A cryogenic seal has to do something unusual: hold a defined compression force while the material around it contracts at −196 °C. Most failures are not dramatic. They are micro-leakages that nobody notices until the sample is thawed for analysis — years later.
This is why we test the seal, not the promise.
Validation results for LVL SAFE® 2D Tubes:
▪ 168 hours of LN₂ vapour exposure — no nitrogen ingress detected
▪ Mass loss below 0.1 %
▪ 15 automated open/close cycles — no leakage, no damage to sealing surfaces, no thread abrasion
▪ Gravimetric leak testing according to IATA, plus CO₂ leak testing
▪ Material, thread and seal remained functionally stable throughout
We also made a deliberate design decision: no O-rings. Elastomer seals can lose elasticity or develop compression set under cryogenic conditions. Instead, SAFE® tubes use an axial TPE sealing concept — TPE compressed by PP — which generates a defined compression force without additional sealing components.
The uncomfortable question for any biobank: when was the last time your sample containers were validated under the conditions you actually store them in?
Not the conditions on the datasheet. The ones in your tank.
What does your validation protocol look like? We’re genuinely interested in how other teams approach this. 👇
#Biobanking #Cryopreservation #SampleIntegrity #LabAutomation #Biorepository #ColdChain #LifeSciences #LVLEducation
