The Z446-500-A15 is a 6-position 15 mL conical tube insert for the Hermle Z446-04500 4 × 500 mL angle rotor on the Z446 / Z446-K chassis — sold as a 2-pack. Each insert holds 6 × 15 mL conical tubes; the 4-position rotor takes 2 packs (4 inserts) for full symmetric loading, delivering 24 × 15 mL conical tubes per cycle at the host rotor's high-RCF range (10,367 × g). The Z446-04500 is the 500 mL angle workflow rotor in the Z446 family — at 8,000 rpm / 10,367 × g / 14.5 cm radius / 24° / 4 °C at max speed, it serves bulk bottle workflows; with this insert, it converts to high-RCF 15 mL conical workflow on the same chassis.
Key Specifications
| SKU | Z446-500-A15 |
| Type | Tube insert — 500 mL angle position → 6 × 15 mL conical |
| Pack quantity | 2 inserts per SKU (full 4-position rotor takes 2 units = 4 inserts) |
| Per-insert capacity | 6 × 15 mL conical tubes |
| Per-cycle throughput (full configuration) | 24 × 15 mL conical per cycle |
| Tube format | 15 mL conical Falcon-style (17 mm OD, 120 mm length) |
| Compatible host rotor | Z446-04500 (4 × 500 mL angle rotor) |
| Compatible chassis | Z446, Z446-K (refrigerated), and -E voltage variants |
| Max. operating speed (with insert + tubes) | Per Z446-04500 spec — 8,000 rpm at 10,367 × g maximum |
| Max. radius | 14.5 cm |
| Temperature at max speed (refrigerated chassis) | 4 °C |
| Angle | 24° (fixed-angle host rotor) |
| List price | $326 (2-pack) |
Compatibility & When to Order This SKU
Insert pairing — Z446-04500 500 mL angle rotor only. Order this SKU when:
- Adding 15 mL conical workflow to a Z446-04500 install — order 2 units for full 4-position symmetric loading (24 tubes/cycle).
- High-RCF cold-chain 15 mL conical prep — when 15 mL conical workflow needs the >10,000 × g range with cold-chain integrity (4 °C at max speed) on the bulk-volume Z446 chassis.
- Mixed 500 / 15 mL workflow consolidation — when the chassis primarily runs 500 mL bulk-volume bottle workflows but occasional 15 mL conical processing arises.
- Replacement inserts if a current set is damaged or worn.
Why a 500 mL Rotor Becomes a 15 mL Rotor
The Z446-04500 4 × 500 mL angle rotor is engineered for bulk-volume bottle workflows (large-scale cell harvest, vaccine bulk concentration, environmental sample bulk prep). When the workflow shifts to 15 mL conical, the chassis would normally need a rotor swap — except the Z446-500-A15 insert keeps the workflow on the same Z446-04500 rotor, with the higher-RCF range (10,367 × g) preserved for the smaller tubes.
This matters when:
- The lab's 500 mL workflow is primary but 15 mL conical is occasional
- The 15 mL workflow specifically needs >10,000 × g (vs the lower-RCF range of dedicated 15 mL rotors on smaller chassis like Z206-1215 at 4,427 × g)
- Rotor-swap downtime is a workflow constraint on the Z446-K platform
Application Profile
High-RCF cold-chain 15 mL conical clinical-research and biobank prep — patient sample fractionation, density-gradient prep, biobank aliquot prep at 24 × 15 mL conical per cycle on the cold-chain high-RCF rotor.
High-RCF cell-pellet recovery in 15 mL conical — when the workflow needs tight pellet compaction at the 15 mL scale that the 10,367 × g range delivers.
Density-gradient prep in 15 mL at high RCF — Ficoll, Percoll, sucrose-gradient workflows requiring >10,000 × g.
Mixed 500 / 15 mL workflow consolidation on Z446-K — when the lab's primary chassis is configured for bulk-volume 500 mL workflows on the Z446-04500 rotor but occasional 15 mL conical workflows arise.
Cross-format Z446-K core facilities — shared cores running both bulk-volume bottle and 15 mL conical workflows on the same chassis benefit from the adapter approach.
Cold-chain protein prep at 15 mL conical — TCA, ammonium-sulfate, organic-precipitation in 15 mL conical at >10,000 × g on the refrigerated chassis.
Ordering & Configuration
4-position symmetric loading. All 4 positions on the host rotor must use matching A15 inserts for symmetric balance at 8,000 rpm.
Per-insert symmetric loading. Within each insert, the 6 conical tubes should be balanced symmetrically — pair tubes by mass.
Insert seat verification. Confirm each insert is fully seated in its 500 mL position before loading the 15 mL tubes.
Tube cap confirmation. All 15 mL conical tubes must be securely capped before spinning at 8,000 rpm.
Z446-500-A15 ships as 2 inserts. 15 mL conical tubes are operator-supplied (commodity Falcon / Corning / equivalent formats).
Confirm at quote: host rotor (Z446-04500 in inventory), chassis pairing (Z446 or Z446-K), tube format (15 mL conical Falcon-style), pack count (2 packs for full 4-position configuration = 24 tubes/cycle), and lead time.
Warranty: 5-Year Hermle warranty (3 years full + 2 years drivetrain) on the inserts.
Z446-500 insert family (Z446-04500 4 × 500 mL angle rotor):
- Z446-500-A15 (this product) — 6 × 15 mL conical (24/cycle full configuration)
- Z446-500-A50 — 50 mL conical
- Z446-500-A50R — 3 × 50 mL round
- Z446-500-A225C — 175/225 mL conical bottle (Hermle C0175 / C0225)
- Z446-500-A250 — 250 mL conical bottle (Hermle C1250)
- Z446-500-A250F — 250 mL flat bottle
Match the insert to the workflow's tube format. The Z446-04500 host rotor's high-RCF cold-chain range is preserved across all insert configurations.
