Mixtainer - Thermo Fisher

Quick Start Guide
Thermo Scientific HyClone Mixtainer
For use in biopharmaceutical applications

Quick Start Guide
Thermo Scientific HyClone Mixtainer
Rev. 1.0

Components
The Mixtainer consists of a dolly, steel support, magnetic stirrer, drum lid
and single-use, pre-sterilized Mixtainer BPC.
Stainless Steel Support
Stainless Steel Dolly
50 L
Available Drums
Magnetic Stirrer
Thermo Scientific Mixtainer Quick Start Guide 1
100 L
Lid
200 L

Assembly
The Mixtainer assembles without tools.
Lid
Flexible BPC ®
(sold seperately)
Stirrer Controls
Drum
Magnetic Stirrer
Dolly
Stir-Bar Dish
Latches
Access Hole
Stainless
Steel Support
Thermo Scientific Mixtainer Quick Start Guide 2

Assembly
Place motor on dolly
• Situate the stainless steel support on the dolly using the corner
brackets to line it up.
Place the magnetic stir motor on top of support piece
• Place the magnetic stirrer on the steel support.
• Route the power cord and remote control box with cables
underneath the dolly, routing them within the ring portion.
Place the drum on the dolly
Ring
1. Place the drum inside the ring ensuring that it is fully seated.
2. Look down from the top of the drum to confirm that the top plate
of the stirrer aligns with the hole in the bottom of the drum.
3. Reposition the magnetic stirrer if necessary.
Brackets for
stainless steel
support piece
Insert a new BPC into the drum
Put the BPC into the drum such that the stir-bar dish rests firmly on
the magnetic stirrer. Feel the bottom of the BPC to locate the rigid
polyethylene stir-bar dish, and sight down the drum at the hole in the base
so you know exactly where to center the dish.
1. You may wish to add a few liters of liquid to the BPC to help
maneuver the stir-bar dish into the hole in the bottom of the drum.
(Follow the fill instructions in the next section.) The weight of the
liquid helps pull the stir-bar dish through the hole in the drum and
into the stir plate.
Thermo Scientific Mixtainer Quick Start Guide 3

A stir-bar dish is welded into the
bottom of every Mixtainer BPC.
Place the Mixtainer system on a
scale to monitor contents by weight.
Measure the empty weight before
adding contents.
2. Guide the BPC by lifting upward where needed to center the stirbar
dish. Let the stir-bar dish drop through the hole in the drum
onto the magnetic stir plate.
3. Extend the port tubes outside the top of the drum so they are not
caught between the drum and liner.
Filling the BPC
Add liquid to the Mixtainer BPC through one of the top lines. A typical
filling rate is about 10 L per minute. Filling rate depends on tubing
diameter, tubing length, and pump capacity. Make sure that you can turn
off the flow into the Mixtainer while simultaneously monitoring the level.
Use an assistant if necessary.
1. Position the Mixtainer at the filling site.
2. Make a sterile connection between the fill-tube and the supply
vessel.
3. Use either a pump or gravity to transfer liquids into the Mixtainer.
4. Fill a pre-measured amount, or fill by weight. You can also monitor
liquid level by looking through the top of the BPC.
5. Add any powder through the 1.5” diameter powder port if
applicable.
You can begin mixing as soon as liquid covers the stir-bar dish at the
bottom of the BPC. See the section on mixing instructions.
Using the lid
Use of the lid is optional. It prevents objects from falling into the drum.
• Apply the lid after filling the BPC.
Thermo Scientific Mixtainer Quick Start Guide 4

To optimize mixing, try different
speed settings. Look through the top
of the BPC for a visual indication of
mixing action.
Use only safe electric outlets
that conform to the power
requirements shown on the
magnetic stir motor.
Locate the Mixtainer in a
temperature controlled space to
dispense warm or cool liquid.
Mixing
Activate the magnetic stirrer to dissolve solutes into solution, to keep nonsolutes
in suspension, to blend liquid-to-liquid mixtures, and to ensure the
dispensed product is homogeneous. It is possible to begin mixing as soon
as the stir-bar is immersed, but it is usually just as effective to wait until
the BPC is filled. The filling process is itself a mixing operation. To start
mixing:
1. Confirm the magnetic stirrer is plugged into an appropriate electric
supply and the speed knob on the control box is in the OFF
position (fully counterclockwise).
2. Start mixing by slowly and smoothly turning the speed control
clockwise.
3. The second knob allows you to set the duration of mixing in
minutes.
The speed setting for best mixing depends on the volume and physical
characteristics of the liquid in the BPC. You will need to determine the
agitation speed appropriate for your application.
If you try to run the stirrer too fast or change speed too quickly, the stir-bar
and stirrer will decouple. This is not harmful, but it results in a knocking
sound and virtually no mixing. If the sound does not stop within several
seconds, set the speed to zero, wait for the knocking to stop, and then
slowly increase the speed.
Dispensing
1. Position the Mixtainer at the dispense site.
2. Make a sterile connection, if required, between the dispense port
and your dispense line.
3. Use a peristaltic pump to dispense.
Thermo Scientific Mixtainer Quick Start Guide 5

Do not immerse the magnetic
stirrer in liquid.
Removing the BPC
Removing the BPC is the reverse of installing it.
1. Remove the lid from the drum.
2. Empty the BPC using a peristaltic pump.
3. Disconnect user-tubing from the BPC.
4. Lift the BPC out of the drum.
Cleaning the drum, lid and dolly
The drum, lid and dolly require no routine maintenance other than
occasional cleaning. Use water and ordinary detergents, and then rinse
thoroughly.
Do not use organic solvents that could damage plastic.
Never use hydrochloric acid (HCl) or saline solutions on stainless steel.
Rinse with water if those liquids contact the dolly.
Thermo Scientific Mixtainer Quick Start Guide 6

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Cell Culture & BioProcessing 925 West 1800 South In Americas/Asia In Europe www.thermo.com/hyclone
Thermo Scientific
Logan, UT
84321
435-792-8000
435-792-8001 fax
+32 53 85 71 80
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Single-Use Bioreactor (S.U.B.) 7