regenmedtools
Glossary

Revolutions per minute (RPM)

RPM is how fast a rotor turns. It is a property of the motor, not of the sample, and on its own it says nothing about the force reaching the blood. Converting RPM to force requires the radius of the specific rotor being used.

Figure

Speed is a property of the motor

33° to 45° FIXED-ANGLE · LAYERS SEPARATE ON A SLANT Compact, faster, and a harder draw. The buffy coat forms as a diagonal band.

Figure. RPM tells you how fast the rotor turns. It says nothing about the force reaching the blood until you know the radius, which is a property of the machine and cannot be changed after purchase.

In practice

This is why a protocol reported only in RPM cannot be reproduced by a clinic with a different machine. A rotor with twice the radius delivers twice the force at identical RPM.

See also