A Safer, Eco-Friendly Biosafety Cabinet That Covers All Applications
By Elizabeth Dille, PhD, Product Manager, Labconco
A Simple Choice
The Axiom™ Class II, Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) is considered a significant advancement in biosafety technology, offering a robust solution to streamline operations and elevate safety standards. It removes any confusion around the type of BSC that’s required for your research, provides added safety, and decreases costs that would accrue with other cabinets. The Axiom BSC can function as a recirculating cabinet, or it can be connected to an exhaust system from the Chem-Zone™ or central work area. This flexibility gives your laboratory the ability to change to or from an exhausted cabinet should your research requirements change. After a quick connection to ductwork and a re-certification, you have a cabinet that meets your changing needs.
Advanced Safety
Although rare, in the event of a remote exhaust failure in a vented Class II, Type A2, or B2 cabinet, users face the risk of chemical and/or biological exposure. Without sufficient building exhaust, there is a chance that contaminated air may escape the canopy of a Class II, Type A2 cabinet or exit the sash area on a Class II, Type B2 cabinet.
Shown in orange, the Chem-Zone area is dished and delineated by airflow slots. This area provides single-pass exhaust when connected to ductwork and certified in B Mode.
If a remote exhaust failure is detected in the Axiom BSC, users are immediately protected through the initiation of an Active Protection Protocol (APP). APP swiftly adjusts the Axiom’s internal exhaust blower to improve containment while simultaneously alerting the user of an exhaust failure. A five-minute countdown timer activates to allow time to finish work and clean up the cabinet safely.
The Axiom BSC features a dual ECM blower system that helps it respond appropriately during an exhaust failure. This system requires minimal static pressure from the general exhaust system which is very helpful when trying to retrofit new BSCs into existing and older laboratories.
Energy Conservation
Exhausting BSCs requires moving air through the cabinet and out of the building via the exhaust system. On average, Class II, Type B2 units exhaust two to three times the amount of air as Class II, Type A2 units. From an energy conservation standpoint, Type A2 BSCs offer significant advantages. However, Type A2 BSCs are not recommended for applications involving larger volumes of chemicals. In the past, users have opted for Type B2 cabinets with safer single-pass exhaust, but the Axiom BSC achieves this in the Chem-Zone work area at a similar exhaust volume and static pressure to that of Type A2 cabinets. The Axiom BSC can also connect to a general exhaust system, unlike Type B2 cabinets that require dedicated ductwork.
The Axiom Class II, Type C1 BSC is changing the way scientists approach lab design, combining unparalleled versatility and sustainability with unmatched safety. With the Axiom BSC, the dilemma of choosing between Type A2 or Type B2 cabinets, or the need for multiple units to fulfill various requirements is no longer necessary. Now any application can be handled with ease and efficiency.
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