A practical guide to voltage range, collectors, fluid delivery, and experimental control
The right electrospinning machine is not necessarily the model with the highest voltage or the most components. It is the system that gives you control over the variables your experiment actually needs.
For most researchers, the choice comes down to five questions:
- Do you need regulated, adjustable voltage—or only a starting platform for qualitative feasibility work?
- Will you collect on a stationary surface or a rotating drum?
- Is +10 kV enough, or does the formulation and electrode spacing require more voltage headroom?
- Will you process one fluid stream or two independently controlled streams?
- Do you need an enclosed processing workspace?
This guide compares every current Spruce Science SpinSpray configuration and explains where each one fits.
Quick selector
| If your primary need is… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| Initial feasibility testing, demonstrations, or introductory charged-liquid experiments | SpinSpray Starter 20 |
| Regulated voltage and collection on a stationary surface | SpinSpray Lab 10 — Flat Collector |
| Regulated voltage and a compact rotating collector | SpinSpray Lab 10 — Rotary Collector |
| A wider adjustable voltage range, enclosed workspace, and rotary collection with linear motion | SpinSpray Lab 30 |
| Two independent fluid streams for coaxial or core-shell research | SpinSpray Lab 30 Coaxial |
Side-by-side comparison
| Model | High-voltage source | Fluid delivery | Collector | Workspace | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter 20 | Positive, unregulated; nominally around +20 kV | One adjustable-flow syringe pump | Height-adjustable stationary flat plate | Compact enclosure | Qualitative feasibility studies and supervised education |
| Lab 10 — Flat Collector | Regulated, adjustable 0 to +10 kV; 2 mA supply capability | One adjustable-flow syringe pump | Stationary aluminum base plate | Open benchtop platform | Controlled flat deposition, electrospraying, and custom collector development |
| Lab 10 — Rotary Collector | Regulated, adjustable 0 to +10 kV; 2 mA supply capability | One adjustable-flow syringe pump | Adjustable-speed rotating drum | Open benchtop platform | Fiber-mat experiments where collector rotation is an experimental variable |
| Lab 30 | Regulated, adjustable 0 to +30 kV; 0.4 mA at 30 kV and up to 0.5 mA at lower voltage | One adjustable-flow syringe pump | Adjustable-speed rotating collector with linear motion | Enclosed | Wider process development with single-fluid delivery |
| Lab 30 Coaxial | Regulated, adjustable 0 to +30 kV; 0.4 mA at 30 kV and up to 0.5 mA at lower voltage | Two independently controlled syringe pumps | Adjustable-speed rotating collector with linear motion | Enclosed | Coaxial electrospinning, core-shell structures, and two-fluid experiments |
A larger voltage number does not automatically mean a more capable experiment. Starter 20 has a nominally higher voltage than Lab 10, but its output is unregulated and does not provide an adjustable voltage setpoint. Choose based on control, geometry, and material requirements—not model number alone.
Step 1: Decide whether voltage must be a controlled variable
Choose Starter 20 for qualitative exploration
SpinSpray Starter 20 combines the core components needed to observe electrospinning or electrospraying behavior: a syringe pump, high-voltage source, and stationary collector. Its source is unregulated, with output nominally around +20 kV. Actual voltage can vary between units and between runs.
That makes Starter 20 useful when the goal is to:
- Demonstrate the basic process.
- Determine whether a formulation shows fiber- or droplet-forming behavior.
- Introduce students to the interaction among liquid delivery, electric field, and collection distance.
- Perform early feasibility work before defining a more controlled experiment.
It is not the best choice when a report, publication, design of experiments, or transfer process requires a known and repeatable voltage setting.
Choose a Lab system when repeatable voltage matters
SpinSpray Lab 10 and Lab 30 systems use regulated LabMate high-voltage power supplies. The operator can set and observe the output voltage, making voltage a documented process variable rather than an uncontrolled condition.
Regulation matters when you need to:
- Compare runs at defined voltage settings.
- Map a formulation’s stable processing window.
- Study interactions among voltage, flow rate, collection distance, and environment.
- Transfer a process between operators or laboratories.
- Diagnose whether a change came from the formulation or the electrical conditions.
The front-panel display is an operational measurement. Independent verification with a suitable high-voltage probe remains appropriate for calibration checks, troubleshooting, and safe absence-of-voltage testing. See Why You Need a Dedicated High-Voltage Probe.
Step 2: Choose the useful voltage range
Lab 10: controlled work up to +10 kV
SpinSpray Lab 10 is the compact regulated platform. Its included LabMate 10 supply adjusts from 0 to +10 kV and can supply up to 2 mA.
