Laboratory Shakers: What Are They?

What is a Shaker?

A shaker is an equipment typically used in the laboratory, it is used to blend, mix or agitate substances in a tube or a flask by shaking them. It is mainly used in the fields of chemistry and biology. Standard shakers are space saving with a small footprint. A shaker contains an oscillating board that is used to place the flasks, beakers, or test tubes.

The laboratory shakers are useful tools that can form a homogenous mixture from multiple ingredients. Life sciences uses these shakers in waste water treatments, biotech industries and in life sciences. They are not just used in science labs, they are used in many different industries. They are vital equipment in many labs.

How does a shaker work?

A shaker usually works by creating a shaking motion. This occurs at a low speed of 25-500 rpm. An oscillating board is inside of the shaker that will hold the test tubes, flasks or beakers. These vessels, as well as the devices, shake to mix, blend and agitate the substances that are inside of the tubes. Laboratory shakes will condense two different processes into one substance. They are small and perfect for life science and molecular laboratories.

Feature & benefits of a laboratory shaker

• Most of the laboratory shakers do not cause vibration on the benchtops in which they are held, this keeps the other equipment and processes undisturbed.

• Shakers are small and compact in design, hence they don’t take up too much space in the laboratory and are easy to move.

• The footprint of many shakers is small.

• These shakers can hold a variety of containers, such as test tubes, flasks, beakers, and more.

• Orbital shakers can be cold room and incubator compatible.

• Some shakers also provide over-speed detection and protection.

• There are remote functions on the shaker which can provide PC control and data transmission.

• Many shakers also provide free software for PC control and data logging.

Uses of the laboratory shakers

• General mixing
• Diagnostic testing
• Cell culture
• Bacterial suspensions
• Hybridization
• Staiting
• Solubility studies
• Destaining
• Extraction procedures
• Washing procedures

Types of shakers

When it comes to laboratory shakers, versatility is very important. Keeping that in mind, there are many different kinds of shakers. Below is a thorough understanding of each type of shakers and their functions.

Vortex Shaker

A vortex shaker is usually a small device used to shake or mix small vials of liquid substance. Its most unique quality is that it works by the user putting a vial on the shaking platform and turning it on; thus, the vial is shaken with the platform. This type of shaker is very variable in terms of speed adjustment, for the shaking speed can be continuously changed while shaking by turning a switch.

Platform Shaker

A platform shaker has a table board that oscillates horizontally. The liquids to be stirred are held in beakers, jars, or Erlenmeyer flasks that are placed over the table or, sometimes, in test tubes or vials that are nested into holes in the plate. This type of shakers can also be combined with other systems like rotating mixers for small systems and have been designed to be manufactured in laboratories themselves with open source scientific equipment.

Orbital Shaker

Like the name suggests, it has a circular shaking motion with a slow speed. It is suitable for culturing microbes, washing blots, and general mixing. It does not create vibrations and it produces low heat compared to other kinds of shakers, which makes it ideal for culturing microbes. Also, it can be modified by placing it in an incubator to create an incubator shaker due to its low temperature and vibrations.

Incubator Shaker

An incubator shaker or thermal shaker can be considered a mix of an incubator and a shaker. It has the ability to shake while maintaining optimal conditions for incubating microbes or DNA replications. This shaker is very useful because in order for a cell to grow, it needs oxygen and nutrients that require shaking so that they can be distributed evenly around the culture.

If you are wondering about what type of shaker you need, you can consider some of these questions and opt for the type of laboratory shaker according to your preferences.

What kind of shaking method do you need? Do you want a temperature controlled shaker? What is the RPM range you need? What is the capacity of the laboratory shaker that you need? (This includes volume and total weight) what programming functions does the shaker you are looking at have, if any?

Neuation Technologies Pvt. Ltd. offers laboratory shakers and mixers like; iShak Quattro Nxt, iShak T$4 NXT, iShak BLUno VI, iShak 3D-5 NXT, iShak PS 10/20, iShak US15, and many more. For lab consumables, call 9924477224.