Blog | Laboratory Supply Network

Why Your CO2 Incubator May Not Be Stabilizing

By Miriam Carrillo, 08 September 2025

A reliable CO2 incubator is essential for consistent cell culture, but what happens when yours is not performing as expected? Maintaining precise environmental conditions, such as temperature, CO2 levels, and humidity, is crucial for preserving cell viability. Any fluctuations in these parameters can significantly impact your experimental outcomes, waste precious time, and undermine your results. Let's explore common reasons why CO2 incubators fail to stabilize and provide practical tips to get them back on track.

Why Your CO2 Incubator May Not Be Stabilizing

Types of Liquids and How They Respond to Shear

By Kim McDonald, 21 July 2025

Liquids respond to the force of mixing. These responses are critical considerations when selecting an appropriate stirrer. Below, we cover five types of liquids that each have a unique response to shear force: Newtonian liquids, dilatant liquids, pseudoplastic liquids, thixotropic liquids, and rheopectic liquids.

Types of Liquids and How They Respond to Shear

Buchi vs. Ecodyst: Which Rotary Evaporator is Best for Your Application?

By Kim McDonald, 01 June 2025

Both Buchi and Ecodyst manufacture rotary evaporators, but they have different designs and target users. Here is a comparison based on several key aspects.

Buchi vs. Ecodyst: Which Rotary Evaporator is Best for Your Application?

Ultimate Guide to Homogenizer Selection for Cosmetics Applications

By Miriam Carrillo, 19 May 2025

The rise of self-care and wellness has fueled a surge in demand for innovative beauty products. Despite a temporary setback in 2020 due to the pandemic, the global cosmetics market has made a strong recovery and is on track to reach $132 billion by 2029¹, showcasing its resilience and impressive growth trajectory. Homogenization is essential for manufacturers in the cosmetics industry to craft high-quality products that truly stand out. Let's discover how selecting the right homogenizer can streamline your processes and elevate your products.

Ultimate Guide to Homogenizer Selection for Cosmetics Applications

Enzymatic and Mechanical Approaches for Mammalian Tissue Dissociation

By Kim McDonald, 21 January 2025

Efficiently dissociating tissue while preserving cellular integrity is a technically challenging process, often involving a combination of mechanical and enzymatic methods to prepare single-cell suspensions. There are a variety of protocols for tissue dissociation depending on the tissue and downstream application. One popular approach is using orbital shakers or shaking water baths in combination with enzymatic digestion. Non-enzymatic approaches often involve Read more ...

Enzymatic and Mechanical Approaches for Mammalian Tissue Dissociation

Linear vs. Orbital Shaking for Cell Culture.

By Miriam Carrillo, 20 January 2025

Orbital and linear (reciprocating) shakers are ideal for mixing liquids, dissolving solids, and most used in culturing cells. They ensure reliable, efficient, and controlled agitation. The purpose of shaking is to increase the availability of nutrients and to improve the oxygen transfer to gain a higher biomass compared to static incubation. Now the question is: Which one of these two works better for cell culture? Let 's dive into it.

Linear vs. Orbital Shaking for Cell Culture.

Using Sand in a Bath

By Miriam Carrillo, 19 November 2024

The choice between sand and other heating methods depends on the experiment's needs, including the required temperature range, heating profile, sample types, and vessel compatibility. A key consideration is whether a liquid or solid bath material is more suitable.

While many baths are called water or oil baths, they can also accommodate additional liquids and certain solids like beads or sand.

NSF/ANSI 456 for Vaccine Storage

By Miriam Carrillo, 22 October 2024

As global vaccine demand soars, proper storage has become vital. The necessity for developing and distributing effective vaccines gained unprecedented significance during the COVID-19 pandemic. As scientists persist in creating new preventative treatments for various diseases, the healthcare cold storage industry has likewise innovated in manufacturing and design to ensure the proper storage of these vital materials.

This blog delves into how these standards are transforming vaccine preservation, ensuri...

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Muffle Furnace

By Miriam Carrillo, 17 October 2024

As muffle furnaces are available in different configurations, it is essential to consider what maximum temperature your application requires, chamber size, heating elements, and programming options.

In this article, we will explore key factors to consider and the different uses for each type of laboratory furnaceRead more ...

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Muffle Furnace

How a Muffle Furnace Works / Types of Muffle Furnaces

By Miriam Carrillo, 14 October 2024

Muffle furnaces are indispensable tools across various scientific and industrial fields, providing precise and controlled high-temperature environments for a wide range of applications. Whether you are ashing samples, heat-treating materials, or conducting complex thermal analyses, a muffle furnace is a reliable partner that ensures your results are both accurate and repeatable.

How a Muffle Furnace Works / Types of Muffle Furnaces

Proper Maintenance for Muffle Furnaces

By Miriam Carrillo, 09 October 2024

Muffle furnaces are essential tools in laboratories for high-temperature processes such as annealing, sintering, and calcination. To guarantee their longevity and operator safety, consistent maintenance and strict adherence to safety protocols are imperative. This section explores key maintenance practices and safety measures essential for extending the lifespan of a muffle furnace...

Maintaining Buffer Temperature During Western Blot Transfer

By Kim McDonald, 31 August 2024

To avoid issues associated with inconsistent buffer temperature during Western blot transfer, there are a variety of options for cooling the buffer. Many tanks are equipped with refillable ice packs or ice chambers, or the entire tank can be placed in an ice bucket or cold room. Still, these options lead to variations in temperature across the tank. To address this, many Western blotting protocols utilize magnetic stirrers to circulate the buffer during protein transfer to maintain a consistent temperature and avoid hot spots that can inhibit transfer.

Maintaining Buffer Temperature During Western Blot Transfer

Maintenance for ULT Freezers

By Miriam Carrillo, 19 August 2024

Consider the implications of preserving a sample in a ULT freezer that belongs to an individual who is no longer available, or managing samples collected from diverse global regions where replacement may be difficult or excessively costly. This underscores the critical importance of sample / specimen preservation, and perhaps no piece of laboratory equipment is more important to sample preservation than a ...

Tips for Using a Vacuum Pump with a Vacuum Oven

By Miriam Carrillo, 07 August 2024

Using the right vacuum pump with your vacuum oven is important to ensure reliable operation and rapid, effective drying. However, simply hooking up the pump to the oven isn't sufficient to ensure that your operations are trouble-free and your equipment lasts as long as possible. There are a number of things you should know about this application.

Tips for Using a Vacuum Pump with a Vacuum Oven

Vacuum Pump Selection for Vacuum Ovens: What You Need to Know

By Miriam Carrillo, 06 August 2024

Choosing the correct vacuum pump for your lab's vacuum oven is a significant decision. The right pump means efficient and accurate results, while the wrong one could cause headaches and failures. This guide is here to help you figure out the key things to consider and what features to look for when picking a vacuum pump for your lab oven.

Vacuum Pump Selection for Vacuum Ovens: What You Need to Know