Vacuum Systems, Heating Baths, Cryogenic Protection and Bench Support
This collection covers the equipment that surrounds laboratory instrumentation rather than the instruments themselves: chemical-resistant vacuum pumps and controllers, heating and cold trap baths, cryogenic personal protective equipment, diagnostic specimen shipping kits, autoclaves, sample handling accessories and bench organisation. Brands include Scilogex, Jeio Tech, Heathrow Scientific, Benchmark Scientific, Centurion Scientific and Quincy Lab.
Two of these categories are worth reading before you buy, because both are easy to get wrong in a way that costs money later.
Vacuum pumps fail early when the chemistry is not matched. A standard pump handling solvent vapour has that vapour condense inside it, contaminating the oil and corroding the internals, and the pump degrades long before its rated life. Cryogenic gloves are the other one: ordinary gloves are not protection against liquid nitrogen and can make an injury worse by trapping liquid against skin.
→ Part of Lab Instruments. Also see Vacuum Pumps & Aspiration, Water Baths & Chillers, Cryogenic Storage and Lab Safety & Furniture.
Chemical-Resistant Vacuum Pumps and Controllers
A chemically resistant diaphragm pump uses PTFE or similar wetted materials so solvent vapour passing through does not attack the internals, and being oil-free there is no oil for vapour to contaminate. For rotary evaporation, filtration and any application drawing solvent vapour, this is the appropriate pump type rather than a general-purpose one.
Options run from the Scilogex STM3000 economical chemical-resistant diaphragm pump and the STM5000, up to fully PTFE-wetted units: the PTFE chemical-resistant diaphragm pump and its 100 to 120V version. For higher displacement, the Jeio Tech W2V60 rotary vacuum pump at 600 L/min.
Why a vacuum controller changes the work
An uncontrolled pump pulls as hard and as fast as it can, which is exactly what causes bumping in a rotary evaporator and foaming in a filtration. A controller regulates to a setpoint and lets vacuum be ramped gradually. The Scilogex SCI100VC benchtop controller at 1 to 1000 mbar covers the full working range, and the Storm series pressure regulator kit adds regulation to an existing pump.
Protecting the pump
The vacuum regulator and moisture trap with gauge and valve catches liquid before it reaches the pump, and the Jeio Tech CTB-10 cold trap bath condenses vapour upstream. Both cost far less than the pump they protect, which is the argument for fitting them at installation rather than after the first failure.
Aspiration
For liquid waste handling: the Scilogex SciVac-E aspiration system with capacity options, the Jeio Tech VE-11 electric aspirator and the Benchmark Accuris Aspire.
Heating, Shaking and Cold Trap Baths
Bath selection comes down to volume, whether the samples need agitation, and whether the bath is doing temperature control or vapour trapping.
- Standard heating baths: the BW3-20G at 20 L, 120V and the BW-20H at 20 L, 230V.
- Shaking bath: the BS2-10 shaking heating bath at 17 L, where samples need agitation as well as temperature, such as enzymatic incubations that would otherwise stratify.
- Viscometer bath: the VB-40G at 40 L, built for the tight temperature stability viscosity measurement requires, since viscosity is strongly temperature-dependent and a drifting bath makes the measurement meaningless.
- Cold trap bath: the CTB-10, which is a vacuum line protection component rather than a sample bath.
Also stocked: Quincy Lab strip heaters in 13-160-21 and 23-160-33 versions, and the Scilogex DilVac dry ice maker with hose and gauge, which produces dry ice on site from a CO₂ cylinder. For labs running dry ice condensers or shipping cold, generating it in-house removes a supply dependency that tends to fail at inconvenient times.
Cryogenic Personal Protective Equipment
Liquid nitrogen at -196°C causes cold burns on contact, and cryogenic PPE is deliberately loose-fitting so it can be shed instantly if liquid gets inside. An ordinary close-fitting glove holds the liquid against the skin, which makes the injury worse than wearing nothing.
Heathrow Scientific supplies the full set: cryo gloves, long cryo gloves covering the forearm, waterproof cryo gloves and TempShield waterproof cryo grip gloves where handling wet vials demands grip as well as insulation.
Body protection: cryo aprons and cryo gaiters rated to -196°C. Gaiters cover the gap between trouser hem and shoe, which is precisely where spilled liquid nitrogen lands and where people are most often burned.
Complete kits are available as the cryo protection safety kit and the version including cryo gloves, which is the simpler route for a lab equipping someone from nothing.
Diagnostic Specimen Shipping
Shipping diagnostic specimens is a regulated activity, and the packaging requirements depend on how the material is classified and whether it travels by air or ground. Complete kit systems exist because assembling compliant packaging from separate components is where errors happen.
Centurion Scientific BioShip kits: diagnostic specimen bag kits in cases of 24, temperature control bag kits, specimen temperature control kits and small air and ground transport kits in cases of 40.
Confirm the classification of your material and your carrier's requirements before selecting a kit. Responsibility for correct packaging sits with the shipper, not the supplier or the carrier.
Sample Handling, Sterilisation and Bench Support
Sample mixing and preparation
Tube rollers provide gentle continuous mixing for blood samples and cell suspensions that settle if left standing: the R3005 with five rollers and the R3010 with ten. The BT30 Orbi-Blotter handles membrane washing and staining steps. The Oxford AccuTop bottle top dispenser delivers repeat volumes straight from a reagent bottle without decanting.
