If your freeze dryer has been breaking down frequently, or doesn’t operate the way it should be, it may be time to replace the existing dryer with the new one.
Freeze drying has been used in a number of ways, especially in pharmaceutical and food industries. There are many uses for the process, such as stabilization of living materials, plant material research, heat-sensitive sample preparation, long term storage of HPLC samples, restoration of items damaged by water, and preservation of whole animal samples for museum display, and many more. The freeze dryers remove water and other liquid solvent from a frozen material, using a method called sublimation. Specialized equipment is needed to freeze materials, where a frozen liquid transforms into a gaseous state directly rather passing by the liquid phase.
Know the basics
Selecting a freeze dryer needs some fore-knowledge of what you require. If you know the freezing point (eutectic temperature) of your samples or products to be frozen, you can choose the freeze dryer of the right temperature capability you will need.
The quantity of your products dictates how large or small the freeze dryer should be. The small console style units sit on the bench-top or while large on floors, are available in different sizes. It is essential to know what chemicals your materials will contain or any special considerations or PTFE coated collector are needed to vacuum pump, etc. Its best to know these details beforehand or else your samples may rust out the drying equipment.
Other Variables
Freeze drying, also known as Lyophilisation used as sample prep step or a solution for long term storage. Here are some variables that you need to consider to choose the ideal freeze dryer for your needs.
You should know the total amount of moisture you want to remove. For instance, if you’re processing 6litre of total liquid, you may need larger dryer to do the task. Depending on the products, drying accessories like clear chambers, bulk tray dryers are needed to get the desired output.
The Freeze dryers come in two main configurations – bench top and floor standing models. Bench-top units come in many styles and designs, mainly used for small volumes of samples, while the latter is beneficial for large scale dry freezing capabilities.
Also, make sure to purchase the freeze dryer that comes with new features, such as defrost, touch-screen interfaces, and automated data collection, etc.
Harvest Right freeze dryers are the perfect addition to any labs, as they come with the ability to automatically switch on and off the condensing unit in conjunction with time and controlled temperature settings.
