Organomation is a manufacturer of laboratory evaporators, with a focus on nitrogen blowdown technology. We have three main blowdown product lines - the N-EVAP, the MICROVAP, and the MULTIVAP. Each product line is designed to serve different applications by having varying capacities, controls, and features. This article will walk you through the major differences between each evaporator, helping you to determine which one is best for your lab. 
Heating Medium
All of our evaporators come standard with heating capabilities, but you also have the option of getting an unheated version if you'll be working with small or heat sensitive samples. If you'll be needing the heated option, it's important to know the heating medium used by each unit.
- N-EVAPs: All units come standard with a water bath. The 6, 12, and 24 position N-EVAPs have the option to come with a dry bath with either aluminum or glass beads. Learn about the differences between a water bath and a dry bath and the applications that benefit from each.
- MICROVAPs: All units use an aluminum heat block. The 15 and 24 position MICROVAPs also come with custom drilled aluminum inserts for your tubes or vials.
- MULTIVAPs: Also utilize a custom drilled aluminum heat block with the exception of the 64 and 100 position MULTIVAPs which are water bath units that come with custom drilled racks.
Sample Size & Capacity
Each unit has a specific range of sample sizes it can accommodate. Some evaporators are designed to hold multiple tube sizes within this range, and others are designed to hold just one. Knowing your desired tube size(s) and your desired capacity before choosing an evaporation system is crucial.
- N-EVAPs: All N-EVAP evaporators can accommodate tubes that are between 10-30 mm OD. These instruments have a unique spring assisted sample holder that allows them to hold multiple tube sizes at once. They are ideal when working with small to medium sized batches with options ranging from 6 to 45 sample positions.
- MICROVAPs: These units can accommodate both microplates and small batches of test tubes. For microplate evaporation, there is a single plate unit or triple plate unit to hold one or three 96 well plates, respectively. For test tube evaporation, there is either a 15 or 24 position model designed for small to medium sized tubes. Test tube MICROVAPs are ideal when working with 1-2 tube sizes. They come standard with one set of inserts custom drilled to fit one tube size. If you will be using a second tube size, a second set of custom inserts can be purchased.
- MULTIVAPs: MULTIVAP units can accommodate a wide range of tube sizes (10-30 mm OD) depending on the instrument model, although they are ideal when only working with 1-2 tube sizes. Dry block models come with a custom drilled heat block to fit one tube size and water bath models come with a custom drilled rack to fit one tube size. If a second tube size will be used, a second heat block or rack can be purchased.
Gas Flow Control
For nitrogen blowdown evaporators, gas control is quite an important feature. Some end users may find it helpful to have gas flow control at each individual sample position, whereas others may want to adjust the gas flow to all sample positions at once.- N-EVAPs: Each sample position has its own individual valve where you can adjust the gas flow depending on the sample size and volume. You can also adjust the position of each needle to accommodate different tube heights.
- MICROVAPs and MULTIVAPs: Both of these blowdown units have the same design where all the needles are connected to one singular manifold. This allows you to start and stop the gas flow to all sample positions with one switch. If you won't be using all sample positions during an evaporation session, the MULTIVAP also has toggle switches on the manifold that can shut the gas flow off to each row, conserving nitrogen gas.
Digital Controls
Having digital controls such as a timer or a temperature control system can provide end-users with more flexibility and advanced settings, but some end-users prefer a more simple instrument with only the necessary features and settings.- N-EVAPs: Our 6, 12, and 24 position N-EVAPs do not come with digital controls, but our 34 and 45 position N-EVAPs come with side control boxes with temperature controllers as well as timers for gas and heat.
- MICROVAPs: All MICROVAP units come with a digital temperature controller with LED display integrated directly into the bath case.
- MULTIVAPs: All MULTIVAP units have digital temperature controllers as well as timers for gas and heat integrated directly into the bath case.
All of our nitrogen blowdown instruments are designed simply with the end-user in mind. Each product line is meant to accommodate slightly different needs and applications, with the same basic element of blowdown technology. No matter what your requirements may be, Organomation is dedicated to finding the best evaporator for you, always accompanied with lifetime customer support.
Now see the product differences in video format!