Of all the types of laboratory equipment we sell, nothing matches the mental challenge of designing a custom freezer rack solution.
It starts by listening carefully to the customer’s needs and understanding why one of the more than two thousand “off-the-shelf” racks do not work for them.
It takes into consideration not only the topography of the freezer interior, but the clearance needed for removing the racks and the strength of the lab personnel who handle retrieving samples from the laboratory freezer.
Finally, it takes understanding the design challenges of each laboratory freezer to create a rack that fits exactly right.
Over the years, Stellar Scientific has built custom freezer racks for blood bags, custom racks for Micronic 2D barcoded cryovials, freezer racks for storing round plastic buckets, and more.
We recently received a challenge to design custom freezer racks for Stirling Ultracold freezers which taught us something valuable.
The customer shared these specific requirements:
"We have Stirling upright SU780UE and SU780XLE and are using
Sarstedt boxes in
sizes: 105 x 135 x 135mm and 45 x 135 x 135mm.
If
possible, we're hoping to fit 10 large boxes per rack
(or a combination of large and small boxes
equal to the space that 10 large boxes would take up)"
We determined that a dual-function rack to secure both box sizes was not feasible since they wanted each box to be supported below and eliminated a design with adjustable rails.
Other than a requirement for a specific box size, we thought this custom freezer rack job would be straightforward and simple.
Not every customer requests a prototype before ordering, but this customer needed fifty-five freezer racks and the slightest error would be costly.
That decision turned out to be very prescient.
We discovered that the bump-out handles which make our freezer racks so easy to retrieve, pose a problem for Stirling Ultracold freezers.
The Stirling Ultracold inner panels seal using magnetic contact points.
These inner panels sit nearly flush to the edge of each freezer shelf.
Our handles interfered with the locking mechanism which would make for inefficient cooling.
No worries though. Our customization team covers every detail including the handles.
Fresh drawings have been signed and manufacturing will soon be underway.
No matter your freezer, Stellar Scientific can design a sharp looking, durable freezer rack to keep you organized and neat.