The Z366-250-A20 is a 9-position 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtube insert for the Hermle Z366-250 swing-out bucket on the Z366 / Z366-K chassis 4-place rotor — sold as a 2-pack. Each insert holds 9 microtubes; the 4-bucket rotor configuration takes 2 packs (4 inserts) for full symmetric loading, delivering 36 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes per cycle in swing-out geometry on the deep cold-chain Z366-K chassis. The 36-microtube-per-cycle throughput is the highest swing-out microtube parallel-throughput in the Hermle catalog at this RCF range, and the Z366-K chassis's −2 °C cold-chain capability supports cold-stable analyte microtube workflows.
Key Specifications
| SKU | Z366-250-A20 |
| Type | Tube insert — 9 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtube |
| Pack quantity | 2 inserts per SKU (full 4-bucket configuration takes 2 units = 4 inserts) |
| Per-insert capacity | 9 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes |
| Per-cycle throughput (full configuration) | 36 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes per cycle |
| Tube format | Standard 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes (~11 mm OD, 40 mm length) |
| Compatible bucket | Z366-250 swing-out bucket |
| Compatible rotor | Z366-250 4-place swing-out rotor |
| Compatible chassis | Z366, Z366-K (refrigerated), and -E voltage variants |
| Max. operating speed (with insert + tubes) | Per Z366-250 spec — 4,500 rpm at 3,780 × g maximum |
| Max. radius | 16.7 cm (0.8 cm radius correction with this insert) |
| Temperature at max speed (Z366-K refrigerated) | −2 °C |
| Geometry | Swing-out (0–90°) — flat sediment surface |
| Brochure note | "* only possible with adapter" — the A20 is the path to microtube workflow on this rotor; no direct-fit microtube option |
| List price | $534 (2-pack) |
Compatibility & When to Order This SKU
Insert pairing — Z366-250 swing-out bucket only. Order this SKU when:
- Adding swing-out microtube workflow to an existing Z366 / Z366-K + Z366-250 install — order 2 units for full 4-bucket symmetric loading (36 microtubes/cycle).
- Deep cold-chain microtube workflows — when the workflow needs the Z366-K's −2 °C cold-chain integrity for cold-stable microtube prep.
- Highest swing-out microtube throughput — when 36 microtubes per cycle matches the workflow's batch size and swing-out flat-pellet geometry is required.
- Replacement inserts if a current set is damaged or worn.
Application Profile
Highest swing-out microtube throughput in the Hermle catalog. 36 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes per cycle is among the highest swing-out microtube parallel-throughput configurations available — useful when the workflow needs both swing-out flat-pellet geometry AND high per-cycle batch size.
Swing-out vs fixed-angle for microtubes. Most microtube rotors are fixed-angle 45° (producing angled pellets); the Z366-250 + A20 combination delivers swing-out flat-pellet microtube spinning at moderate RCF (3,780 × g). Choose this configuration when the workflow specifically needs flat-pellet geometry in microtubes (some density-gradient microtube protocols, some immunoprecipitation workflows where flat sediment matters for downstream supernatant aspiration).
Throughput trade-off vs RCF. At 3,780 × g maximum, the A20 doesn't reach the high-RCF range of dedicated microcentrifuge rotors (Z216-2420 at 18,624 × g; Z287-1820 at 15,994 × g; Z326-2420 at 21,379 × g). Choose the A20 when batch size, swing-out geometry, and deep cold-chain matter; choose dedicated high-RCF microtube rotors when RCF >5,000 × g is required.
4-bucket symmetric loading. All 4 buckets must use matching A20 inserts for symmetric balance.
Design Architecture
Deep cold-chain swing-out microtube workflows — when microtube prep needs both refrigeration at near-freezing temperature AND swing-out flat-pellet geometry on the same chassis.
High-throughput swing-out microtube cell-culture pellet recovery — pelleting cells from microtube-scale suspension batches at 36 parallel preps per cycle on the cold-chain chassis.
Flat-pellet microtube density-gradient prep at scale — micro-scale density-gradient protocols (microtube Ficoll, Percoll prep) at the highest swing-out throughput available in the Hermle catalog.
Cold-chain immunoprecipitation workflows at scale — bead-based IP protocols at microtube scale where cold-chain integrity through the spin step preserves protein-protein interactions.
Educational and teaching labs at high throughput — undergraduate and graduate teaching where 36 microtube positions match a teaching block's full parallel-sample count.
Mixed-format Z366-K core facilities — labs running 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes alongside larger-volume tube and bottle workflows on the same Z366-250 + bucket inventory.
Ordering & Configuration
4-bucket symmetric loading. All 4 buckets must use matching A20 inserts. Mixed-bucket configurations produce mass asymmetry.
Per-insert symmetric loading. Within each insert, the 9 microtubes should be balanced — pair tubes by mass with the ninth position symmetric to the insert's central axis (or leave any odd position empty).
Tube cap confirmation. All microtubes must be securely capped before spinning at 4,500 rpm.
Z366-250-A20 ships as 2 inserts. Microtubes are operator-supplied (commodity 1.5 / 2.0 mL Reaktion-style formats from major commercial suppliers). The Z366-250 bucket is sold separately.
Confirm at quote: bucket pairing (Z366-250 in inventory), chassis pairing (Z366 or Z366-K), tube format (1.5 / 2.0 mL standard microtube), workflow drivers (deep cold-chain, swing-out flat-pellet geometry, high throughput), pack count (2 packs for full 4-bucket configuration), and lead time.
Warranty: 5-Year Hermle warranty (3 years full + 2 years drivetrain) on the inserts.
Z366-250 microtube and small-tube insert family (Z366 / Z366-K chassis):
- Z366-250-A20 (this product) — 9 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtube (36/cycle, highest swing-out microtube throughput)
- Z366-250-A57 — 14 × 1.8–7 mL pediatric / small-volume blood tubes (56/cycle)
- Z366-250-A10 — 8 × 6–10 mL Vacutainer (32/cycle)
Pick the A20 for high-throughput swing-out microtube workflows on the deep cold-chain chassis. Pick A57 / A10 for clinical-blood-tube workflows. For RCF >5,000 × g microtube workflows, dedicated fixed-angle microcentrifuge rotors on other Hermle chassis are the right pick.
