Soft or intensive mixing
Microfluidic reservoir mixer
[E-RESMIX01]Multi-speed tube mixer
Mix fluid reservoirs while you perform microfluidic experiments
The tube mixer is a vortex capable of gentle to intense mixing (300 rpm to 3500 rpm). It can be used to mix reagents, cells, or particles under contamination-free conditions. Its four removable platforms make it compatible with several types of tanks (1,5mL, 15mL, 50mL, etc).
With this reservoir mixer, users will be able to keep cells, particles, or beads in suspension while perfusing a fluid with a Flow EZ, or duringother microfluidic experiments.
- Multi-speed
- Compact
Can be used in any lab, even the most crowded
- User-friendly
Display screen
- Versatile
Compatible with various tube sizes
Features of the block heater
Multi-speed
This reservoir mixer covers a wide range of speeds, from 300rpm to 3500rpm, making it compatible with experiments requiring gentle, strong, or intermediate agitation.
Compact
With its small size of 180x170x145 mm, this multi-speed vortex can be used in any laboratory without taking up bench space.
Versatile
The tube mixer has four interchangeable platforms, making it compatible with many reservoirs such as 1.5mL or 15mL tubes. These platforms are supplied with the device.
User-friendly
The user experience is greatly facilitated by the control panel, which allows the user to control the speed and time of agitation, and by LCD display ,which accurately shows the selected parameters.
Why is it important to suspend cells, beads, or particles during a microfluidic experiment?
Stirring is a critical component of microfluidic systems as it has a significant impact on behavior and performance. Here’s why:
1. Avoiding sample loss
In microfluidic experiments, sample loss can be a significant issue, as particles or cells may settle to the bottom or stick to the walls of the tube. This can result in an incomplete processing of the sample, leading to inaccurate or unreliable results. However, by utilizing a mixer tube, scientists can ensure that all particles remain in solution and are fully processed in the experiment, thus minimizing the risk of sample loss.
2. Prevent tubing clogs
Preventing clogging in microfluidic systems is crucial for maintaining good fluid circulation, pressure control, and flow control, particularly in setups with thin tubing. Agglomerates formed by a poorly mixed suspension of cells or particles can quickly lead to clogs, compromising the entire experiment. However, by using this vortex, scientists can effectively separate any potential clumps and ensure that fluid flows smoothly, preventing clogging and enabling reliable results in microfluidic experiments.
3. Control the homogeneity of the sample
- Uniform concentration of cells or particles is crucial for many microfluidic experiments – especially in single cell experiments– where accurate encapsulation rates are necessary. In Drop-Seq experiments, the encapsulation rate is dependent on the concentration of cells, and an uneven distribution can lead to inconsistent results. Then, the reservoir mixer can be incorporated into the microfluidic set-up to ensure a uniform concentration of particles throughout the entire experiment, leading to reliable and consistent results.
How to use the tube mixer in combination with Fluigent flow controllers
The tube mixer can be used with any microfluidic flow controller (see figure 1). The fluid can be circulated and controlled through combining the Flow Ez and the reservoir cap while under agitation thanks to the vortex. This allows users to keep cells, particles, or beads in suspension in the tube and thus a better homogenization of the fluid during recirculation.
The steps are as follows: choose the right platform for your reservoir, install it on the mixer device, place your tube with a p-Cap in the platform, choose your agitation speed and time on the control panel, and apply pressure to the tube.
Figure 1: A 15 mL tube pressurized by a Flow EZ flow pump and mixed by the multi-speed vortex
Specifications of the multi-speed reservoir mixer
Speed control range | 300 – 3500rpm (increment 100rpm) |
Acceleration | 15s |
Maximum continuous operation time | 8hrs |
Maximum load | 0.2kg |
Dimensions | 180x170x145mm |
Weight | 2.6 kg |
Orbit | 4mm |
Tube size compatibility | 0.2mL ; 0.5mL ; 1.5mL ; 10mL ; 15mL ; 50mL |