Choose Lab 10 when established literature, preliminary tests, or your electrode geometry indicates that the process can operate within +10 kV. It is a strong fit for moderate collection gaps, material screening, flat deposition, and rotary collection when the additional voltage range of Lab 30 is unnecessary.
Lab 30: more electric-field headroom
SpinSpray Lab 30 extends the regulated range to +30 kV. The additional voltage can support experiments requiring a larger needle-to-collector distance or a stronger field for a given geometry. A longer flight path can provide more time for jet stretching and solvent evaporation—but only if the formulation and operating conditions remain stable.
Higher voltage does not inherently produce smaller, better, or more uniform fibers. Excessive field strength can destabilize the meniscus, increase the number of jets, promote discharge, or shift the process toward spraying. The value of Lab 30 is its wider adjustable range, not the assumption that every experiment should operate near 30 kV.
The LabMate 30 supply can deliver up to 0.5 mA at lower output voltages; at the full 30 kV output, maximum available current is 0.4 mA. Normal electrospinning currents are typically far below a power supply’s maximum rating, but the current limit and system energy still matter for fault behavior and safety.
Think in terms of field and geometry, not voltage alone
For a simple first estimate between planar electrodes, average electric field scales approximately as E ≈ V/d, where V is the potential difference and d is the electrode separation. A real needle-to-collector field is strongly nonuniform, so this relation is only a scale estimate. Needle shape, collector geometry, nearby grounded structures, space charge, and the liquid itself change the local field.
If a published protocol reports 15 kV, it cannot be reproduced on a +10 kV supply merely by matching the model’s other controls. You may be able to redesign the electrode spacing, but that creates a different field geometry and should be treated as a new process-development exercise.
Step 3: Choose flat or rotary collection
Flat collector: simple deposition and flexible substrates
The Lab 10 Flat Collector configuration uses a stationary aluminum base plate. It is suitable for:
- Fiber or droplet deposition onto a flat surface.
- Electrospraying and coating studies.
- Collecting material on foil, conductive substrates, or appropriately mounted samples.
- Developing a custom collector mounted over the base plate.
- Experiments that do not require collector motion.
A flat collector does not restrict the machine to electrospraying; it can collect electrospun fibers as well. The liquid formulation and process conditions determine whether the jet forms fibers or droplets.
Rotary collector: motion as another process variable
The Lab 10 Rotary Collector adds an adjustable-speed drum. Lab 30 and Lab 30 Coaxial add both rotary collection and linear motion.
Rotation can distribute material over the drum and, under suitable conditions, influence fiber orientation and mat structure. It does not guarantee aligned fibers. Alignment depends on drum surface speed relative to the arriving fiber, field geometry, jet stability, solution properties, and air motion. The result must be measured rather than inferred from the motor setting.
Choose a rotary system when you need to study:
- Deposition on a cylindrical moving surface.
- Fiber-mat formation over a larger collection area.
- The effect of collector speed on accumulation or orientation.
- Continuous or distributed collection behavior.
Choose Lab 30 when linear translation is also useful for distributing deposition along the collector.
Step 4: Decide whether you need one fluid stream or two
Single-fluid electrospinning
Starter 20, both Lab 10 configurations, and Lab 30 use one syringe pump. One fluid stream is enough for conventional solution electrospinning and for many composite fibers in which particles, salts, or other compatible additives are dispersed or dissolved in one polymer solution.
For example, a ZnO-PVP composite made by dispersing ZnO particles directly into a PVP formulation does not require a coaxial system. See Electrospinning ZnO-PVP Composite Fibers.
Coaxial electrospinning
Lab 30 Coaxial uses two independently controlled pumps and a coaxial spinneret with separate inner and outer fluid channels. Choose it when maintaining two distinct delivery streams is fundamental to the experiment.
Potential research directions include:
- Core-shell fiber development.
- Encapsulation of one material inside another.
- A functional core surrounded by a protective or process-supporting shell.
- Coaxial electrospraying of structured droplets or particles.
- Independent study of core-to-shell flow ratio.
A coaxial spinneret provides the delivery geometry; it does not prove that a continuous core-shell structure formed. Confirm internal morphology and composition with appropriate microscopy, spectroscopy, sectioning, or other material-specific methods.
Step 5: Consider workspace, ventilation, and integration
Lab 30 and Lab 30 Coaxial provide an enclosed processing workspace. The enclosure helps organize the emitter, pumps, and moving collector and provides a physical boundary around the process area.
