The CBS Digitcool Controlled Rate Freezer is a programmable cryogenic freezer that cools biological samples at a precisely defined rate — typically 1 to 2 degrees Celsius per minute — using liquid nitrogen vapour. It is used where the sample type requires gradual temperature reduction rather than the ultra-rapid cooling of vitrification. Controlled-rate freezing is standard for sperm, stem cells, red blood cells, and cell types used in biobanking and pharmaceutical research.
Available in four chamber sizes from 11.5 litres (Nano) to 150 litres. Programmable cooling profiles remove operator variability and enable full quality management documentation. Paul Hague, Director of Cryolab, introduced the controlled-rate freezer to Professor Robert Edwards — the Nobel Prize-winning pioneer of IVF — giving Cryolab a depth of expertise spanning four decades. After slow cooling, samples transfer to a semen storage tank or liquid nitrogen vessel at -196 degrees Celsius for long-term preservation.
