Laboratory equipment ranges from benchtop analyzers worth $5,000 to multi-station genomics platforms worth $500,000. All of it is precision-calibrated, often fragile at the rotor and optical level, and frequently shared between lab facilities that require transport without interrupting calibration state or contaminating sterile components.
Centrifuges contain high-speed rotors balanced to micron tolerances. A bump that shifts a rotor assembly — even slightly — can turn a $50,000 centrifuge into a hazard the moment it is spun up at the destination. Microscopes with motorized stages, confocal systems, and electron microscopes are even more vulnerable: optical alignments that took a service engineer a full day to establish can be disturbed by a single 2G shock event during freight transit.
PCR machines and liquid handling robots have precise optical or mechanical systems that are not designed to be shipped without specific preparation. Reagent systems often have residual liquids that must be purged before transport. Incubators and biosafety cabinets must be sterilized or decontaminated before they can leave a lab environment.
We work with your lab manager or biomedical team during the pre-transport preparation phase — documenting calibration state, confirming decontamination sign-off, removing rotors and accessories per OEM transport instructions, and creating the packing documentation that the receiving lab will need at commissioning.
OEM transport protocols, rotor protection, and sterile handling where required.
We follow manufacturer published transport instructions where available — including rotor removal, locking of motorized assemblies, and optical system protection requirements specific to each instrument.
Centrifuge rotors are removed, individually wrapped in anti-static foam, and packed separately. Rotor chambers are blocked to prevent any contact between the spindle and the chamber walls during transit.
Microscope objectives, confocal scanheads, and optical fiber connections are immobilized using custom foam inserts. Motorized stages are locked per manufacturer instructions before packing.
Electronic instruments with sensitive PCBs or detector arrays are packed in anti-static foam and bags where required to prevent electrostatic damage during handling.
For equipment moving out of a clinical or regulated lab, we require and document decontamination clearance before transport. We can coordinate with your biosafety officer.
We document calibration status, serial numbers, attached accessories, and pre-transport condition with time-stamped photos — providing the receiving lab a full baseline for recommissioning.
Clinical, research, and biotech instruments of all types and configurations.
Yes, and we will do it for you during the packing appointment. The rotor must be removed, wrapped in anti-static foam, and packed separately. Shipping a centrifuge with the rotor installed — even locked — risks rotor bearing damage that is expensive to repair and can create a safety hazard at the destination.
Yes. Class II biosafety cabinets require decontamination certification before relocation — typically with formaldehyde fumigation by a certified technician. We coordinate this step with your biosafety officer. We then handle the transport and coordinate recertification on the receiving side.
Yes. Confocal systems require the most careful handling of any optical instrument — objectives removed, scanhead locking, motorized stage locking, and vibration-isolated crating. We ship confocal and multi-photon systems to other Texas facilities and out of state.
We pick up and deliver throughout Greater Austin, the UT campus area, the Domain area, medical district facilities, and surrounding cities including Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, and Pflugerville.
Benchtop analyzers and small instruments typically start at $200–$400 for local Austin moves. Larger systems (flow cytometers, biosafety cabinets, wide-field microscopes) are priced per project. Call (512) 240-9818 for a free quote.
Austin Crate & Freight serves the entire Austin metro — custom crating, white-glove pickup, and specialty freight for items that standard carriers cannot handle.
White-glove furniture shipping and custom crating across Austin and all of Texas. Sofas, dining sets, bedroom furniture, antiques, and pieces too large or fragile for standard carriers.
Rotor removal, OEM-protocol packing, decontamination coordination, and calibration-safe transport for every lab instrument type.
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