Used and refurbished lab equipment in Boston and Cambridge, April 2019

Used and refurbished lab available from American Instrument Exchange. Click HERE for more details.

Wow. How did it get to be May already?! We’re happy for spring but it seems like 2019 is flying by. It’s certainly nice to see the trees budding along Memorial Drive – always a heartening sign of springtime here in Massachusetts.

While we continue to be the preferred supplier for used and refurbished equipment to customers worldwide in a variety of industries, including major pharmaceutical companies, rock-star biotech startups, major breweries and microbreweries, cannabis startups, academic labs, and more. This past month we shipped 6’ wide chemical fume hoods to customers in Minnesota and California, a Labconco FreeZone Plus 12L freeze dryer to Delaware, a balance enclosure to a new lab in Pennsylvania, a fume hood to Montana, a centrifuge to a fish breeding operation in Maine, and a second round of equipment to a start up in Canada, including an autoclave and evaporator. But in addition to this global network a significant portion of our business is still centered in and around the biotech cluster in Cambridge and Boston that we call home. Below are some examples of used and refurbished lab equipment that we shipped to local customers last month.

So if you’re in and around Cambridge and Boston and you’re in the market for used and refurbished lab equipment, give us a call or email. You’re always welcome to come by the warehouse and check out what we have in stock and available. And if you’re not local that’s fine too: we utilize a huge network of freight carriers in order to quickly and safely ship lab equipment across the USA and around the world. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Lab equipment every brewery needs

Used and refurbished brewery lab equipment available from American Instrument Exchange. Click HERE for more details.

Starting a new lab to compliment your brewery operation can be a daunting project to say the least. From determining a budget to leasing or purchasing space to hiring personnel, the number of details and decisions to be made can quickly become overwhelming. Fortunately there are only a few basic pieces of equipment you need to get started with a lab and you can always add to these as your lab expands or your needs widen.

(And remember: we’re always willing to offer discounted pricing in exchange for beer!)

So in no particular order, here are the most basic pieces of equipment that every brewery lab needs to have in place:

  1. Toploading balance

A simple toploading balance will allow you to measure you dry media ingredients. We sell basic toploading balances like the Sartoris AZ1052 and the Mettler PM series models for around $500.  Toploading balances typically have sensitivity to 0.1g or 0.01g and weight capacities from 300g up to several kilograms. If you need something more with more readability (also know as resolution) we have plenty of analytical balances in stock as well.

  • Autoclave

Autoclaves are used for sterilization, and you’ll probably want a small tabletop model to sterilize media and instruments that will come in contact with your media. Pricing on autoclaves can vary widely – generally speaking, the larger the chamber the higher the cost. Market Forge and Tuttnauer models are durable and easy to operate but expensive. We also typically have smaller VWR units in stock.

  • Incubator and CO2 incubator

Incubators allow you to keep samples stored at a constant temperature and humidity in order to control microorganism growth. Basic incubators like the VWR 1535 usually offer about 5 to 6 cubic feet of storage capacity. CO2 incubators provide extra functionality by allowing for growth of anaerobic bacteria. Ask us about the Forma 3110 – this is an industry standard and we almost always have plenty in stock.

  • Microscope

You can perform cell counts for pitching rate calculations and other viability data to help improve the consistency of your fermentation by using a microscope. You can use either a basic binocular compound scope or an inverted scope. You can check out all the scopes we have in stock here, or call or email us for more details.

  • Refrigerator

Pretty basic – a refrigerator is used for sample and chemical storage. Refrigerators designed for labs typically have tighter temperature stability than household models.

  • Stirrer and hotplate stirrer

Stirrers and hotplate stirrers can be used for degassing, chemical and micro preparation. We have plenty of models in stock and available, usually for under $200 for brewery customers.

  • Centrifuge

A centrifuge can be used in both IBU and SRM testing to spin down samples in 50mL tubes, or in larger volumes to separate high concentrations of hop oil in high-solids beers. We mainly have the smaller units in stock that can be used for testing and quality control. Larger units used as part of production are often custom built to meet each breweries specific needs.

