Good vibes in the lab

One and a half years after the successful launch of its redesigned laboratory device, the Starlab Minicentrifuge, the Hamburg-based laboratory products manufacturer is introducing its second product in March 2024. The innovative Starlab Vortex Mixer combines unparalleled design with top performance and user-friendliness. “We are extremely proud to present yet another important product for next-generation laboratory operations. It is designed to make day-to-day lab work even easier and more efficient. The development process was once again guided by our central motto: putting the fun in lab work. Because fun is what drives passion and performance, and you can’t achieve successful research without them”, says Klaus Ambos, President & CEO of Starlab International. The Starlab Vortex Mixer will be available from 05 March 2024 with a price of 350,00 GBP.

Design is about more than looks

Like the Minicentrifuge, the new product is based on the distinctive Starlab curved design. The mixer’s fluid design, with its striking wave pattern and two-tone colour scheme, sets it apart from other laboratory devices. The shape invites laboratory staff to actively interact with it and promotes intuitive handling. “We invested a lot of time in product development. Our signature curved design, which is also a key feature of the Minicentrifuge, was developed for more than just aesthetic reasons. Making sure that our users can easily learn how to operate our products and enjoy using them is very important to us”, says Ambos. The Starlab Minicentrifuge has already been nominated for several design awards. Starlab received the prestigious Instrument Business Outlook Bronze Award for excellence in the industrial design of analytical instruments for the Minicentrifuge in September 2023. According to Klaus Ambos, “The high volume of positive feedback from our customers and the recognition we have received from various institutions confirm that we are on the right track. Design is an important aspect in laboratory operations.” 

A focus on user-friendliness

The Starlab developers’ goal was a new type of vortexer providing multifunctionality with focus on user-friendliness. The unique feature of the new Vortex Mixer is the intuitive glove-compatible touchscreen user interface. The screen makes it easy to set the speed and time and offers pre-set options that allow users quick speed and time selection at the touch of a button. Customised speed and time setting is also available. The mixer isenergy smart thanks to its sleep mode, which reduces energy consumption by putting the device on standby after a period of unuse.

Creating good vibes through performance, versatility and fun

With a speed range from 300 rpm to 3500 rpm in touch mode, the Vortex Mixer provides versatility for all laboratory requirements. The large surface area allows differently shaped tubes and containers to be vortexed, whilst the recessed centre provides the benefits of traditional, cup-style attachments.

For greater flexibility, optional adapters are also available for continuous mixing of tubes or a microplate within a 300 rpm to 1500 rpm range. On top of that, the Starlab Vortex Mixer runs quietly, ensuring a disturbance-free working environment in the laboratory. Stability and safety during operation are provided by the anti-slip feet.

Ambos: “From the gentle mixing of samples right up to vigorous vortex mixing and the resuspending of cells or chemical pellets, the new Starlab Vortex Mixer brings good vibes to every lab with its compact and innovative design. Good vibrations. Great results!” 

Technical specifications of the Starlab Vortex Mixer

Speed range

• Standard attachment: 300 rpm to 3,500 rpm
• Adapter for 1.5/2.0 ml tubes: 300 rpm to 1,500 rpm
• Adapter for microplates: 300 rpm to 1,500 rpm

• Speed increments: 50 rpm
• Timing capacity: 1 second to 99:59 minutes
• Type of movement: orbital
• Two operating modes: touch and continuous
• Noise level: ≤ 55 dBA
• USB output: 5 VDC 1 A
• Permissible ambient temperature: 2 °C – 40 °C
• Permissible relative humidity: ≤ 80 %
• Power supply: 100 V – 240 V, 50 Hz – 60 Hz
• Unit input: 24 V DC 12 W

About Starlab

Starlab International GmbH is a life science group of companies. It specializes in the manufacture and sale of laboratory products with a focus on liquid handling. The company is represented in Germany, with its headquarters in Hamburg, as well as in Switzerland, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and through distributors across Europe. The product portfolio includes laboratory consumables such as pipette tips, single-channel and multi-channel pipettes, cell culture and PCR consumables, nitrile and latex gloves, as well as instruments for general laboratory use. Pipette servicing for all manufacturer brands rounds out the portfolio. Starlab’s products and services are aimed at research institutions in the public sector such as biological and medical institutes, universities and hospitals, as well as companies active in the life sciences area. The group’s success is based on uncompromising customer centricity and many years of in-depth experience in the manufacture and sale of disposable liquid handling products. With TipOne®, Starlab has become a leading supplier of pipette tips worldwide. Outstanding quality, competitive pricing and service always take top priority.

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