Beckman Coulter Inc., recently announced a new three-liter benchtop centrifuge, the Allegra X-14. Beckman Coulter offers the centrifuges with pre-bundled rotor and adapter combinations in application packages for cell culture, microplate runs, blood sample processing and work with hazardous samples.  

ADVANCE recently spoke with Pat O'Donnell, senior global marketing manager, Sample Preparation, Beckman Coulter Inc., about the product.

ADVANCE: Why was this product created?
O'Donnell: Every product we create is based on customer need. Our customers needed a reliable, 120-volt, 3-liter instrument.  

A: How does it work?
O: Refrigerated and constant temperature models are offered stand-alone or in packages containing everything needed for specific applications, such as cell culture, blood processing and others.

A: How does it improve upon already-available technology?
O: The Allegra X-14 series provides 120-volt alternatives to the Allegra X-15R in both refrigerated and constant-temperature models. Work-flow enhancing options include modular disk adapters, exclusive ARIES self-balancing rotor technology and BioSafe Aerosolve containers (BioSafe is a term intended to describe the enhanced biocontainment features of our products).

A: What's unique about it?
O: ARIES Smart Balance technology detects and corrects sample-load imbalances of as high as 50 grams. Applications packages provide quick set-up.

A: How will it help patients?
O: Speed and accuracy of sample processing facilitates testing.

A: How does it help lab professionals perform their jobs?
O: The Allegra X-14 series is versatile. With a fixed-angle rotor, the Allegra X-14 series provides a maximum speed of 10,200 rpm and delivers rcf of 11,400 x g.  Swinging-bucket rotors can achieve a maximum speed of 4,300 rpm and rcf of 4,300 x g and, utilizing a wide selection of tubes, bottles and plates, accommodate a range of sample types and volumes.