Posts by Bob Sandor
Ultrasonic Cleaners Selection and Operating Tips
How you select an ultrasonic cleaner involves several points to consider and resolve before putting your money down. Today’s ultrasonic cleaners range from small benchtop or tabletop units with simple on-off switches to highly sophisticated cleaners with adjustable or controllable operating parameters that allow them to perform multiple cleaning tasks. Cleaning solution capacities can range from under one gallon for household or hobbyist applications to hundreds of gallons capable of cleaning automotive, marine and aircraft engines.
Cleaning solution chemistries as well are available in many, many formulations and should be carefully selected (and maintained) to provide optimum cleaning performance based on what is being cleaned and the nature of contaminants being removed. Most of today’s popular ultrasonic cleaning solution formulations are available as water-based concentrates and are biodegradable. These two features provide economies, simplify storage and reduce, if not eliminate, disposal concerns. The problems and challenges associated with trichloroethylene and … Read the rest
Ultra-Cold Freezer Saves Skull Fragments After Brain Surgery
Brain surgery is an intricate and precise procedure. When extreme swelling of the brain necessitates removal of portions of the skull to relieve pressure, it’s medically preferable to reattach those pieces rather than use prosthetic materials after the swelling subsides. Today, surgeons are able to preserve these fragments in an ultra-cold freezer.
Cerebral Herniation
Dr. Matthew Kang, a neurologist at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, has conducted several procedures that involve the removal of skull fragments to relieve swelling on the brain. In an interview with a local newscast, Dr. Kang discussed the consequences of cerebral swelling. “So if you have uncontrolled swelling and you have the skull on, the brain only has one way to go which is through the bottom, and that’s called a herniation,” Dr. Kang said. A cerebral herniation can lead to increased pressure inside the brain cavity. If untreated, a herniation can be fatal.… Read the rest
Storage Tips to Help Safeguard Vaccines
Vaccine storage is an important topic that must be addressed by hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities. A good reference is the CDC’s Vaccine and Storage Handling Toolkit*. Among the suggestions are segregating different vaccine formulas used in these facilities to areas that are clearly identified. Store by expiration dates and administer vaccines following first-in-first-out procedures. Expired vaccines should be disposed of in an approved manner in accordance with state health requirements. (Updated December 26, 2013)
Vaccines lose their potency if improperly stored. Clinics should follow manufacturers’ recommended storage temperatures. Residential-grade refrigerators and freezers are not designed to maintain the temperature consistency necessary for proper storage of vaccines. Using these types of units can result in financial loss for clinics and patient aggravation due to spoiled vaccines.
If budgets do not permit the purchase of pharmacy-grade refrigerators and freezers, laboratory refrigerators and and laboratory freezers such
Powerful Lab Sonicator Speeds Sample Prep in Pharma Research
Ultrasonic cavitation is often employed for sample preparation in pharmaceutical labs. High ultrasonic power density is ideal for these applications because it accomplishes the job quickly. This minimizes cavitation induced heat buildup that can cause chemical degradation of samples.
Sample prep is generally accomplished by suspending sample flasks in ultrasonic cleaners containing water and a surfactant. Cavitation generated by ultrasonic transducers passes through the flask walls to act on the sample.
Most equipment used in this application handles several flasks at once for production-scale operations. An alternative design has proved especially efficient by speeding up the sample prep process in pharmaceutical research laboratories. The secret is in the design.
Elma’s S50R Lab Sonicator for Sample Prep
The 0.75 gallon to 1.5 gallon capacity 37 kHz multifunction Elma S50R laboratory sonicator available from Tovatech … Read the rest
Undercounter BOD Incubator Refrigerator
Temperature stability or minimum temperature drift is an important feature for BOD incubator refrigerators, along with sophisticated temperature controls and alarming systems. These are among the attributes of the new Norlake lab incubators now available from Tovatech. The 5.5 cubic foot units can store up to 71 300-ml BOD bottles. The LRI061 high-performance refrigerated incubator is an ideal choice for labs with moderate size storage requirements to support a variety of scientific studies.
A Lab Incubator with Programmable Logic Control
The microprocessor PLC allows researchers to tightly specify storage temperatures to one decimal place (0.10⁰C) in their scientific incubator by using the intuitive 4-digit LED display and 8-button interface. The interface allows users to navigate through the lab incubator menu structure including on/off, return to status, displaying program selections, the alarming system and cooling status.