  • Laminar flow hood

If you’re going with an advanced facility, you’ll want a laminar flow hood (also known as “clean benches”) as part of your micro lab set up for the aseptic processing of yeast cultures and to maintain the consistency of samples for the propagation of yeast cultures. We have many Baker models in stock as well as smaller, less expensive units from other manufacturers.

In addition to the above equipment any brewery lab will need an assortment of safety goggles and other protective equipment, as well as beakers, flasks, test tubes, and consumables, which we may be able to help you select and procure. For more information on lab equipment available from American Instrument Exchange please call or email us today!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Thermo Forma 3911 environmental chamber

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Click here to see the used and refurbished Thermo Forma 3911 at American Instrument Exchange.

Over the years we’ve worked with a lot of different types of environmental chambers. The Thermo 3911 is near the top of our list in terms of reliability, design, and ease of use.

Humidity in environmental chambers can be generated in a variety of ways. The most basic method is to place a water pan at the bottom of the chamber and let high heat create steam – this is how it’s done in the Thermo Forma 3110 and other similar cell culture incubators. Years ago some models utilized a water sprayer and fin heater to generate steam which was effective but quickly resulted in corrosion of the heater. These days, more advanced models employ ultrasonic humification systems.

Thermo Forma 3911 environmental chamber.

A steam generator with an initial fill of about 1 quart of water controls the relative humidity in the chamber of the Thermo Forma 3911 and can be set anywhere from ambient to 95% at 37°C and above. Temperature is controlled by a front mounted digital, dual LED display with programmability for temperature ramp and soak up to 24 steps.

The glass door allows you to visually monitor the samples and contents of the chamber without compromising the internal temperature or humidity settings.

So if you’re looking for an environmental chamber please consider a used and refurbished Thermo Forma 3911 from American Instrument Exchange. You can find more specifications and details on our website along with pictures of the units we have in stock and available. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Used lab equipment in Boston and Cambridge – recent arrivals

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Click HERE to see all recent arrivals of used lab equipment at American Instrument Exchange.  

Biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, glassware washers, and mobile lab benches are just some of the units that have recently arrived in our warehouse. One of the great advantages of having over 30,000 square feet of storage just north of Boston is that customers can come and take a look at the equipment in person – just today we’ve had customer stop in to look at 4’ fume hoods, toploading balances, and stacked incubator shakers. If you’re interested in coming to look at any of the items listed below feel free to call and schedule an appointment. And if you’re not able to make it to Massachusetts we can always send pictures and videos of any of the items we have in stock.

We just received a Nuaire NU-629-600 mounted on a push-button adjustable stand as well as several Nuaire 425-300 units. If you have space constraints but want a dependable biosafety cabinet the 3’ wide Nuaire 425-300 is an excellent option. (We’ve written about Nuaire BSCs before.)

There’s a Lancer 1300LX glassware washer in very good condition that we picked up a couple of weeks ago. This model has programmable memory for up to 42 washing program and is equipped with two injection cleaning racks.

Several 6’ fume hoods are also recent arrivals in the warehouse, including Fisher Safeaire, Kewaunee, and Mott models. And speaking of fume hoods, we also have several 8’ wide BedCoLab units on hand – these are really nice 8’ers, with dual horizontal and vertical sashes.

And if you need protection of personnel in your lab during potent powder weighing applications, check out these Flow Sciences and Labconco filtered enclosures. No need for external ducting and smaller footprints than a traditional ducted fume hood.

Last but certainly not least, we now have in stock some large mobile lab tables. These LF Systems Flexilab benches are 8’ wide and 4’ deep and are mounted on casters, with screw down stabilizers to keep them in place during use.

