The Z496-1L-A15 is a 12-position 15 mL conical tube insert for the Hermle Z496-1000-1L round buckets on the Z496-1000-AC 4-place swing-out rotor (Z496-K chassis) — sold as a 2-pack. Each insert holds 12 × 15 mL conical tubes; the 4-bucket rotor configuration takes 2 packs (4 inserts) for full symmetric loading, delivering 48 × 15 mL conical tubes per cycle on the round-bucket platform. The Z496-1L-A* insert family fits the Z496-1000-1L round bucket geometry — distinct from the Z496-1000-A* / Z496-1000-RBUK family which fits the rectangular-bucket configuration on the same Z496-K chassis.
Key Specifications
| SKU | Z496-1L-A15 |
| Type | Tube insert — 12 × 15 mL conical (round-bucket geometry) |
| Pack quantity | 2 inserts per SKU (full 4-bucket configuration takes 2 units = 4 inserts) |
| Per-insert capacity | 12 × 15 mL conical tubes |
| Per-cycle throughput (full configuration) | 48 × 15 mL conical per cycle |
| Tube format | 15 mL conical Falcon-style (17 mm OD, 120 mm length) |
| Compatible bucket | Z496-1000-1L (1,000 mL round bucket) |
| Compatible rotor | Z496-1000-AC (4-place swing-out rotor body) |
| Compatible chassis (assembled) | Z496-K (Floor-Standing, 230 V) and Z496-K-UC (Underbench, 230 V) |
| Max. operating speed (with insert + tubes) | Per Z496-1000-1L spec — 4,600 rpm at 5,203 × g maximum |
| Max. radius | 22 cm (round-bucket geometry — higher than rectangular bucket's 20.1 cm) |
| Temperature at max speed (Z496-K refrigerated) | 9 °C |
| Geometry | Swing-out (0–90°) — flat sediment surface |
| List price | $572 (2-pack) |
Round Bucket vs Rectangular Bucket — Why Two Insert Families on the Same Chassis
The Z496-K chassis supports two bucket profiles on the Z496-1000-AC swing-out rotor body:
| Bucket | Max RCF | Max radius | Insert family |
| Z496-1000-1L (round) | 5,203 × g | 22 cm | Z496-1L-A* family (this insert lineage) |
| Z496-1000-RBUK (rectangular) | 3,964 × g | 20.1 cm | Z496-1000-A* family |
The round bucket reaches higher max RCF (5,203 × g vs 3,964 × g) due to the longer max radius (22 cm vs 20.1 cm). For high-RCF 15 mL conical workflows on the Z496-K, the Z496-1L-A15 (round-bucket insert) delivers higher RCF than the corresponding Z496-1000-A15-equivalent on the rectangular bucket would deliver. The trade-off: the rectangular bucket accepts microplates direct-fit; the round bucket does not.
Compatibility & When to Order This SKU
Insert pairing — Z496-1000-1L round bucket only. Order this SKU when:
- Adding 15 mL conical workflow at high RCF to a Z496-K + Z496-1000-1L install — order 2 units for full 4-bucket symmetric loading (48 tubes/cycle).
- High-RCF cold-chain 15 mL conical clinical-research and biobank prep — when the workflow needs the round bucket's higher 5,203 × g range with cold-chain integrity (9 °C at max speed).
- Mixed round-bucket Z496-K workflow consolidation — when the lab uses the round bucket for tube-format and bottle-format workflows alongside this 15 mL conical insert.
- Replacement inserts if a current set is damaged or worn.
Application Profile
4-bucket symmetric loading. All 4 round buckets must use matching A15 inserts for symmetric balance.
Per-insert symmetric loading. Within each insert, the 12 conical tubes should be balanced symmetrically — pair tubes by mass.
Design Architecture
High-RCF cold-chain 15 mL conical clinical-research and biobank prep at scale — patient sample fractionation, density-gradient prep, biobank aliquot prep at 48 × 15 mL conical per cycle on the round-bucket cold-chain swing-out chassis.
Cell-culture pellet recovery in 15 mL at high RCF — pelleting non-adherent cells from 48 parallel 15 mL suspension batches per cycle with the round bucket's higher 5,203 × g range.
High-RCF density-gradient prep in 15 mL — Ficoll, Percoll, sucrose-gradient prep at 48 parallel preps per cycle on the cold-chain round-bucket swing-out chassis where the higher RCF supports faster phase separation.
Cold-chain protein prep in 15 mL conical at high RCF — TCA, ammonium-sulfate, organic-precipitation in 15 mL working volume at 48 parallel preps with refrigeration on the round-bucket platform.
Mixed-format Z496-K core facilities — labs running 15 mL conical alongside other Z496-1L-A* insert formats (A250F, A500S) on the same round-bucket inventory benefit from the cross-format insert family.
Ordering & Configuration
4-bucket symmetric loading. All 4 round buckets must use matching A15 inserts. Mixed-bucket configurations produce mass asymmetry.
Tube cap confirmation. All conical tubes must be securely capped before spinning at 4,600 rpm.
Z496-1L-A15 ships as 2 inserts. 15 mL conical tubes are operator-supplied (commodity Falcon / Corning / equivalent formats). The Z496-1000-1L round buckets are sold separately.
Confirm at quote: bucket pairing (Z496-1000-1L round buckets in inventory — distinct from the Z496-1000-RBUK rectangular bucket which uses Z496-1000-A* inserts), chassis pairing (Z496-K or Z496-K-UC), tube format (15 mL conical Falcon-style), pack count (2 packs for full 4-bucket configuration = 48 tubes/cycle), and lead time.
Warranty: 5-Year Hermle warranty (3 years full + 2 years drivetrain) on the inserts.
Z496-1L round-bucket insert family (Z496-1000-1L on Z496-K chassis):
- Z496-1L-A15 (this product) — 12 × 15 mL conical (48/cycle, high-RCF round bucket)
- Z496-1L-A250F — 250 mL conical bottle insert
- Z496-1L-A500S — 500 mL flat bottle (69.5 mm dia) insert
The Z496-1L family delivers higher RCF (5,203 × g) than the Z496-1000-RBUK rectangular-bucket family (3,964 × g) at the cost of microplate-direct compatibility.
