With research budgets growing tighter and tighter each year, and with additional space becoming more scarce, it’s become more important than ever for researchers and research facilities to find ways to do more with less. For example, to increase the number of animals they can house in the most cost-effective way possible. So, that’s why we developed the MAX IVC.
The MAX IVC is a high-density IVC system that increases cage density by at least 20%. And, it does this by using racks that are the same size and occupy the same footprint as our standard units. Plus, with today’s high cost per square foot in research facilities, the MAX helps facility managers make the best use of very expensive real-estate. How? By increasing the animal density in their existing space and increasing overall density in future renovation or new building scenarios.
Capacity Comparison Between a Same-Sized Standard IVC and the New MAX IVC:
| STANDARD IVC | MAX IVC |
|---|---|
| 60 cages | 72 cages |
| 70 cages | 84 cages |
| 80 cages | 96 cages |
| 120 cages | 144 cages |
| 140 cages | 168 cages |
| 160 cages | 192 cages |
The Benefits of MAX IVC
All of these improvements are accomplished without taking up one single inch of additional floor space.
Even though MAX IVCs house so many more cages, docking and undocking them is smooth and easy, both sliding in and sliding out. Not only does this improve animal well-being with less vibration (a proven stress inducer) when manipulating cages, but it also improves staff ergonomics.
In fact, a recent independent ergonomic study proved Allentown cages require 50% less force to undock than the cages of a competitive system. Also, the MAX cage runner system ensures that cages never make contact with the cage above during undocking, which could potentially cause the animals undue stress and could even unknowingly dislodge the cage above from vital air and water connections.
In addition to its primary value – safely increasing capacity – the MAX IVC provides a benefit that few housing providers can match: flexibility. The MAX IVC, like our standard NexGen IVCs, can accommodate BOTH the disposable AND the reusable MAX caging systems.
And MAX IVCs are designed and constructed to the same exacting standards that the industry has always appreciated from Allentown…and use the exact same blowers, software, and accompanying facility support systems that all of our other products use. Also, both the disposable and reusable systems accommodate bottle and automatic watering, and are available with a wide range of component options. Pretty much the definition of flexibility and value!