Sterilisation and measurement
Benchmark BioClave research autoclaves for media and waste, and the Adam Equipment PMB 53 moisture analyzer, which determines moisture content by drying and weighing in one instrument.
Agarose and molecular reagents
LE agarose for routine DNA separation, low melt agarose for recovering DNA from excised gel slices, 3:1 agarose for resolving small fragments, EZ-Pack agarose tablets for pre-measured convenience, and Accuris dNTPs. See Molecular Biology & Genomics for the systems these run on.
Splash protection
Biohazard shields give a physical splash barrier at the bench: an articulating shield and flex-neck versions at 8.5 by 12 inch and 12 by 12 inch. A shield stops splashes and does not contain aerosol, so it complements a biosafety cabinet rather than replacing one.
Bench and workflow organisation
Also stocked: a vaccine procedure caddy, a phlebotomy super station, a 5-slot microtiter plate carrying caddy, a cold storage lock box, a 3-position mini autobin, a cleaning station, a stand-mount sanitizing station and a benchtop stack system. More in Lab Storage & Organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a vacuum pump chemically resistant?
The wetted parts, meaning everything the vapour touches, are made from materials such as PTFE that solvents do not attack. Being oil-free is the other half: a diaphragm pump has no oil for solvent vapour to contaminate. A standard pump handling solvent vapour has that vapour condense inside it, contaminating the oil, corroding internals and degrading achievable vacuum long before the pump's rated life.
Do I need a vacuum controller?
If you are doing rotary evaporation or filtration, yes. An uncontrolled pump pulls as hard and as fast as it can, which is what causes bumping in a rotovap and foaming during filtration. A controller regulates to a setpoint and allows vacuum to be ramped gradually. It also lets a process be reproduced exactly, which an uncontrolled pump cannot do.
Why does a vacuum line need a moisture trap or cold trap?
To catch liquid and vapour before they reach the pump. Without one, solvent and moisture enter the pump, contaminate it, degrade ultimate vacuum and eventually cause failure. A trap costs a fraction of the pump it protects, which is why it belongs on the line at installation rather than being added after the first pump failure.
When do I need a shaking bath rather than a standard heating bath?
When the samples need agitation as well as temperature. Suspensions settle, layers stratify, and reactions that depend on mixing proceed unevenly in a still bath. A shaking bath keeps contents in motion throughout the incubation. If the samples are homogeneous solutions and only need holding at temperature, a standard bath is adequate and simpler.
What is a viscometer bath and why is it separate?
Viscosity is strongly temperature-dependent, so a viscosity measurement is only as good as the temperature stability of the bath the sample sits in. A viscometer bath is built for tighter stability than a general-purpose heating bath, and it accommodates viscometer tubes specifically. Using a general bath introduces drift that shows up directly in the result.
Why are cryogenic gloves loose-fitting?
So they can be shed instantly. If liquid nitrogen gets inside a close-fitting glove it is held against the skin and the injury is worse than wearing no glove at all. Cryogenic PPE is designed to come off in one motion for exactly that reason. Ordinary laboratory gloves are not cryogenic protection and should never be used for liquid nitrogen handling.
Do I need cryo gaiters as well as gloves?
If you handle liquid nitrogen standing at a dewar, yes. Spilled liquid runs downward and collects at the gap between trouser hem and shoe, which is where burns most commonly occur despite the operator wearing gloves. Gaiters close that gap. Aprons cover the torso and thighs against splashes from decanting.
What is a dry ice maker and when is it worth having?
It produces dry ice on site from a CO₂ cylinder, giving pellets or blocks on demand. It is worth having when you run dry ice condensers, ship cold regularly, or need dry ice at times when a supplier delivery cannot be arranged. The economics depend on how often you need it, but the reliability argument is often stronger than the cost argument: a dry ice supply that fails on a Friday afternoon is a problem an on-site maker does not have.
What packaging do diagnostic specimens require for shipping?
Requirements depend on how the specimen is classified and on the transport mode, with air shipment generally subject to more requirements than ground. Complete kit systems exist because assembling compliant packaging from separate components is error-prone. Confirm the classification of your material and your carrier's requirements before selecting a kit, since responsibility for correct packaging sits with the shipper.
Does a biohazard shield replace a biosafety cabinet?
No. A shield is a physical splash barrier. It stops liquid reaching the operator's face and does nothing about aerosol, which travels around it. Where the hazard is airborne, a biosafety cabinet with airflow containment is required. A shield is a useful addition at a bench where splashing is the risk, not a substitute for containment.
MediDepot Purchasing Advantages
- Price Match Guarantee: found the same model number for less elsewhere? We will match the verified price.
- Equipment Financing: useful when equipping a lab bench with several instruments at once.
- Extended Warranty: coverage on pumps and heated equipment beyond the manufacturer term.
- Military Discount: available for qualifying military medical and research facilities.
- Request a Quote: pump and controller matching, bath sizing, PPE kit configuration and case quantities.
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- How to Choose the Right Laboratory Incubator
- How to Verify Authorized Medical Equipment Sellers
- Medical Equipment Quote Comparison Checklist