The Z446 is the high-capacity benchtop universal centrifuge in the Hermle line — 4 × 750 mL bottle capacity at 16,000 rpm / 24,325 × g. It sits at the boundary between benchtop and floor-standing instruments: 174 lb, 21 × 26 inch footprint, but still bench-mountable on a sturdy table. For labs that need 750 mL bottle volume without committing to a true floor-standing footprint — biotech production, vaccine prep, environmental high-volume processing, industrial QC — the Z446 is the institutional pick.
Voltage options: This unit can be ordered with European voltage requirements (230V/50Hz). Contact us to order.
Key Specifications
| Max. speed | 16,000 rpm |
| Max. RCF | 24,325 × g (swing-out) / 26,328 × g (angle rotor) |
| Max. volume | 4 × 750 mL |
| Speed range | 200 – 16,000 rpm |
| Running time | 10 s to 59 min 50 s; 1 min to 99 h 59 min; continuous |
| Program memory | 99 saved runs (including rotor type) |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | 21 in × 15 in × 26 in (54 × 39 × 67 cm) |
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg) |
| Power | 120 V / 50 – 60 Hz, 640 W |
| Noise level | < 63 dBA at max. speed |
| Safety standards | IEC 61010 |
Application Profile
High-volume protein production. 4 × 750 mL bottle capacity at 24,325 × g handles bench-scale fermentation harvest (E. coli, yeast, baculovirus systems) and post-lysis debris removal at production-relevant volumes — the workflow most labs would otherwise split across multiple smaller cycles.
Vaccine concentration and viral preparation. Sucrose-cushion virus concentrations, large-volume cell lysate clarifications, and step-gradient virus enrichments fit naturally into 750 mL bottles at this g-force class.
Industrial QC at production volume. Crude-oil water content (ASTM D96 / D4007), lubricant analysis, and large-volume slurry / sediment work that exceeds 250 mL bottle capacity.
Cell-culture pellet recovery at scale. Mammalian, hybridoma, and primary-tissue cultures from spinner-flask or bioreactor preps that need 500–750 mL bottle capacity per spin.
Multi-purpose institutional core. With angle-rotor swap, the Z446 covers high-RCF work down to 50 mL conical and microtube formats; with the 4 × 750 mL swing-out, it shifts to bottle-format prep — one instrument footprint, two workflow profiles.
Design Architecture
RFID rotor identification with per-rotor over-speed protection. Same Hermle RFID system as Z327 / Z366 — rotor identity is read at insertion; the drive applies the rotor's rated speed cap and imbalance threshold automatically.
Active imbalance identification with rotor-specific cut-off. Per-rotor thresholds — what's tolerable for a 4 × 750 mL swing-out is different from a 24-tube microcentrifuge rotor. Asymmetric loading triggers shutdown.
Motor-driven lid lock. Hard interlock — the lid cannot unlock during a run; the drive will not engage unless the lid latches.
Maintenance-free induction motor. No brush wear; designed for institutional-duty service life. The 640 W drive supports the rotational inertia of a fully-loaded 4 × 750 mL swing-out without thermal stress.
Microprocessor with one-handed touch operation. Splash-proof foil keypad; large LCD with simultaneous set / actual display.
99-slot program memory with rotor type stored per program — a multi-protocol shared lab can recall a complete spin setup by program number.
Selectable accel/decel including unbraked deceleration for gradient and loose-pellet work. Audible run-end alert with melody-selection options.
Stainless-steel sample chamber with optimized airflow.
Quick rotor exchange via single-spindle wing-nut lift-off; rotor identity flows automatically via RFID.
Ordering & Configuration
Ships without rotor. The Z446 body ships with operator's manual and power cord. Select your rotor from the Z446 rotor catalog (linked from this page) — common configurations include the 4 × 750 mL swing-out (with adapter library down to 1.5 / 2.0 mL micro tubes), the 6 × 250 mL high-speed angle rotor, the 6 × 85 mL high-RCF angle rotor for protein-pelleting work, plus 24 × and 30 × microtube high-RCF options.
Voltage variants: The 230 V / 50-60 Hz model is available by special order.
Refrigerated upgrade path: Z446-K — same chassis with -20 °C to +40 °C refrigeration. Note the refrigerated -E variant requires a 20 A circuit, not standard 15 A — see the Z446-K page for electrical-service considerations.
Step-up: Z496-K for 4 × 1,000 mL floor-standing high-volume work in the 230 V configuration.
Warranty & service: 5-Year Hermle warranty (3 years full + 2 years drivetrain). Rotor validation, balance checks, RFID-rotor service, and North American support available through the Benchmark / Hermle distributor network.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum speed and capacity of the Z446? 16,000 rpm / 24,325 × g in swing-out configuration, with 4 × 750 mL bottle capacity.
Does the Z446 ship with a rotor? No — it ships without a rotor. Select from the Z446 rotor catalog, which spans the 4 × 750 mL swing-out down to microtube formats via adapters.
Is a refrigerated version of the Z446 available? Yes — the Z446-K adds −20 °C to +40 °C chamber refrigeration on the same chassis.
What kind of bench does the Z446 need? At 174 lb and a 21 × 26 in footprint, it needs a sturdy bench rated for the unit's static weight plus load.
What voltage does the Z446 use? 120 V / 50–60 Hz standard; a 230 V / 50–60 Hz model is available by special order.
Bench planning note: at 174 lb and 21 × 26 in, the Z446 needs a sturdy bench rated for the unit's static weight plus load. Confirm bench-load rating before installation.
