The incubator is the main equipment for cultivating microorganisms and can be used for the cultivation and reproduction of bacteria and cells. The principle is to use artificial methods to create an artificial environment for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, cells, and bacteria in the incubator, such as controlling certain temperatures, humidity, gases, etc. The currently used incubators are mainly divided into four types: direct electric incubators, water-resistant electric incubators, biochemical incubators, and carbon dioxide incubators.

（1） The outer shell of electric and water-resistant incubators is usually made of asbestos board or iron sheet spray paint. The inner layer of water-resistant incubators is a water storage layer made of copper sheet. The interlayer of electric and water-resistant incubators is made of insulation materials such as asbestos or glass wool to enhance the temperature retention effect. The top of the incubator is equipped with a thermometer, which is automatically controlled by a temperature controller to maintain a constant temperature inside the incubator. The water-resistant incubator uses electric heating tubes to heat water, while the electric heating incubator uses electric heating wires for direct heating and utilizes air convection to achieve uniform temperature inside the incubator.
On the front side of the incubator, there are indicator lights and temperature adjustment knobs. When the power is turned on, the red indicator light is on. Rotate the knob according to the required temperature to the desired scale. When the temperature reaches the desired level, the red indicator light will turn off, indicating that the temperature inside the incubator has reached the required level. After that, the temperature inside the incubator can be controlled automatically by a reliable temperature controller.
Usage and maintenance:
(1) The culture inside the box should not be placed too tightly to facilitate the convection of hot air. Regardless of whether items are placed or taken out, the door should be closed casually to avoid temperature fluctuations.
(2) An electric incubator should have a container filled with water inside to maintain a certain level of humidity.
(3) Attention should be paid to adding water before powering on the isolated incubator, and the water level should be checked regularly to add water in a timely manner.
(4) When using an electric incubator, the air vent should be appropriately turned off to facilitate temperature regulation inside the incubator.
（2） The biochemical incubator is equipped with both electric heating wire heating and compressor cooling. Therefore, it has a wide adaptability range and can maintain a constant temperature throughout the year, gradually becoming popular.
The use and maintenance of this incubator are similar to electric incubators Due to the installation of a compressor, it is also necessary to follow the precautions for refrigerator maintenance, such as maintaining stable voltage, avoiding excessive tilting, and promptly cleaning the dust on the radiator
（3） Carbon dioxide incubator is an improvement on the basis of ordinary cultivation, mainly by adding CO2 to meet the environment required for microbial cultivation. Mainly used for tissue culture and the cultivation of some special microorganisms.
1. Installation and commissioning of CO2 incubator. The front of the CO2 incubator has an operation panel, which is equipped with a power switch, temperature regulator (manual and LCD display panel), CO2 injection switch, CO2 adjustment knob, humidity adjustment knob, temperature display panel, CO2 display panel and humidity display panel, CO2 sample hole (used to extract samples from the incubator to detect whether the CO2 content in the incubator reaches the displayed level on the display panel) and alarm device (over temperature alarm light).
(1) The incubator should be placed in a relatively stable position and away from heat sources to prevent temperature fluctuations and microbial contamination.
(2) Before turning on the power, a certain amount of distilled water should be added to the incubator according to the instructions (preferably with a certain amount of disinfectant, see instructions for details) to avoid burning out the machine.
(3) When the water is added to a certain amount, the alarm light will turn on to stop adding water. Turn on the power switch to start heating, and adjust the temperature controller to the desired temperature.
(4) When the temperature reaches the desired level, heating will automatically stop. When the desired temperature is exceeded, the over temperature alarm light will turn on and an alarm sound will be emitted.
(5) The CO2 used in the incubator can be liquid CO2 or gas, and regardless of which type of CO2 is used, the tubes supplied should not be too bent to ensure smooth gas flow. Generally, CO2 steel cylinders are selected and connected to a pressure control gauge.
(6) After the temperature and humidity inside the box stabilize (usually taking three days), turn the CO2 adjustment knob to adjust the number on the display panel to 0.00. After 5 minutes, if necessary, repeat the adjustment until the reading on the display panel stabilizes. Turn on the CO2 injection switch (injection light on), adjust the CO2 set value to the desired concentration, and maintain it for at least 10 minutes until the concentration reaches the set value (injection light off). Afterwards, the CO2 controller automatically adjusts the CO2 content inside the box.
(7) To adjust the humidity of the CO2 incubator, first press the humidity adjustment knob, then turn it to the desired cultivation humidity, and then the humidity regulator will automatically adjust the humidity.
2. Precautions for use
(1) The incubator should be managed by a dedicated person. Once any switches or adjustment knobs on the control panel are fixed, do not twist them randomly to avoid affecting the temperature inside the incubator, CO2、 The fluctuation of humidity reduces the sensitivity of the machine.
(2) The water added must be distilled water or deionized water to prevent mineral accumulation and corrosion in the water tank. Water must be changed once a year. Regularly check if there is enough water in the box.
(3) The box should be regularly cleaned and disinfected with disinfectant, and the shelves can be removed for cleaning and disinfection to prevent contamination by other microorganisms that may cause experimental failure.
(4) Regularly check the overheating safety device to prevent overheating. The method is to press the monitoring alarm button, rotate the fixing screw until the over temperature alarm device sounds, and then turn off the over temperature safety light.
(5) If carbon dioxide is not used for a long time, the CO2 switch should be turned off to prevent the CO2 regulator from malfunctioning.
(6) The CO2 used must be pure, otherwise it will reduce the sensitivity of the CO2 sensor and contaminate the CO2 filtration device.
(7) To maintain the stability of CO2 in an uncontrolled incubator, a container containing water should be placed at the bottom of the incubator.
There is also a three gas incubator This incubator is a new product further improved on the basis of carbon dioxide incubator. Its principle is the same as other incubators, and its characteristic is that it can not only add CO2, but also nitrogen and oxygen, and the content of various gases can be controlled and adjusted by a computer. It is mainly used for the reproduction and cultivation of some special microorganisms, and is generally not widely used. Currently, only a few foreign manufacturers produce it, and the price is relatively expensive.