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AWEL REGISTERS AN ANTI-VIBRATION PATENT FOR ITS CENTRIFUGES

AWEL International, Designer and Manufacturer of Laboratory Centrifuges, registered on 18 April 2012 a patent titled "Procedure for controlling the rotational speed of a centrifuge drive shaft by measuring the level of vibration, centrifuge and associated computer program". The new system defined in the patent enables compensation for the vibrational phenomena engendered during the rotation of rotors. It takes advantage of associating the movement of compensating masses with an electronic servo-process using the latest accelerometer technology.

 

The system will soon find notable and very useful applications in the fields of Biotherapy and Medical Research, and, by extension, the Industrial markets. Philippe LE GUYADER (Director of Development and Manufacturing) explained "For a centrifuge, vibrations are annoying because liquids of different densities are separated by the ‘g' force but vibrations occurring at the same time, particularly during the braking phase, resuspend the separated particles. This is contrary to the requirements of the laboratory. We have succeeded in creating a system that works and we are extremely satisfied because this has been a recurring problem for all centrifuge manufacturers for decades".

 Sylvie GERARD (Marketing Manager) added: "Researchers work with separation objectives of high reliability and repeatability for cells with very similar densities (1.02 to 1.07), such as for various white cells and platelets. In the future, the patented system that will be fitted to AWEL centrifuges will enable them to guarantee the reproducibility and improvement of the separations. We shall thus respond to an important need of researchers who have no solution today."

 The idea and know-how for the patented system came from the team piloted by Philippe LE GUYADER in his R&D department at AWEL International in Blain, France, and was prototyped in the factory of AWEL Industries at Château Gontier, France, reinforcing the know-how in this cradle of French laboratory centrifuges.