F
LEXCELL
®
I
NTERNATIONAL
C
ORPORATION
17
significant amount of water is not
accumulating. If so, there may be a leak in
the platform and/or gasket/BioFlex
®
plate
assembly. See “System Troubleshooting,
Problem 1” (pg. 17) to correct this
problem. The valves and transducers may
be damaged if moisture is allowed to
accumulate.
C.
Use the system drying filter and the
shutdown program whenever the unit has
been operating continually for more than
one day and will not be operated again for
more than one day. See section 3.17 for
instructions.
D.
Place the enclosed Plexiglas
©
sheet over
the culture plates and distribute a weight
of about 5 -10 lbs. (2.25 - 4.5 kg) evenly
across the sheet as necessary to prevent
vacuum leaks between the BioFlex
®
plate,
gasket and baseplate. Lead donuts are
recommended. As the gaskets are worn in
this will no longer be necessary.
E.
Make sure that the brass fittings on the
back of the unit are tight and that the
tubing is secure.
F.
Since the FX5K
™
Tension FlexLink
®
is
calibrated with 4 BioFlex
®
plates on the
baseplate, Flexcell
®
recommends having
4 BioFlex
®
plates on the baseplate
during strain, even if only one BioFlex
®
plate has been seeded with cells.
G.
Achieving the highest possible
combinations of % elongation and
frequency:
a)
Shorten the
FLEX IN
,
FLEX OUT
,
and
SYSTEM
tubing to their
minimum possible lengths. See
section 2.2 for minimum lengths.
b)
Use a more powerful vacuum source
if recommended specs are not being
reached with the current vacuum
source (see section 2.6).
5. SYSTEM TROUBLESHOOTING
NOTE:
If the FX-5000
™
system is not functioning
properly and the solution is not clearly outlined or
defined below, please contact Flexcell
®
before
attempting any repairs.
Problem 1: Gaskets on baseplate are not
sealing
Symptoms:
a.
System is not performing to specified
parameters (i.e., not reaching
maximum % elongation value entered
in regimen)
b.
Water Traps are filling with water
quickly during use with incubator
Test to determine if this is the problem:
If experiencing symptom
a
, there is likely a
leak or crimped tubing somewhere in the
system. First, check all tubing to be sure that
it is straight and not bent to restrict air flow.
To find the location of any vacuum leaks, do
the following:
First, check all vacuum connections at the
back of the
FlexLink
®
. If these are tight
and without noticeable leaks, then run a
regimen with the baseplate and take note of
the max and min % elongations.
Disconnect the quick disconnects from the
baseplate and connect them together. Take
note again of the max and min
%elongations. These values should change
slightly because of the decrease in system
volume, however, not by a significant
