The Z306-100-A20 is the 10-position 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtube insert for the Hermle Z306-100 swing-out bucket on the Z307 chassis 4-place rotor — sold as a 2-pack. Each insert holds 10 microtubes; the 4-bucket rotor configuration takes 2 packs (4 inserts) for full symmetric loading, delivering 40 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes per cycle in swing-out geometry. Distinct from fixed-angle microtube rotors on other Hermle chassis (Z287-2420, Z216-2420), this insert delivers microtube workflows with the flat-sediment geometry that swing-out rotors provide.
Key Specifications
| SKU | Z306-100-A20 |
| Type | Tube insert — 10 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtube |
| Pack quantity | 2 inserts per SKU (full 4-bucket configuration takes 2 units = 4 inserts) |
| Per-insert capacity | 10 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes |
| Per-cycle throughput (full configuration) | 40 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes per cycle |
| Tube format | Standard 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtubes (~11 mm OD) |
| Compatible bucket | Z306-100 (swing-out bucket on Z307 4-place rotor) |
| Compatible chassis | Z307 |
| Max. operating speed (with insert + tubes) | Per Z306-100 spec — 4,500 rpm at 3,350 × g maximum |
| Max. radius | 14.8 cm |
| Geometry | Swing-out (0–90°) — flat sediment surface |
| List price | $325 (2-pack) |
Compatibility & When to Order This SKU
Insert pairing — Z306-100 swing-out bucket only. Order this SKU when:
- Adding microtube workflow to an existing Z307 + Z306-100 install — order 2 units for full 4-bucket symmetric loading (40 microtubes/cycle).
- Swing-out microtube workflows when flat-sediment geometry is required (vs the angled pellet of fixed-angle microtube rotors on other Hermle chassis).
- High-throughput microtube batches at moderate RCF — 40 microtubes per cycle exceeds typical fixed-angle microcentrifuge per-cycle throughput (24–30 positions on most chassis), but at lower RCF (3,350 × g vs >15,000 × g on dedicated microcentrifuges).
- Replacement inserts if a current set is damaged or worn.
Application Profile
Swing-out microtube workflow. The Z306-100 + A20 combination delivers a relatively rare configuration: swing-out microtube spinning. Most microtube rotors are fixed-angle 45° (producing an angled pellet on the tube wall); the swing-out A20 produces a flat sediment perpendicular to the tube axis. Useful for protocols requiring flat-pellet geometry at the microtube scale (some density-gradient protocols, some protein-prep workflows).
Throughput trade-off vs RCF. At 3,350 × g maximum, the A20 doesn't reach the high-RCF range of dedicated microcentrifuges (Z216-2420 at 18,624 × g, Z287-1820 at 15,994 × g). Choose the A20 when batch size matters more than RCF; choose dedicated high-speed microtube rotors when RCF matters more.
4-bucket symmetric loading. All 4 buckets must use matching A20 inserts for symmetric balance.
Design Architecture
High-throughput moderate-RCF microtube workflows — when the workflow batches 40 microtubes per cycle and the moderate RCF range is sufficient (cell pellet, supernatant collection, sample concentration, organic extraction).
Swing-out flat-pellet microtube prep — protocols requiring flat sediment in microtubes for downstream supernatant aspiration or for visual phase-boundary inspection.
Educational and teaching labs — undergraduate and graduate teaching where 40 sample positions match a full lab section's parallel sample count.
Institutional clinical-research aliquot prep — patient sample aliquoting into microtubes at 40-tube-per-cycle institutional throughput.
Cross-format Z307 chassis consolidation — labs running both microtube workflows and bottle workflows (50/100/145 mL) on the same Z307 + Z306-100 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 10 microtubes should be balanced — pair tubes by mass and leave any odd position empty.
Tube cap confirmation. All microtubes must be securely capped before spinning at 4,500 rpm.
Z306-100-A20 ships as 2 inserts. Microtubes are operator-supplied (commodity 1.5 / 2.0 mL formats from major commercial suppliers).
Confirm at quote: bucket pairing (Z306-100 in inventory), chassis pairing (Z307), tube format (1.5 / 2.0 mL standard microtube), 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.
Z306-100 bucket tube-insert family (Z307 chassis):
- Z306-100-A20 (this product) — 10 × 1.5 / 2.0 mL microtube (swing-out, 40 microtubes/cycle full configuration)
- Z306-100-A57 — 7 × 5/7 mL tubes
- Z306-100-A15 — 2 × 15 mL conical
- Z306-100-A10 — 7 × 10/15 mL round-bottom
Pick the A20 for high-throughput swing-out microtube workflow; pick fixed-angle microtube rotors on other Hermle chassis when RCF >5,000 × g is required.
