Laboratory Temperature Control Tips & Techniques

MéCour has been at it for 14+ years now. We've been listening to customers and their various needs for reliable and stable temperature control for their plates, tubes, media bottles, you name it. We provide the temperature to it. For automation or benchtop applications in Big Pharma, BioTech or local academic institutions or start-up companies, it’s all the same. It doesn’t matter if the required temp is 4°, 37°, -80° or +250°C. All the circulators connect to MéCour Thermal Blocks in the exact same manner. The system technically operates in the same manner as well. No matter what you call them

Our latest "Odd Duck" thermal control solution consists of twin, three liter bottles maintained at a five-degree pitch to allow for maximum extraction of valuable reagents. The thermal control system is maintained at 4°C with complete uniform temperature distributed to both bottles.

MéCour displayed Caliper’s 40 plate capacity Thermal Plate Stacker thermal control solution at the SLAS show with corresponding thermal mapping detailing temp measurements at points inside the Stacker. 

As we start 2012, MéCour continues to field many requests for our thermal systems that now fall under the “MéCour Odd Duck Category.” Thus, we will have plenty to blog about.

It seems like a never ending battle we wage at times with a number of interested potential customers and customer-hired consultants regarding the correct thermal circulator that will properly run a MéCour thermal system; especially one that must cool the application. MéCour takes seriously what our customers dictate for their application requirements and what their samples need to be maintained at.

As the Fall LRIG vendor show approaches on 9/19/11 in Cambridge, MA once again at the Boston Marriott Cambridge, we look back at the past 8-9 years MéCour has participated in this interesting and ever changing one-day show. Notable changes have definitely been not only in scale-up in LH/HTS, but the endless and “never ceases to amaze me” applications the end-users require temperature control for but don’t know or simply can’t find a solution to assist them.

Ever try and get odd sized media, reagent bottles or tubes controlled for temperature in an ice bucket or open circulating bath? Or better yet, store them in refrigerators or freezers, retrieve them and pray the sample stays “OK” cooled or heated while you run your application process?

Are your samples getting "cooked" and evaporated whether you like it or not? We've been asked a number of times this year alone to address the problems associated with external heat sources exhausting over or near their precious samples and either evaporating or contaminating them.

We had the opportunity to exhibit at the recent 36th Annual BMS Interdivisional Analytical Research Conference (BMSIARC) in NJ. This private show was sponsored by BMS solely for the Discovery Analytical Sciences – Mass Spec groups within BMS. It was BMS’ get-together for this group to review and discuss current technologies and new technologies and equipment offered by vendors who specialize in this area.

MéCour visited Beijing, China for the first time to further establish a new relationship with Beijing SMS Instruments & Equipment Co., Ltd, who is also Huber’s (German circulator manufacturer and partner to MéCour) distributor for China. Excellent and productive week-long visit that included staff presentations, training and multiple customer and university site visits to review a number of different applications.