To balance a centrifuge, put samples in the centrifuge so they are directly across from each other. If you only have one tube to centrifuge, you should balance it with a “blank” tube (a tube filled with water). If you have three tubes, you should put them in 1-7-13, so on and so forth.

Why you need to balance a centrifuge Prior to starting the centrifuge, it is necessary to load it correctly. Balancing the centrifuge prevents potential damage to the instrument, and is crucial for safe operation.

It is important to properly balance a centrifuge because an unbalanced machine can damage the rotor, cause catastrophic damage to the machine itself, or even injure or kill lab personnel working in the room.

Centrifuges, which operate at high speed, have great potential for injuring users if not operated properly. Unbalanced centrifuge rotors can result in injury or death. Rotors are rated for a maximum speed and a load of specific weight. Improper loading and balancing can cause the rotors to dislodge while spinning.

Opening and closing the lid The centrifuge will only spin if the lid is closed and locked, to prevent any accidents. Notice that as you open the lid, the centrifuge buttons become disabled.

A centrifuge is a device that separates particles from a solution through use of a rotor. In biology, the particles are usually cells, subcellular organelles, or large molecules, all of which are referred to here as particles.

A centrifuge works by using the principle of sedimentation: Under the influence of gravitational force (g-force), substances separate according to their density. Different types of separation are known, including isopycnic, ultrafiltration, density gradient, phase separation, and pelleting.

In general, the recommended centrifuge speed for chemistry testing is 3500 rpm for ten minutes; for coagulation testing, the spin speed is 3500 rpm for seven minutes.

Safe Operation

1. Use safety cups whenever possible.
2. Disinfect or clean weekly and after all spills or breakages.
3. Lubricate O-rings and rotor threads weekly.
4. Do not operate the centrifuge without the rotor properly balanced.
5. Do not use rotors that have been dropped.

Centrifuge Operation

• Do not leave centrifuge until full operating speed is reached and appears to be running safely without incident.
• Stop centrifuge immediately if you notice any unusual noises or shaking.
• To prevent rotor failure, do not exceed maximum speed and maximum mass limits for the rotor.

When a centrifuge spinning at tens of thousands of rpm crashes, the device becomes a kind of centrifugal fragment bomb that can destroy a lab and cripple or kill anyone nearby.

If you were standing or sitting with your head facing the axle of the centrifuge, then the acceleration would tend to force the blood from your head down towards your feet. A normal human in street clothes will pass out from this at around 5G.

Centrifugation in essence involves compacting bacteria into a pellet, causing collisions against each other that result in shear forces on the bacterial cell surface, which may easily lead to cell surface damage with a potential effect on the outcome of surface-sensitive experiments.

Unfortunately, centrifuge explosions occur frequently in laboratories. These can be disastrous. The amount of mechanical stress that is placed on a centrifuge’s rotors results in corrosion of the rotor over time. Damaged and corroded rotors can easily result in a centrifuge explosion.

Ultracentrifuge – $10,000 to $50,000.

Balancing your centrifuge is as simple as it is critical. In practice, it means that for each sample placed in the centrifuge, a sample of exactly the same weight must be placed on the exact opposite side of the rotor, as if joined by a line directly through the centre of the rotor.

Centrifugal force is used to separate the components of blood – red blood cells, platelets and plasma – from each other. The result is that the particles with different densities precipitate in layers.

Do not centrifuge immediately after drawing blood. Allow the blood to clot in an upright position for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 1 hour before centrifugation. Centrifuge for at least 15 minutes at 2200-2500 RPM within one hour of collection.

Platelets can be prepared by using a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma from donated whole blood. Platelets from several different donors are then combined to make one tranfusable unit.

Answer: The technique to separate white blood cells from red blood cells in a centrifuge, which involve spinning. Blood is separated in a Centrifuge rather than settling by itself because the heavier parts of the mixture would not be possible too the edge.