COLO.Science · Concentration & Evaporation · Nitrogen sample concentrators
SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator — 96-well plates, 96 needles, RT+5 °C to 160 °C
The SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator evaporates solvent from a whole 96-well plate in one run: an aluminium dry block warms the plate while 96 stainless steel needles, one above every well, blow nitrogen onto the liquid surface, without oxygen and without a water bath. The block is controlled from RT+5 °C to 160 °C to ≤ ±0.5 °C at 40 °C, and the needle head travels 150 mm. Product code PRO4672.
A whole plate in one run
Sample preparation in plate format ends with 96 small volumes of solvent that have to go before the samples are reconstituted. Drying them tube by tube is not an option, and leaving the plate open in a hood takes hours. On the SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator every well has its own needle, so all 96 are dried together and evenly.
Key characteristics
- RT+5 °C to 160 °C, display resolution 0.1 °C.
- Accuracy ≤ ±0.5 °C at 40 °C and ≤ ±1 °C at 120 °C; uniformity ≤ ±0.5 °C.
- Heating from 25 °C to 160 °C in ≤ 15 min.
- 96 needles in the 8 × 12 plate pattern — one above every well.
- Head travel 150 mm on a rack-and-pinion stand.
- Nitrogen up to 15 L/min at 0.05 MPa.
- 2 interchangeable blocks — for 0.2 mL PCR plates and for ELISA plates.
- Fault alarm, temperature calibration and over-temperature protection.
Suitable for
- LC-MS sample preparation — drying of 96-well extracts before reconstitution.
- Concentration of eluates from 96-well SPE plates.
- Bioanalysis — protein-precipitation and liquid-liquid extracts of plasma and serum.
- High-throughput residue screening.
- Evaporation to dryness and solvent exchange.
Why nitrogen blow-down in a dry block
The SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator evaporates below the boiling point and under inert gas, so heat-sensitive and oxidisable analytes are spared. The aluminium block replaces the water bath: nothing to fill, no water vapour over the plate, and the heat reaches every well through the shaped block.
The needles stand in the pattern of the plate, so each well gets its own stream of gas, and the head follows the liquid level down as the volume falls.
Model, product codes and blocks
The SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator is supplied without a block; the block is chosen by the plate and ordered separately. Quote and order with the COLO product code.
1 block · one 96-well plate · 500 W · 7.5 kg
Interchangeable blocks
| PRO4531 | 0.2 mL PCR plate, 96 wells |
| PRO4532 | ELISA plate, flat bottom, 96 wells |
Both blocks measure 153 × 95.5 × 60 mm. For other plate types send us the plate data sheet.
Technical specifications
Temperature and time
| Temperature setting range | 0 °C to 160 °C |
| Temperature control range | RT+5 °C to 160 °C |
| Temperature accuracy | ≤ ±0.5 °C at 40 °C · ≤ ±1 °C at 120 °C |
| Temperature uniformity | ≤ ±0.5 °C |
| Display resolution | 0.1 °C |
| Heating time | ≤ 15 min, 25 °C to 160 °C |
| Time range | 1 min to 99 h 59 min, or continuous |
| Maximum vertical travel | 150 mm |
Nitrogen and general data
| Nitrogen flow rate | up to 15 L/min |
| Nitrogen pressure | 0.05 MPa |
| Needles | 96, stainless steel, 8 × 12 pattern |
| Blocks · positions | 1 block · one 96-well plate |
| Power | 500 W |
| Voltage | AC 220 V, 50/60 Hz (AC 110 V on request) |
| Dimensions (W × D × H) | 220 × 310 × 385 mm |
| Weight | 7.5 kg |
How a run works
Block and temperature
Fit the block for your plate and set the temperature. The SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator heats the block.
Load and blow
Place the plate and lower the head until the needle tips are just above the liquid. Open the nitrogen, set the flow at the regulator so that the surface dimples without splashing, and start the timer.
End of run
Lower the head as the level drops. At the end close the gas, raise the head and take the plate out.
Needle head, stand and safe operation
The needle head of the SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator carries 96 stainless steel needles fed from one gas chamber through a single hose. The head runs on a stand with rack-and-pinion height adjustment and a locking knob.
Use dry, oil-free nitrogen through a pressure regulator at 0.05 MPa. Work in a fume hood — solvent vapour leaves the plate with the gas. The block is hot during the run; fault detection with alarm and over-temperature protection are built in.
Standard delivery
- SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator.
- Stand with height adjustment.
- Needle head with 96 needles; gas hose.
- Mains cable and operating manual.
- Declaration of conformity and warranty documentation.
The block is ordered separately under its own product code. Nitrogen supply, pressure regulator, plates and samples are not part of the instrument. The delivered configuration for a specific order is the one confirmed in the COLO.Science quotation.
Knowledge base
Sample concentration and evaporation on COLO.Science — our knowledge base.
Applications and operational value
The SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator is used in bioanalytical, pharmaceutical, clinical, food safety and environmental laboratories that prepare samples in 96-well format for LC-MS and other plate-based methods.
It is a nitrogen blow-down concentrator, not a vacuum centrifugal concentrator: it suits organic solvents in open plates and needs a nitrogen supply and a fume hood, but no vacuum pump.
Selection guide
- Plate. The type and manufacturer of the 96-well plate decide the block.
- Temperature. The evaporation temperature must lie within RT+5 °C to 160 °C and below the limit of the plate material.
- Nitrogen. Cylinder or generator with regulator, 0.05 MPa and up to 15 L/min.
- Tubes instead of plates? The SACO100 and the SACO200 take tubes from Ø 6 mm to Ø 40 mm.
- Place of use. The SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator needs 220 × 310 mm in a fume hood and is 385 mm high.
Configuration notice
This page is provided for orientation and product selection. It does not replace the binding specification, the delivered configuration, the validation protocol or the acceptance criteria confirmed in the official COLO.Science quotation, proforma invoice or order confirmation. Confirm the block and the mains voltage version of the SACO300 nitrogen sample concentrator for the specific order. B2B prices are quoted net, excluding VAT.
Sales and support for international customers
COLO Lab ExpertsPolje ob Sotli 4, SI-3255 Buče, Slovenia
Phone: +386 70 713 437 · Email: sales@colo.si · Web: colo.si
We supply laboratories across Europe directly and through partners. B2B prices are quoted net, excluding VAT.