While this isn’t a comprehensive list of new arrivals it at least gives you an idea of what’s been coming in lately. Please let us know if there’s any lab equipment you’d like to see us offer more frequently, or if there are particular models you’re looking for – we’re happy to keep our eyes and ears open and call you the next time we have one in stock. Please call or email us any time with questions. And of course you can always view our full inventory at www.americaninstrument.com. Thanks a lot, hope to hear from you soon!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Centrifuges in stock now

Click here to see the used and refurbished centrifuges at American Instrument Exchange.

We’ve been selling used centrifuges for over 50 years and consistently stock microfuges, tabletop centrifuges, and floor model centrifuges from a variety of manufacturers. Take a look below for information on a few of the models we have available at the moment.

Eppendorf 5430 tabletop centrifuge

Eppendorf 5430 tabletop centrifuge.

The 5430 is a nice little machine with a surprising amount of versatility for a small benchtop centrifuge. Eppendorf markets this unit as a “cross-over” centrifuge with multipurpose potential. It can accept any one of twelve compatible rotors with a range of configurations from 48 x 1.5mL/2mL up to 6 x 50mL, or 2 microplates. It comes in both refrigerated and non-refrigerated versions. Click here to see the 5430 at American Instrument Exchange.  

Eppendorf 5804R refrigerated benchtop centrifuge

Eppendorf 5804R refrigerated benchtop centrifuge.

The 5804R is one of our most consistent sellers. We have a few of these in stock at the moment, and can package any one of them with a fixed angle rotor, swinging bucket rotor, or microplate rotor depending on your labs’ needs. Temperature can be set from -9°C to 40°C and the cooling is continuous so that samples are kept cold even after the run has completed. Click here to see the 5430 at American Instrument Exchange. 

Beckman Optima L-100XP

Beckman Optima L-100XP.

For our money, the Beckman Optima series ultracentrifuges are some of the best value ultracentrifuges available today. The air-cooled induction drives are energy efficient but also durable and, considering the g-force they generate, are surprisingly quiet. We also have over twenty compatible rotors available for the L-100XP and we can include up to two rotors at no additional cost (depending on availability, of course). Check out the L-100XP here at our website.

Thermo Sorvall Legend X1R

Thermo Sorvall Legend X1R.

We like to think of the Thermo Sorvall Legend X1R as an updated version of the classic Beckman Allegra 6R, which is one of our all-time best-selling centrifuges. It’s compatible with a wide range of rotors and the AutoLock system makes swapping rotors a snap, so if you need a big swinging bucket rotor for processing 400mL bottles in the morning and a 15mL tubes in the afternoon it’s not a problem. Click here to see the Thermo X1R on our website.

Thermo Shandon Cytospin 4

Thermo Shandon Cytospin 4

The Cytospin 4 is the best thin-layer cell prep system that we’ve come across: it’s easy to operate, it’s cost effective, and it’s easy to clean among other virtues. The memory can store up to 23 programmed routine and the built-in program card even makes recalling the programmed routines easy. Click here to see the Cytospin 4 at American Instrument Exchange. 

Thermo Sorvall RC BIOS

Thermo Sorvall RC BIOS

The RC BIOS  is designed for both high-speed AND high-volume batch processing applications and has a capacity of 6 x 1L. This unit uses carbon fiber rotors, which are lighter and more durable than metal rotors, including the 6 x 1L Fiberlite F8-6x1000y rotor. Check out the RC BIOS here at our website.

This is not a comprehensive list of the used centrifuges that we currently have in stock. We have plenty of other models available from Thermo, Eppendorf, VWR, Beckman, and Sorvall, among others. All of our equipment is used and reconditioned. So if you’re looking for a used centrifuge or any other lab equipment, please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Lab Equipment Repairs, Boston and Cambridge

Click here to see the used and refurbished lab equipment from American Instrument Exchange.

In recent months we have been getting an increase in requests for general lab equipment repairs. We’re always looking for ways to help our customers, and so we’re very happy to announce our first foray into hourly rate equipment repair service.

