Hettich Universal 320R centrifuge review

With a variety of refrigerated centrifuges on the market, it can be difficult to know which one is best for you. In this month’s blog, we will review the Hettich Universal 320R centrifuge looking at its positive and negative aspects. Let’s take a closer look:

Universal 320R centrifuge overview

The Hettich Universal 320R is a medium capacity, refrigerated, benchtop centrifuge designed to spin a wide range of different tubes and other vessels. The centrifuge can reach up to 16,000 rpm (24,900 x g) if using a fixed angle rotor and has a maximum capacity of 4 x 200ml if using a swing-out rotor configuration.

Ideal for use in hospitals, universities, pharma and research laboratories, the Hettich Universal 320R is well suited to most fields of application.

Wide range of accessories

One of the key features of the Hettich Universal 320R is its ability to spin a wide range of different tubes, bottles and micro titre plates. In fact, there are a total of eighteen different rotors to choose from and even more adaptors depending on your needs.

Build quality backed up by a 2-year warranty

Hettich centrifuges are known for their supreme levels of reliability. This is backed up by a 2-year warranty as standard. If you look after your centrifuge and have it regularly serviced, it will give you years of trouble free use. Hettich centrifuges are designed to last at least 10 years under normal levels of usage. The Universal 320R is no different and this model will be a dependable piece of laboratory equipment for many years to come.

Other factors to consider

The Hettich Universal 320R IVDR regulation (EU) 2017/746 certified. This means it can be used as an in vitro medical device in a clinical setting. It has an incredibly fast acceleration when set to the fastest level meaning it reaches the desired speed very quickly. It also has a very low noise level of around 50 dB. This is useful in labs where there is already a lot of noise being created by other equipment and their users.

The Universal 320R is fully programmable with the user being able to save up to 9 different profiles. It is a refrigerated model but it is also available as a non-refrigerated version, for users who don’t need to keep their samples cool during centrifugation.

Hettich Universal 320R conclusion

Pros

• Vast range of rotors, buckets and adaptors cater for most types of tubes and containers.
• 2-year warranty as standard.
• Supreme build quality and reliability.
• Fully programmable.

Cons

• LCD display is a bit last century.
• Footprint of 407mm x 698 mm might be a bit big, if bench space is at a premium.
• At 52kg, it is quite heavy, should you need to move it to another location.

Overall score: 9/10

How Henderson Biomedical can help

We are the official UK partner of Hettich, the world’s leading centrifuge manufacturer. Not only are we able to supply you with new Hettich equipment, we can also provide you with excellent after sales support for your centrifuge for many years to come. This can be in the form of conducting annual, on-site preventative/corrective maintenance at a time and date convenient to you. We are also able to calibrate your Hettich centrifuge in line with ISO 17025 standards.

In addition to this, our Field Service Engineers are trained by Hettich in Germany, meaning that they have in-depth technical knowledge about their products (something that other service providers are not able to offer).

For more information, you can call us on 020 8663 4610. Alternatively, you can email us at info@henderson-biomedical.co.uk or our online form and a member of the team will be in touch with you.