Pipette Cleaning with an Ultrasonic Cleaner

The Elmasonic S80H control panel shows activated on-off and start-stop, the set and remaining time, and set and current bath temperature.  LEDs also indicate when the sweep and degas functions are operating.

Calibrated glass tube pipettes can pose difficult cleaning challenges especially when used to dispense reagents that tend to cling to internal walls.  The process can be extremely labor intensive and can call for multiple cleaning steps before the pipettes can be used with a different reagent.  An added challenge is avoiding breakage when cleaning pipettes.  Careful handling is called for, which can add to cleaning time.   If your lab employs pipettes in multiple quantities you should consider using an ultrasonic cleaner  to help speed the operation.

Widely used for cleaning medical and surgical instruments, ultrasonic cleaners use ultrasonic energy to remove contaminants prior to disinfecting or sterilizing.  Instruments are placed in mesh baskets and immersed in an ultrasonic cleaning solution.  Ultrasonic cleaners create billions of microscopic bubbles that implode on contact with instrument parts in a process called cavitation.  The action blasts away the most tenacious organic substances.  With simple modifications, … Read the rest

Using an Ultrasonic Cleaner in the Animal Hospital

Use an ultrasonic cleaner for veterinary instruments
Use an ultrasonic cleaner for veterinary instruments

Veterinary surgeons in animal hospitals and veterinary clinics will quickly see the benefits of using an ultrasonic cleaner to thoroughly remove blood and tissue from veterinary equipment such as knives, probes, curettes, trimmers and pipettes.  The ultrasonic cleaning process is fast and much safer than hand scrubbing surgical instruments because it reduces the potential risk of staff injury and damage to sharp edges.

How it Works

An ultrasonic cleaner operates on the principal of cavitation – the action of billions of minute bubbles imploding on the surface of objects immersed in the ultrasonic cleaning solution.  These bubbles are created by generator-powered ultrasonic transducers mounted on the cleaner’s tank and can reach the tiniest cracks, crevices and blind holes in the instruments to blast away contaminants without damaging delicate surfaces.… Read the rest