To start with we are offering depot repair service only. We will arrange for pick up and shipping; cost will vary depending on your location and the size and accessibility of the equipment. You are also welcome to bring the equipment to us and drop it off. Cost for evaluation is $150 and our goal is a turnaround time on evaluations of three business days or less. Once we have evaluated the equipment we will email you with an estimate on repair costs, including parts and labor. If you choose to go forward with a repair we’ll send a full service report after the repair is completed and arrange to ship the equipment back to you. All repairs will come with a 90-day warranty. If based on the estimated cost of repair you decide you’d like to replace the unit with a refurbished model that we have in stock we’ll roll the evaluation cost into the cost of the equipment, effectively providing you with a minimum $150 discount toward purchase. If you decide you’d like us to ship the unit back to you we’ll make those arrangements and bill for the evaluation and shipping.

We’re always interested in providing additional services to benefit our customers and hope that depot repairs at American Instrument Exchange will be a valuable resource for you. Please call or email us today about any autoclaves, incubators, ovens, shakers, rotary evaporators, balances, or any other lab equipment that you’d like to have repaired.

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

VWR Diurnal Growth Chamber

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Click HERE to see used and refurbished VWR Diurnal Growth Chamber available from American Instrument Exchange.

Diurnal growth chambers are specialized incubators designed specifically for applications requiring simulated daytime and nighttime cycles, such as certain insect studies and plant growth studies and small-scale production.

VWR Diurnal Growth Chamber.

Like incubator shakers they are a specialized subset of incubators. Some standard incubators with internal outlets can be set up to run as growth chambers by mounting a light inside the chamber and plugging it into the outlet. One of the advantages of a specialized designed growth chamber is that the light controls are integrated into the temperature controls on the exterior of the unit, meaning that light cycles can be monitored/changed without opening the chamber door.

https://youtu.be/Z6ZhgYO6klQ

Another advantage of the VWR Diurnal Growth chamber over the DIY plug-in method is even light distribution throughout the chamber because the lights are built into the door with four white fluorescent bulbs mounted vertically side-by-side casting illumination in equal measure onto all four of the shelves. The light and temperature systems can be programmed independently with up to two temperature conditions and timed on/off illumination cycle. Temperature uniformity throughout the chamber is +/- 0.5°C and is maintained by a forced air mechanical convection system.

(In addition to this VWR Diurnal Growth chamber we also have similarly designed chambers from Caron, Thermo Precision, and other manufacturers, with other features that include UV lights and humidity control, with capabilities to create repeatable environmental conditions for numerous applications including product shelf life, stability and package testing, light exposure and temperature evaluation studies, electronic component burn-in, TAPPI testing, photostability, plant growth, and insect rearing, among others.)

So if you’re interested in an incubator to with timed light cycles to use in a growth study please give us a call or email about the VWR diurnal growth chamber. All of our equipment is used and reconditioned. Our technicians test incubators using calibrated digital chart recorders to verify the accuracy of temperature controls and monitor the light cycles to make sure timer is accurate and the bulbs work and illuminate to spec. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Buchi R-205 rotary evaporator system

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Click here to see the used and refurbished Buchi R-205 from American Instrument Exchange.

The Buchi R-205 is an older rotary evaporator system but remains a great option for any lab looking for a simple, durable rotavap. Why? Because it’s affordable, easy to use, and customizable in a variety of different configurations.

Buchi R-205

Let’s start with the basics. The Buchi R-205 is designed with a small footprint to save on benchspace and can be used in applications including distillation of both low-boiling and high-boiling solvents in a variety of industries and applications. Features include chemically-resistant PTFE coated bath with a 4L capacity, a motorized quick-action jack to raise and lower the glassware from the bath, and optional vacuum controller for vacuum regulation at variable setpoints. It can accommodate a maximum flask size of 3L. Rotation speed can be set anywhere from 20 to 280rpm.

So basically this system has everything a small lab probably needs without many of the added bells and whistles (and cost) of the R-210 and R-215 systems. Because of this we typically sell the Buchi R-205 systems at about 50% to 60% the cost of those other models, depending on glassware configuration and other accessories.

