Mini Laminar Flow Cabinets for the home hobbyist - interested?
 

Hi Everybody,

I'm a microbiologist by trade who, as a side hobby, has a keen interest in culture of Orchids. I'm blessed with a laminar flow cabinet and autoclave etc but the common feel i am getting from this forum is that the general public are making do with tiny aquariums and the like to try and do their own hobby flasking. I've been toying with some designs for mini laminar flow cabinets and was wondering what peoples interest would be in purchasing one? they would come with a light and HEPA filtered air they could also have mini gas taps etc as well as everything else you might need in there to successfuly and, most importantly, aseptically, cultivate your orchid seed... you've spent many months waiting for the pod to ripen only to see it ruined by mold or contamination. What would people think would be a reasonable price for something like this?

Not sure what a reasonable price would be based on the costs of the inputs required, but the most I could rationalize paying would be around $150 for such a set up. Wish somebody over here would do the same thing.

I would be interested, but not sure about what the price range should be. I've seen how expensive the non-mini's are...and I could never fathom purchasing one for those prices. Maybe I'm over estimating....but I could see them running around $350.00 for a hobby type mini one. Would they be shippable?

Hey Guys,

The plan would be to design them in such a way that they could be flat packed and definitely shippable... you would then put them together on site, sterilise them as per the instruction sheet and away you go. There is no substitute for the real thing but i envisage this having a small UV tube to maintain sterility, a UV light, HEPA air filtration, a gas tap etc - everything you would need to have as sterile conditions as possible and give you the maximum chance of success. If there is enough interest out there i will see what i can put together...

I like the idea. But as price goes down, so would the quality. A suitable sized Blower and filter puts it up around $300 from the start. Add the actual unit + accessories + labor and I think you might be close to the commercially available models.

Interested - yes.

Price that you could charge - have no clue.

Price I'd be willing to pay - $150 - $300 price range.

How much it's going to cost you to make it - haven't the foggiest. This will obviously affect how much you actually charge for it like Royal had said.

Shipping costs - this is the thing that usually deters many people on top of the price of the product - no idea; it depends on what country you're sending it to.

Return policies - God forbid this ever has to come to pass. No one likes doing this, it's such a pain, but it has to be taken into consideration.

All in all, if you OzPhal, so choose to take on this mission. I commend you and wish you the best. God speed. And do let us know what's up.

Sowing orchid seeds in an aseptic environment...priceless...

(Sorry guys, it just felt it was going that direction already. :))

I think Royal is right on the money. I made a bunch of unfancy ones over 20 years ago. Painted plywood case. Glass front (plexiglass scratches). Glass sheet on bottom (clorox eats plywood). 140 cu ft/ min bathroom exhaust fan turned around for use as intake blower. 12"x12" hepa filter. 15" flourescent fixture for UV light. 24" flourescent fixture for regular flourescent light. 3 switches for 2 light fixtures and blower. Materials cost 20+ years ago was about $250.
Took about 5-6 hours each to make. Not counting time to watch paint dry.

Contamination due to flasking box ... 0%.
Contamination due to dirty hands, incomplete sterilization, improper technique ... variable.

Design not fancy but very functional.
Most expensive items. Hepa filter $75-100. Exhaust fan $25-40. 1 sheet 5/8" plywood. Glass.

You could save a bunch without the hepa filter, but it's false economy. Other people made fancy ones without, but users said the contamination rate jumped to 25-35%. With proper care, the hepa filters could last for 25 years.

As an immunolgist I'm also blessed with a laminar flow, but they are expensive beasts, so I have to agree with all the above. This could be feasible, but some of the parts, and the unknowns would make this expensive. Royal brings up the excellent point of shipping and returns which would be hard to deal with or prepare for. Catwalker seems to have a good general setup, and if you could find inexpensive HEPA filters/Exhaust fans I could see a little start-up here, as there is likely to be some demand. Good Luck, and keep us informed!

Ummm...keep me informed of what happens here...I'm certainly interested. :)