Cycler Manufacturer

A cycler manufacturer provides cyclers to the different market place(s). Typically, cycler manufacturers and cycler suppliers get claims from end users that their cycler is not always working well, although they cannot support the customer’s findings in their test lab. The use of DRIFTCON as a final factory release test is therefore strongly recommended. A cycler manufacturer may consider recommending the regular use of a DRIFTCON system to end users, to exclude variations in results generated by a lack of performance of non cycler related issues (enzymes, primers, disposables, incorrect programming etc.) At the same time, a cycler manufacturer may consider requesting the DRIFTCON thermal profile of the used cycler, prior to acceptance of cycler-performance claims. If you manufacture cylers for real time applications, the use of DRIFTCON is strongly recommended.

Cycler manufacturers can use DRIFTCON to determine the temperature profile of their cycler. It can be used as an “in process control” during the manufacturing of the cycling blocks. DRIFTCON will recognize minor inaccuracies in the block construction, like incorrectly placed sensors, non-uniform peltiers, (so called “hot” and “cold” spots), block sandwich tension problems, heater un-uniformities, etc. By using DRIFTCON one can set thresholds towards temperature accuracy and block uniformity of a specific cycler type. In other words: define what the maximum temperature in-accuracy and block un-uniformity of the cycler is, which are still are acceptable before you categorize it as being “out of specs”. Cycler manufacturers may consider upgrading their “instrument specs” with data based on high accuracy, dynamic, multi sensor temperature measurements. (DRIFTCON driven).

Threshold settings are used to compare the temperature performance of the cycler against (pre) defined thresholds.

Instruments thresholds settings (for a specific instrument and block type) are provided with the purchase of a DRIFTCON system. Other individual specific threshold settings may be purchased as software “ad on” (option). The provided specific instruments thresholds are extracted from the global database, which contains measurements from the same brand and type of machine. The provided threshold values are mean values plus or minus 2 x the standard deviation of the values (equals 95% of the population).

Your instrument may be performing out of “instruments specs” provided by CYCLERtest. Please request latest specifications by synchronising to our general database.

Although the application thresholds are much more difficult and time consuming to design, they are superior to instrument thresholds. In other words: one is comparing if the cycler used to run an application is suitable for this application. If an end user is using a commercialised (diagnostic) kit (PCR, LCR, Real-Time PCR, RT-PCR etc) he or she may request the temperature profile thresholds from the kit manufacturer. If you, as a cycler manufacturer, would like to know more about the use of thresholds on your cycler with a kit, you may consider using our discussion forum at the specific DRIFTCON website: www.driftcon.com or (if available) join one of the application threshold settings discussion groups.