USER’S GUIDE HIGH INTENSITY ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR 40 Watt Model TABLE OF CONTENTS Important Safeguards SECTION 1 – INSTALLATION Inspection Electrical Requirements Installing the Ultrasonic Processor SECTION II – OPERATION Principles of Ultrasonic Disruption Functions of Controls, Indications, and Connectors Preparations for Use Tuning Using the Ultrasonic Processor SECTION III – SERVICE INFORMATION Return of Equipment SECTION IV – OPERATING SUGGESTIONS AND TECHNIQUES The Ultrasonic Processor supplied with th
IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS READ BEFORE INSTALLING OR USING THE EQUIPMENT Your Ultrasonic Processor has been designed with safety in mind. However, no design can completely protect against improper usage, which may result in bodily injury and/or equipment damage. Please observe the following warnings at all times, read the operating instructions carefully before operating the equipment, and retain this instruction manual for future reference.
SECTION 1 – INSTALLATION INSPECTION Prior to installing the Ultrasonic Processor, perform a visual inspection to detect any evidence of damage, which might have occurred during shipment. Before disposing of any packaging material, check it carefully for small items. The Ultrasonic Processor was carefully packed and thoroughly inspected before leaving our factory. The carrier, upon acceptance of the shipment, assumed responsibility for its safe delivery.
INSTALLING THE ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR The Ultrasonic Processor should be installed in an area that is free from excessive dust, dirt, explosive and corrosive fumes, and extremes of temperature and humidity. SECTION II – OPERATION PRINCIPLES OF ULTRASONIC DISRUPTION The ultrasonic power supply converts 50/60 Hz line voltage to high frequency electrical energy.
FUNCTIONS OF KEYS, CONTROLS, INDICATORS, AND CONNECTORS ON / OFF SWITCH ON position – energizes the power supply. POWER INDICATOR Illuminates when the power supply is energized. OUTPUT CONTROL Controls the amplitude of vibrations at the probe tip. POWER MONITOR Indicates in watts the amount of ultrasonic power delivered to the probe. Optimizes power supply performance by tuning the power supply to the converter / probe assembly.
PREPARATION FOR USE CAUTION Do not operate an Ultrasonic Processor that has been in a very cold or hot environment for a prolonged period of time. Wait until it has reached room temperature 1. Ensure that the AMPLITUDE is set to OFF. 2. Plug the electrical line cord into the electrical outlet. 3. If the optional footswitch is used, insert the plug into the jack located on the rear panel. Make sure that the plug is inserted forcefully all the way in. 4.
TUNING Tune the power supply in accordance with the following procedures each time a new converter or probe is used. 1. Ensure that the probe is not immersed in the liquid and that it does not come in contact with anything. 2. Set OUTPUT CONTROL TO “60”. 3. Set 20-40 POWER MONITOR SCALE SELECT SWITCH to “20”. 4. Set POWER SWITCH to ON, and rotate the TUNE CONTROL clockwise or counterclockwise until minimum (not maximum) reading (usually less than 30) is obtained on the POWER MONITOR.
USING THE ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR The speed control on an automobile, can, to a certain extent, be compared to an Ultrasonic Processor. The speed control is designed to maintain the vehicles rate of travel constant. As the terrain changes, so do the power requirements. The speed control senses these requirements, and automatically adjusts the amount of power delivered by the engine in order to compensate for these ever changing conditions.
CAUTION Do not operate the power supply unless it is connected to the converter. Never allow a microtip to vibrate in air for more than 10 seconds. Do not allow the vibrating probe to come in contact with anything but the sample. 1. Ensure that the power supply is properly tuned. 2. Immerse the probe ½” (1 cm) into the liquid. 3. Set POWER SUPPLY to ON, if footswitch is used, depress footswitch.
SECTION III – SERVICE INFORMATION Your Ultrasonic Processor was designed to provide you with years of safe and dependable service. Nevertheless, because of component failure or improper usage, the possibility does exist that it might not perform as it should, or that it will stop working all together. The most probable causes for malfunction are listed below and should be investigated. The unit was plugged into an electrical outlet that provides a different voltage from that required.
RETURN OF EQUIPMENT It is suggested that an Ultrasonic Processor in need of repair be sent back to the factory. In order to receive prompt service; always contact the factory before returning any instrument. Include date of purchase, model number and serial number. For instruments not covered by the warranty, a purchase order should be forwarded to avoid unnecessary delay. Care should be exercised to provide adequate packing to insure against possible damage in shipment.
OPERATING SUGGESTIONS AND TECHNIQUES DISRUPTING CELLS The disruption of cells is an important stage in the isolation and preparation of intracellular products. From research levels through to production, many areas of biotechnology, particularly recombinant technology, necessitate the use of ultrasonics for cell disruption. Although some biological products are secreted from the cell or released during autolysis, many others require sonication to release intracellular material.
Microorganisms differ greatly in their sensitivity to ultrasonic disintegration. For example, the most readily disintegrated are the rod- like forms (bacilli), while the spherical organisms (cocci) are much more resistant. The group Mycobacteria, to which the tuberculosis organism belongs, is particularly difficult to disrupt. Generally, animal cells are more easily disintegrated that plant cells, and red blood cells are more readily disintegrated than muscle cells because they lack a protective cell wall.
If enzymes cannot be used, the following procedures should be considered: Freezing the sample at -70?C overnight, then thawing it in water immediately prior to ultrasonic processing. Most animal tissues can be processed fresh (unfrozen). It is important to keep fresh tissue cold and to process it quickly (within 30 minutes) after dissection. When working with fresh tissue, the cells must be sonicated immediately at the time the GITC lysis solution is added.
zymolase, glucalase and / or lyticase to produce spheroplasts that are readily lysed may also be useful. To disrupt filamentous fungi, scrape the mycelial mat into a cold mortar, add liquid nitroge n and grind to a fine powder with a pestle. The powder can then be thoroughly sonicated in lysis buffer to solubilize completely. As fungi may also be rich in polysaccharides, pretreatment with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) may be beneficial.
Various methods can be used to measure the efficiency of the disruption. For example, a visual count can be made using a microscope. For greater accuracy, a protein assay could be used. This procedure is widely recognized as a good method for measuring cell disruption by taking into account the amount of protein released after disruption. The disrupted cells are then tested and checked against this number for percentage breakage. There are several types of protein assays.
To inhibit sample loss in test tube due to sticking, siliconize the test tube as follows: Wash and dry the test tube thoroughly, coat with silicone, then air dry. “Sigmacote” manufactured by Sigma Chemical Co., 3050 Spruce Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, USA, phone (314) 771-5765, is ideally suited for that purpose. High viscosity and concentration are problematic. 2,000 cps and 15% concentration by weight are maximum limits.