An enclosure is not automatically a solvent-vapor containment system, fire-rated enclosure, or complete personnel-protection system. Ventilation, exhaust, solvent compatibility, interlocking, grounding, and fire controls must be determined from the chemicals, quantities, process, and facility requirements. An optional exhaust arrangement is available for Lab 30 applications; contact Spruce Science to review the intended solvents and installation.
Lab 10 is an open benchtop platform. It can be appropriate within a customer-provided hood, enclosure, or guarded work area when that surrounding system is engineered for the experiment.
What the machine controls—and what it does not
An electrospinning system provides controllable inputs. It does not guarantee a particular fiber diameter, alignment, pore size, particle size, coating thickness, or material function.
| Machine variable | What it lets you control | What still requires process development |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage | Applied electrical potential | Stable jet window and resulting morphology |
| Syringe-pump setting | Nominal liquid delivery rate | Actual meniscus behavior and material throughput |
| Needle-to-collector geometry | Flight distance and field distribution | Solvent evaporation and deposition pattern |
| Collector type and motion | Collection surface and movement | Fiber orientation, mat uniformity, and thickness |
| One or two fluid streams | Solution-delivery architecture | Compatibility, interfacial stability, and final internal structure |
| Enclosure and exhaust arrangement | Physical workspace and vapor-management pathway | Facility-specific solvent and fire-safety compliance |
Polymer molecular weight, concentration, viscosity, conductivity, surface tension, solvent volatility, additive dispersion, temperature, humidity, and airflow can be as important as the hardware settings. Read Electrospinning Fundamentals before translating a literature recipe to a new system.
Common selection questions
Is Starter 20 “more powerful” than Lab 10 because it says 20 kV?
No. Starter 20 uses an unregulated source nominally around +20 kV. Lab 10 provides regulated voltage adjustable from 0 to +10 kV. Starter 20 offers more nominal voltage; Lab 10 offers more electrical control and repeatability.
Should I buy Lab 30 so I never run out of voltage?
Choose Lab 30 when the larger range or enclosed rotary platform serves a realistic experimental need. If all expected work is below +10 kV, Lab 10 may be the more direct fit. Extra range cannot compensate for an unsuitable formulation or poor collector geometry.
Do I need a rotary collector to make fibers?
No. Fibers can be collected on a stationary plate. Choose a drum when rotation, cylindrical collection, distributed deposition, or fiber-orientation studies are important.
Do I need the coaxial model for composite fibers?
Not necessarily. If compatible components can be mixed into one stable solution or dispersion, a single-fluid system may produce composite fibers. Coaxial delivery is for experiments requiring two distinct, independently metered fluid streams.
Can SpinSpray be used for electrospraying?
Yes. Electrospinning and electrospraying share the same basic high-voltage liquid-delivery architecture. Whether a continuous fiber or droplets form depends on the formulation and operating regime. Flat collection is often convenient for sprays and coatings, but the best geometry depends on the intended deposit.
Safety is part of the equipment decision
Electrospinning combines hazardous high voltage with liquids that may be toxic, volatile, corrosive, or flammable. Select the equipment together with the surrounding safety system.
At minimum, address:
- Trained and qualified operators.
- Protective-earth grounding and bonding.
- Guarding and safety-rated interlocks where required.
- Cables, connectors, clearances, and insulation rated for the maximum voltage.
- Ventilation and solvent-vapor control appropriate to the formulation.
- Ignition-source and fire-risk assessment.
- Stored energy in the supply, cable, emitter, collector, and external circuitry.
- A defined shutdown, discharge, and absence-of-voltage verification procedure.
Never change a syringe, needle, collector, substrate, or high-voltage connection until the system has been de-energized, isolated, discharged by the approved method, and verified safe. See High-Voltage Safety Fundamentals.
Final recommendation
- Choose Starter 20 for introductory observation and qualitative feasibility testing where an unregulated, nominally +20 kV source is acceptable.
- Choose Lab 10 — Flat Collector for regulated, adjustable voltage and straightforward collection on a stationary surface.
- Choose Lab 10 — Rotary Collector for regulated work up to +10 kV when drum motion is part of the experiment.
- Choose Lab 30 for single-fluid research requiring a wider voltage range, enclosed workspace, and rotary collection with linear motion.
- Choose Lab 30 Coaxial when two independently controlled fluid streams are essential to the research question.
Still deciding? Contact Spruce Science with the material system, solvent, expected voltage, electrode spacing, number of fluid streams, desired collector geometry, ventilation requirements, and the measurements you need to reproduce. Those details are more useful than asking for the “largest” machine.