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Quick and Easy Guide to Laboratory Dry Block Heaters
Oct
15
2022
Precision is often an important factor in laboratories when it comes to scientific research. There are many different types of equipment in a lab that are designed especially for different applications with precision in mind.
A procedure that is often used in the lab is the heating and cooling process. Temperature can have a huge impact in the lab because it can cause chemical changes, change physical properties, or stimulate biological growth. Therefore, it’s important to have equipment in a lab where the temperature can be controlled and is precise.
One type of equipment that falls into this category is a dry block heater. Here, we will cover what dry block heaters are used for, their top functions, and applications.
What is a dry block heater?
The purpose of dry block heaters is to control temperature so that it’s uniform, stable, and precise during heating and cooling applications. They are used to cool or heat samples in a highly controlled manner. They are designed with wide temperature ranges and are adaptable to heating vessels of different sizes.
Analog dry block heaters consist of a chamber made out of stainless steel and heating blocks that are made out of aluminum. The digital version incorporates a microchip and digital interface to the original version.
They also have many different uses. They are used in food laboratories to activate enzymes, petrochemical labs for analyzing melting points, biotechnology labs for bacteriology conversions, used in medicine to control clinics in controlled heat, molecular biology, histology, environmental studies, and microbiology.
What is a heating block in the laboratory?
Dry heat blocks provide a hygienic heating environment in the lab to heat samples. They are designed with wide temperature ranges and can be used to heat tubes, vials, and flasks of different sizes.
Digital block heaters are used in the lab for determining melting and boiling points, coagulation tests, enzyme reactions, the activation & incubation of cultures, DNA denaturation, immunoassays, culture media tests, determining blood urea-nitrogen and in situ hybridizations. They also provide precise heating of cuvettes, microplates, microcentrifuge tubes, PCR strips, and PCR tubes.
What are the top functions and applications of a dry block heater?
Dry block heaters are used for temperature uniformity, stability, and ensure temperature accuracy. Digital models are designed with a unique calibration feature that matches the display up with 3 external temperature setpoints. They also feature touchpad controls with displays for time and temperature. Non-digital dry block heaters are controlled by dual temperature adjustment knobs.
The number of blocks determines the capacity of dry heat blocks and the size of the block determines the number of tubes that fit into each block. Block sizes include 1, 2, and 4 block models and the sizes of tubes used in these blocks range from 0.2 ml to 50 ml.
As mentioned before, dry heating blocks provide a wide range of temperatures. The temperature range is usually around 5℃-150℃. Some heating blocks can even combine cooling and heating features to reach negative temperatures. Dry heating blocks generally take up to 15 to 30 minutes to reach the desired temperature.
Dry heat blocks are ideal for creating sanitary conditions. The removable dry heat blocks make it easy to clean and disinfect.
What are the advantages of using digital heat blocks?
There are many advantages of using digital heat blocks. They are light, safe, and small. They are easy to monitor and when selecting a temperature, you have the option of also setting a time limit. They heat evenly and rapidly, use less power, are very versatile, and create a sanitary environment for heating and cooling processes.
