Benchtop Blast Freezers Simplify R&D of Temperature Sensitive Materials

Cost-effective compact units enable labs to expedite and even automate the freeze-thaw temperature profile testing of substances and products

R&D facilities typically lack the resources to purchase production-level blast freezers, which are often too costly and large for the needs of a lab. Instead, researchers need cost-effective, high-performance benchtop units for quick experimentation in space-constrained areas.

Fortunately, industry innovators have developed mini blast freezers that can lower the temperature far below conventional levels in minutes as well as promptly thaw as needed while accommodating packaging sizes from 2 mL - 6 L or more.

The compact liquid nitrogen (LN₂) freezers also facilitate experimentation with adjustable temperature profile recipes that help to automate the process. The benchtop units are designed for lab R&D, utilising liquid nitrogen from small, portable dewar tanks, making larger bulk tanks unnecessary.

For example, the benchtop Cryometrix blast freezer from Reflect Scientific utilises safely contained liquid nitrogen at -196°C to freeze products with cooled air. The system is designed so there is no contact between the LN₂ and the operator or product, which helps to ensure safety and product quality.

Using only a small amount of LN₂ from a portable dewar tank, the system can cool from 20°C to -80°C in under two minutes. The temperature is adjustable from +40°C to -90°C, with temperature uniformity of ± 3°C throughout.

A unique aspect of the benchtop LN₂ blast freezer is the option to add a rapid thawing capability up to 40°C in the same machine, which can streamline R&D and production while conserving space. With this option, the end user does not need two separate machines.

Programmable thermal recipes enable simple automated control of how quickly the unit transitions from freeze to thaw or thaw to freeze cycles.

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