Judging from the number of “Out of Office” replies we are receiving these days, it seems that many of you are enjoying some well-deserved time off. You will get the same response from me if you email in the next two weeks! Luckily, the amazing SeqGen team is awaiting your call and can help you with any service issue you may be facing. If you are planning an extended absence, don’t forget to also give your sequencer, PCR, or qPCR machine the proper vacation it needs.
Springtime may have come and gone, but it’s never too late to start your spring-cleaning! As a matter of fact, with a little bit of elbow grease and a lot of patience, you can restore your silver block 9700 thermal cycler to pristine condition. This is routine procedure when SeqGen performs preventative maintenance on the thermal cycler, but we are more than happy to share our trade secret!
No matter how big your lab is, you’ve probably asked yourself this question. It’s difficult to decide whether to continue on with the sequencer or qPCR you know and love, or go with the powerful new technology. When you start to consider things like service plans and the hassle of changing equipment, it can feel like an overwhelming decision. To make the right decision, there are a few things you should consider.
The most important thing from a servicer is support. Not just any support, but quick support and results. At SeqGen, our engineers are not only experts in their field with Masters Degrees in biology or engineering, but they’ve also been immersed in our culture of superior customer service.
Too often, mergers and acquisitions leave customers high and dry, without any kind of support for their machines and resources. It’s our job and number-one priority to care about you, and make sure you know that when you work with us, you are never just another client number.
A recurring problem that we have seen of late is an error message stating: “Capillary Leak Detected”, but the capillary array is not necessarily due for replacement. If you’re like most people, you want to try everything you can before you order a new one (which could cost you thousands).
Your sequencer is a lot like a car. It requires regular routine maintenance to ensure that all of the moving parts are working like they should be. And just like a car, if you take care of your machine and perform regular maintenance, you can expect it to run properly for many years to come.
A coverage plan from SeqGen comes with one preventative maintenance visit per year; however, you can perform some of these functions yourself. To assist you, we’ve listed a few of the common problems and errors that can be avoided with preventative
Protecting your sequencer or qPCR is no laughing matter. For many labs, the smallest problem can cause days of downtime. Although it is impossible to avoid all of these issues, a coverage plan with SeqGen will minimize downtime so you can get back to your samples.
Starting in January of 2017, ThermoFisher/Life Technologies has announced that they will no longer service the ABI 3130 or 3130xl Genetic Analyzers. Their plans for the continuing maintenance of the 7900HT will also follow suit in the next couple of years.
If you have one of these machines, you’ve probably already gotten something from ThermoFisher stating that you will have to upgrade to new technology, like it or not.
Equipment downtime is the worst. Work backs up, your lab is losing money and on top of it all, you’re just plain bored.
With so many moving parts, these complex machines need routine maintenance to ensure they are in proper working condition. If you don’t have an adequate coverage plan on your equipment, it could mean many more down days for your lab.
