted with customer-selected species, including grasses, sedums, wildflowers, and larger ornamental plants. An irrigation system is an available option. www.greengridroofs.com. Vendor provides extensive lab solutions RDM Industrial Products manufactures and distributes a wide array of furniture for labs, including casework and fume hoods. Products from multiple manufacturers are offered, as are a complete array of cleanroom furniture, cabinets, chairs, stools, benches, racks, carts, tables, lockers, workstations, and clean benches. www.rdm-ind.com. System turns tap water to pure and ultrapure lab water The new Milli-Q Integral water purification system, from Millipore Corp., uses tap water to supply constant-quality, pressurized Type II (pure) and Type I (ultrapure) water from a single production unit. The system combines Millipore’s Elix technology with the Milli-Q equipment to give users direct control over water quality during the entire purification process. The system is designed to require low maintenance and to keep running costs under control, aided by Elix’s ion-exchange resins, which are continuously regenerated by a weak electrical current. The Milli-Q Integral system produces water for needs ranging from 60 to 300 L/day. Separate points of delivery (PODs), dedicated either to ultrapure water or pure water, ensure convenient delivery at a flow rate adjustable from drop-by-drop to 2 L/min. The flexible POD system can be adapted with a choice of final polishers to remove specific contaminants, including pyrogens, nucleases, bacteria, particulates, and organics. The POD units have a small footprint and can be placed on a bench or wall-installed; the water production unit can also be installed on the bench, on a wall, or under the bench. www.millipore.com.