Incubators hold samples at a controlled temperature and often a controlled atmosphere and agitation for cell culture, microbiology, and research. The main types are CO2 incubators for mammalian cell culture, shaking incubators for suspension growth and fermentation, cooled incubators for temperature work below ambient, and standard heated incubators for general microbiology.

Stable, uniform conditions across the chamber directly affect growth consistency and result reliability, which is why incubators are core equipment in laboratory and pharmaceutical work. Buyers include cell culture and microbiology teams, QC managers, and procurement staff in pharmaceutical, biotech, and research organisations. Browse new and used incubators from verified sellers on Machinery Masters.

What Is a Laboratory Incubator?

A laboratory incubator is a temperature-controlled chamber that holds biological samples at the conditions they need to grow or react. A basic incubator controls temperature alone, usually around 37 degrees Celsius for microbiology. More capable incubators add control of atmosphere, humidity, or agitation. A CO2 incubator holds a defined carbon dioxide level for cell culture, a shaking incubator agitates flasks to keep cultures suspended and aerated, and a cooled incubator holds temperatures below ambient. What matters across all of them is uniformity, so every sample in the chamber sees the same conditions.

Incubator (CO2, Shaking, Cooled, ID) Brands

Machinery Masters lists new and used incubators from established manufacturers, including the following:

Thermo Fisher Scientific
Eppendorf
Memmert
Binder
PHCbi
Infors HT
New Brunswick
Stuart
Nüve
LEEC

Incubator (CO2, Shaking, Cooled, ID) Product Types

Incubators are available in configurations matched to the organism, the atmosphere, and the temperature range. Selecting the correct type keeps conditions right for your samples and any GMP qualification needs. The main differences relate to atmosphere control, agitation, and temperature range.

CO2 Incubators

CO2 incubators hold the 37 degrees Celsius, 5 per cent CO2, humidified atmosphere that mammalian cell culture requires. The CO2 buffers the medium pH, and tight control across all shelf positions keeps growth consistent between flasks. Air-jacketed and water-jacketed designs offer different approaches to temperature stability and recovery.

Shaking Incubators

Shaking incubators, also called incubator shakers, combine temperature control with orbital agitation to keep cultures suspended and well aerated. They suit microbial growth, fermentation, and protein expression, where movement drives oxygen transfer and even mixing. Bench and floor-standing models cover different flask capacities.

Cooled and Refrigerated Incubators

Cooled and refrigerated incubators hold temperatures below ambient, which standard heated incubators cannot reach. They suit BOD testing, low-temperature microbiology, and any culture or storage that needs a controlled temperature under room level.

Standard and Microbiological Incubators

Standard heated incubators, including microbiological incubators, hold a set temperature by natural or forced convection for routine culture and testing. Forced convection gives faster recovery and better uniformity, while natural convection suits gentle, low-disturbance conditions.

Incubator (CO2, Shaking, Cooled, ID) Applications and Uses

Incubators serve any work that needs controlled conditions for biological samples. The right specification depends on the organism, the atmosphere, and the temperature range.

Mammalian Cell Culture

Cell culture laboratories use CO2 incubators to hold the temperature, CO2, and humidity that mammalian cells need. Uniform conditions across every shelf keep growth consistent, and incubators used in GMP cell culture manufacturing need validated performance qualification data.

Microbial Culture and QC Testing

Microbiology and QC laboratories use standard and cooled incubators to culture bacteria and other organisms for identification, enumeration, and sterility testing. Holding the correct temperature is essential to reproducible, reportable results.

Fermentation and Protein Expression

Shaking incubators support fermentation and protein expression by agitating cultures to drive oxygen transfer and mixing. Controlled temperature and shaking speed give the reproducible growth that process development and production require.

Environmental and Stability-Adjacent Work

Cooled incubators support environmental testing such as BOD and low-temperature studies. For full temperature and humidity stability testing to ICH conditions, a dedicated stability or climatic chamber is the correct choice.

How to Choose an Incubator

Match the incubator to the organism and the conditions by working through these steps:

Identify the samples: mammalian cells, microbial cultures, or environmental work.
Decide the atmosphere and agitation you need: CO2, shaking, or temperature only.
Confirm the temperature range, including any below-ambient requirement.
Check the uniformity and recovery the application needs across all positions.
Size the chamber and shelf capacity to your throughput.
For used equipment, request qualification records, service history, and performance status before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CO2 incubator, and why is CO2 controlled?

A CO2 incubator holds mammalian cells at 37 degrees Celsius in a humidified atmosphere with controlled carbon dioxide, usually 5 per cent. The CO2 dissolves in the culture medium and forms carbonic acid, which buffers the pH to the 7.2 to 7.4 range cells need. Without controlled CO2, the medium pH drifts and cell growth suffers, so stable CO2 control is essential to reliable culture.

What is a shaking incubator used for?

A shaking incubator combines controlled temperature with orbital agitation to grow cultures in suspension. The shaking keeps cells and microbes evenly distributed and improves oxygen transfer into the medium, which supports faster, more consistent growth. It is widely used for microbial culture, fermentation, and protein expression.

What is the difference between a cooled incubator and a standard incubator?

A standard incubator only heats, so it holds temperatures at or above room temperature, typically around 37 degrees Celsius. A cooled or refrigerated incubator adds a cooling system, so it holds temperatures below ambient as well. Choose a cooled incubator for BOD testing, low-temperature microbiology, or any work that needs a setpoint under room temperature.

What is the difference between an air-jacketed and a water-jacketed CO2 incubator?

An air-jacketed CO2 incubator heats the chamber directly and recovers temperature quickly after the door opens. A water-jacketed incubator surrounds the chamber with a water layer that holds temperature stable for longer during a power interruption. Both maintain culture conditions well, and the choice depends on your priorities for recovery speed and temperature stability.

Can a used incubator be qualified for GMP cell culture use?

Yes. A used incubator can be installed and qualified for GMP use provided it passes installation qualification, temperature and CO2 uniformity performance qualification across all shelf positions, and alarm verification. Request the full service history and previous qualification records from the seller to support the requalification assessment.

How can I find incubators on Machinery Masters?

Browse Machinery Masters for new and used CO2, shaking, cooled, and standard incubators from verified sellers. Filter by type, brand, and capacity, then contact the seller to confirm qualification documentation and performance status before you purchase.

Incubators (CO₂, Shaking, Cooled, ID)

Incubators (CO₂, Shaking, Cooled, ID)