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Bioptechs Stable "Z" Specimen Warmer
Stable-Z-with-Stage-Adapter
Bioptechs Stable Z shown with Olympus Stage Adapter
Part #: 403-1926-19-15-O

Bioptechs Stable Z Controller (4.5" x 3.5")
Part #: 403-1926-03
 

Designed to warm your cells in traditional plastic ware without inducing "Z" axis drift!

  • The effect of thermal expansion is not transmitted to the specimen plane because the support surface is coplanar with specimen.
  • The specimen retainer is made of a minimal thermal mass and efficiently heated so that adjacent surfaces remain unaffected.
  • Far better performance than heating stages, lower cost, great value.
What is it?

The Stable "Z" is a device designed to warm biological specimens in standard plastic ware on a microscope stage with the distinct advantage of eliminating "Z" axis drift.

How does it work?

There are several factors that make the Stable "Z" superior to traditional "Stage heaters".

  1. The mass of the heated components is minimal.
  2. Due to the unique geometry of the heating components, thermal expansion is self canceled because the heated support surface for the dish is coplanar with the support surface for the heater itself.
  3. The heated components are thermally isolated from the stage of the microscope so that the microscope stage itself is not subject to absorbing heat from the Stable "Z".
  4. The carrier plate that supports the heated components does not contribute to Z axis drift because it has a near zero thermal expansion coefficient.

The result is the most stable and economical method of warming a specimen for time-lapse imaging. The only limitation is that as heat is applied peripherally, there is always a thermal gradient, but no more or less than any other traditional "stage heater"

What makes it better than traditional stage heaters?

"Z" axis stability, reduced warm up time and price!
It is simply a better value through superior engineering.

Why would I use the Stable "Z" over some of the other equipment Bioptechs micro-environmental products?

The Stable "Z" is ideal for those who do not need a highly integrated micro-environmental system.
It is best suited for those who need to warm their cells in standard plastic ware for non-critical imaging.
The Stable "Z" outperforms traditional "stage heaters" and is available at an unbeatable value.
 

Not everyone needs the sophistication of a high-end Delta T Dish System, or the expense that comes with it. Therefore, Bioptechs has developed a very competitively priced specimen warming system that accommodates any brand of 35mm dish and provides superior thermal control with the exclusive feature of "Z" axis stability for time-lapse applications. Examine the construction of the Stable "Z" and see for yourself how "stage warmers" should have been made from the beginning! If you need a specimen warmer or if you are still using a traditional “heated metal plate” to warm your specimen, contact Bioptechs for a demo of this new technology!

 

Stable-Z-Halfsection
Half Section of Bioptechs Stable Z

   

 The Bioptechs Stable "Z" Heated Lid

Now users of the Stable "Z" system have the ability to remove condensation and provide a more uniform temperature gradient across the dish of the Stable "Z".


Stable Z Heated Lid shown on Stable Z Heater

Stable Z Heated Lid Controller

Stable Z Heated Lid (top view)

Stable Z Heated Lid (bottom view)
   

The Bioptechs Stable "Z" warming system is now available for the Nunc Lab-Tek™ glass bottomed chamber slides!

Now users of Lab-Tek™ Chamber slides can have temperature control and Z axis stability when using the popular Lab-Tek™ coverslip bottomed Chamber Slides. The Bioptechs Stable Z specimen warming system is not just a warming plate based on the traditional "stage warmer" design that is used by other manufacturers. It is unique because in addition to providing efficient thermal support it does not induce Z axis thermal drift. The Bioptechs Stable "Z" provides the Lab-Tek™ user with an inexpensive, technically superior method of thermal support that provides Z axis stability for high magnification, high numeric aperture multi well applications.

How it works:

The Lab-Tek™ Chamber Slide is placed into a special stage adapter that is thermally regulated by a highly accurate closed loop electronic controller. The heating system has the following characteristics: The physical mass of the heating surface is kept to a minimum to maximize the efficiency of the heat transfer without transferring heat to the microscope stage. The heat transfer plate is insulated from the microscope stage by a ceramic carrier plate that has a coefficient of expansion of "0". The specimen plane is coplanar with the heated plate support surface so that the thermal expansion that occurs in the heated plate is self cancelled.

All you need to use the Bioptechs Lab-Tek™ warming system is a microscope equipped with a SBS (Society for Biomolecular Science) plate stage adapter (otherwise known as a 96, 384, or 1536 well plate). The Bioptechs Lab-Tek™ stage adapter accepts the 1, 2, 4, and 8 well versions of the Lab-Tek™ Chamber Slide.


Bioptechs Lab-Tek™ warming adapter

The Bioptechs Lab-Tek™ warming system is comprised of:

Stable Z Controller Part #: 403-1926-03 (shown above)
SBS Plate Stage Adapter Part #:
403-1323: (shown below)
 


Bioptechs Lab-Tek™ SBS plate stage adapter assembled Part #: 403-1323
Pictured with Lab-Tek
™ 8 well (155411)

Nunc Lab-Tek 1,2,4, and 8 well chambers

Nunc Lab-Tek catalog numbers:
 155361 for 1 wells
155380 for 2 wells
155383 for 4 wells
155411 for 8 wells