EBME Forums Forums Free discussion Out of Hours Centrifuge Maintenance

I have been contacted by our Pathology Department to look into servicing their centrifuges. The makes are Heraeus models Megafuge 1.0; Labofuge 400 and Jouan model B41.

I would be appreciative for any thoughts or experiencs with looking after centrifuges.

Regards

Mike

It’s all a lot easier now we have moved into the era of brushless motors!

For older units, obviously the brushes are the main thing to check and replace when worn. Don’t forget your brush to clean out the mess around the motor, and your gloves to avoid the mess in the bowl!

Hallo mike rowland:

The following checklist from my memory and it might helpful to you....

1.Inspect exterior and equipment for damage/missing hardware.
2.Inspect the powercord, strain relief and plug for any sign of damages.
3. Open user acessible cover and inspect interior unit for signs od corrosion / missing hardware/ damage.
4. Inspect electrical/electronic components for sign of excessive heat or deterioration.
5. Inspect buckets and trunion for wears.
6.Inspect rotor lid locking mechanism.
7.Verify speed setting using a photo tachometer
8.verify timer accuracy.
9.Verify line voltage with load and unload condition.
10.Verify correct breaking time from maximum speed.
11.Verify correct operation of unit in all functional modalities.
12.Check the voltages, electrical leakage currents and grounding integrity.(EST)

Hi Mike,

To add more feathers to the contributions, I would like to differentiate centrifuges into Refrigerated and non-refrigerated Centrifuges. Former requires temperature checks aswell apart from other checks.

Sen

Not bad, Mr. Tha_Ans. But what use is made of the information noted at step 9, I wonder? I would also add a comment about “smooth running” in there somewhere too, and perhaps even check the out-of-balance sensing arrangement.

Good point, Aussie Sen. Biomeds outside of the UK may not be aware that techs in UK NHS hospitals often do not get involved too much with lab kit (unfortunately). Some people might not appreciate the range of centrifuges, from small ones (such as micro-haematocrit) right up to heavy floor-standing refrigerated types. Mention could be made also of special types, such as cell-washing centrifuges. All good stuff.