What’s more, the Buchi R-205 is easy to use. While there are some general tips and tricks to keep in mind when using any rotary evaporator system, the R-205 is less finicky than many previous models and when paired with a vacuum controller provides straightforward operation.

Another benefit is that the Buchi R-205 can be simply refitted with new or additional glassware configurations as your needs dictate. Want to switch from a 1L evaporating flask to a 3L evaporating flask? Not a problem. How about switching from a cold trap condenser to a water condenser? It’s an easy swap.

If you’re looking for an affordable, dependable rotary evaporator, please call or email us about the Buchi R-205. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Why we have a YouTube channel

Click here to see the used and refurbished lab equipment at American Instrument Exchange or here to visit our YouTube channel.

We always want to keep our customers informed of the products that we have available. The primary method of keeping everyone appraised of current inventory is through our website at www.americaninstrument.com. We also use Google posts to feature recently arrived products or special sale pricing, and of course there’s also this blog. But over the past few years YouTube has become an increasingly important part of our communication with customers.

YouTube videos allow us to show customers the equipment we have in stock in more detail than we might be able to simply by posting pictures on our website. The videos give customers a more concrete idea of the condition of equipment and makes visualizing a particular piece of equipment in the lab easier.

And while the workload we have testing, repairing and preparing equipment to ship to customers prevents us from showing long videos of the equipment up and running, or demonstrating proper function and set up, we’re more than happy to provide this information on request.

If there’s a specific piece of equipment that you see on our website that doesn’t currently have a video, or if you have any questions about videos from American Instrument you see either on our website or on YouTube, please give us a call or email today. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.

Baker SterilGARD III SG403 and SG603 biosafety cabinets

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Click here to see the used and refurbished Baker SterilGARD III SG403 at American Instrument Exchange.

The Baker SterilGARD III SG403 and SG603 biosafety cabinets are Class II Type A2 cabinets designed to protect people using the cabinet and the product inside the cabinet from airborne contaminants and the environment. The momentum air curtain creates an airflow that serves as an effective, protective air barrier while the high velocity air slots increase the protection for both user and product. The SterilGARD III Advance SG403 and SG603 are suitable for use in research and clinical diagnostic work, tissue culture work, and IV drug preparations and other pharmaceuticals.

Baker SterilGARD III SG403.

These biosafety cabinets are an update on the original Baker SterilGARD models. While the SG400 and SG600 were great BSCs the SterilGARD III offer some significant improvements. First, just from an aesthetic standpoint they’re more modern looking and less clunky. Second, the angled sash makes for a more ergonomic user experience. Third, the separate stand (as opposed to the telescoping legs of the original SterilGARD units) means easier set up and more options for push button adjustable hydraulics.

Another nice update is the pre-tapped ultraviolet light installation mounts. With the older model Bakers it was nearly impossible to add a UV light kit to a unit that had been shipped from the factory without the ballasts previously installed. But with the SG403 and SG603 ultraviolent lights can be added or removed relatively easily by field service technicians.

HEPA filters for the Baker SG403 can be either wood frame or metal frame. We prefer the metal frame filters because they’re lighter and make changing filters easier, but we’ve used wood frames plenty of times as well.

In the past fifteen years we’ve sold dozens, maybe hundreds, of Baker SterilGARD III SG403 and SG603 biosafety cabinets. These are so popular and so durable that we always try to have a steady supply on hand for our customers.

All of our equipment is used and reconditioned. Our technicians test each bio safety cabinet to insure that the controls and blower motor work properly. Unless otherwise specified all bio safety cabinets come with new HEPA filters installed by our technicians at our facility prior to shipment. Our testing procedure includes all the elements of a bio safety cabinet certification in order to insure that the unit will pass certification once it is at your site.

So if you’re looking for a durable, reliable biosafety cabinet please consider the Baker SG403 or SG603. Give us a call today for pricing and availability. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.