Speed vs G-force

A customer calls. “I need a centrifuge that spins at 3000 rpm. What can you recommend?”

Most people don’t realize that centrifugation is not about speed alone. More important than speed is g-force. Protocols typically specify the amount of g-force to be achieved, rather than specifying speed (rpm’s). Two centrifuges with rotors of different size radii can be spun at the same speeds, but will achieve different g-force.

Ask your account manager or a member of our customer service team for a table which has built-in formulas that will help you compute g-force simply by plugging in two simple values: Speed and Radius of the rotor.

So, the next time your customer asks you how fast a centrifuge will spin, ask them what g-force they need to achieve and help them find the perfect centrifuge.