Nalgene Cryovial (1.2 mL) Rack

This is a simple rack for Nalgene 1.2 mL screwtop cryovials (cat # 5000-0012), but may also be applicable to other products in the same product family. It is designed so that each well engages with the nubbins in the cryovial base to allow for one-handed opening and closing. There are 18 wells to match the capacity of a Mr Frosty Freezing Container, with enough room around each tube for most fingers.

Even using premium filament, this prints at a fraction of the price of equivalent commercial products!

Print Settings

Printer: Ultimaker S3

Rafts: No

Supports: No

Resolution: 0.1 mm

Infill: 30% Gyroid

Filament: BASF Ultrafuse PET Black

This is a very easy print, but printer tolerances are critical. The nubbins that prevent the cryovials spinning are less than 1 mm deep, creating a careful balance between the base being too tight for vial insertion, and too loose that the vials might spin. I strongly recommend using the test fit piece, along with horizontal expansion and flow settings, to dial in your printer and make sure everything fits before printing an entire rack. If you still cannot get a good fit, then please send me a message and I can create an STL with different tolerances.

The geometry is prone to warping and lifting, so use a quality adhesion aid, appropriate build plate temperatures, and a brim. We get perfect results using PET on Ultimaker glass at 70°C and Magigoo with a brim.

I recommend printing in PET, which permits sanitisation with 70% EtOH and long term water exposure without fear of degradation. PC can also be used if you want to add a boiling step for additional sanitisation, but you would likely get warping on such a large flat square part. Either way, for the purposes of biosafety, I would consider this part non-sterile before use and biohazardous after use. Disposal should be by autoclaving with other solid waste.