Description:

The ORTHO Workstation folds the two core steps of ID-Micro Typing System™ (ID-MTS) testing—centrifugation and 37 °C incubation—into one 8.7 × 22.6 × 12.8 in bench unit. A swing-out rotor holds 10 ID-MTS gel cards and accelerates to 1 032 rpm ± 10 rpm within seconds; once the 10-minute spin is complete, cards transfer directly (no handling) to the twin incubator bays seated above the rotor. Each bay thermostatically maintains 98.6 °F ± 3.6 °F and accepts ten cards, so twenty reactions can warm while the next centrifuge batch is running. Transparent side panels and a 50 dBA sound profile let technologists visually confirm operation without leaving the serology bench. Micro-controller logic monitors temperature, lid-lock status and rotor balance, issuing audible codes and flashing LEDs on fault. Universal-input power (100–240 V, 50/60 Hz) and auto-sensing 150 VA supply mean no tap changes between regions, and at only 24 lb the workstation can be hoisted onto a shelf or biosafety hood. Because the instrument is purpose-built for gel cards, angle, speed and timing are factory-validated—eliminating the calibration charts required when labs adapt generic clinical centrifuges.

Economic Advantage:

Traditional blood banks bought a 24 lb tabletop incubator and a separate 55 lb centrifuge, then tied up counter space shuttling gel cards between them. The ORTHO Workstation frees about 2 ft² of bench and cuts total capital outlay by roughly 30 %, while its auto-tuned rotor sharply reduces repeat spins caused by speed/RCF mis-settings. In many labs that run 60 cards day⁻¹, the saved labor and rerun reagent cost repay the workstation in under 18 months.