The streamlined interior is designed to optimize air flow and temperature uniformity. This is attested … Read the rest
Ultrasonic Cleaning Delicate Surgical Instruments
Ultrasonic cavitation is a proven technique for removing contaminants from surgical instruments prior to disinfecting or sterilizing steps. This is accomplished in an ultrasonic cleaner when microscopic bubbles created by the unit’s ultrasonic transducers implode on contact with surgical tools. The process effectively strips away blood, tissue and other deposits resulting from surgical procedures.
Balancing Ultrasonic Cleaner Frequency with Cleaning Effectiveness
Higher frequency ultrasonic cleaners operating at 80 to 130 kHz are often used for delicate or highly polished parts in order to avoid potential damage caused by the imploding bubbles. Higher frequencies equate to smaller bubbles, which while safe for delicate parts are less effective in removing gross contaminants associated with microsurgery instruments. Instead, an ultrasonic cleaner operating at 37 kHz such as the Elmasonic Select series available from Tovatech is generally recommended for surgical instrument cleaning.
There are, however, instances … Read the rest
New Digital Platform Scale Performs Multiple Functions
A newly released family of Kern IKT digital touch screen platform scales now available from Tovatech performs multiple measuring and weighing functions in a single package. This versatile tool allows companies to reduce their scale “inventory” and associated maintenance costs by consolidating diverse measuring and weighing functions from recipe to animal weighing on a single unit. Fully 9 operating modes are accommodated.
Ease of use is another feature of the IKT digital platform scales, all equipped with stainless steel weighing plates, one of which can be used for suspending weighing. Maximum weighing capacity ranges from 3,100 to 151,000 grams. An intuitive backlit LCD digital touch screen measures 5.8 inches on the diagonal to clearly display the functions being performed. Examples include:
- A large keypad for easy input of text and values, also displaying the operator’s name
- A clear menu structure with keys
UCLA School of Dentistry Recommends Ultrasonic Cleaning
Ultrasonic cleaners are found with great regularity in dental healthcare. In the UCLA School of Dentistry website there is a chapter on sterilization in the Infection Control Manual. The chapter provides an excellent description on the workflow and processes involved. Dental Treatment Facilities (DTFs) must have a Central Sterilization Room (CSR). In the physical design of the facility, using instrument cassettes and ultrasonic cleaning aids in processing efficiency. In the sterilization process, various steps are given. For instrument cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning is the recommended option. The cleaning solution must be able to remove protein, blood and other debris. The solution must be changed regularly or whenever visibly soiled.
For further information visit www.dentistry.ucla.edu.… Read the rest
How to Choose Platform Scales
Precision platform scales are widely used in laboratory, industrial, and related applications where a high degree of weighing accuracy is required. In addition to weighing mundane items such as packages a platform scale is used for piece counting, net-total recipe weighing, and percentage determination that shows the deviation from a reference weight.
Platform balances such as the Kern DE series available from Tovatech are available in a variety of models, enabling users to specify the correct scale based on their requirements. These scales have maximum weighing capacities from 6 kilograms to 300 kilograms (approximately 13 to 660 pounds). Other models weigh up to 600 kilograms.
How to use an Ultrasonic Cleaner for Vehicle Transmissions
Automobile transmission service companies, rebuilders and backyard mechanics can save a tremendous amount of time by using ultrasonic cleaning to remove dirt, grease, metal shavings and other deposits from valves, valve body casings and other intricate components. Potentially harmful solvent-based parts washers and aerosol sprays cannot compare with the cavitation cleaning action of an industrial or tabletop ultrasonic cleaner using biodegradable ultrasonic cleaning solutions, some of which are available with rust inhibitors.
How it Works
Regardless of size, all ultrasonic cleaning systems operate on the same general principal. Biodegradable cleaning solutions diluted to the manufacturers’ recommendations are added to the cleaning tank to the fill line. Attached to the tank are ultrasonic transducers tuned to specific ultrasonic frequencies such as 37 kHz (37,000 cycles per second). The transducers are driven by an ultrasonic generator affixed to the unit.… Read the rest
