PHC updates VIP SMART and Frostless -85°C ultra-low freezers

PHC Corporation, which sells laboratory equipment under the PHCbi brand, has refreshed its VIP SMART and Frostless series of -85°C ultra-low temperature freezers, which use natural (non-fluorocarbon) refrigerants. Each series comes in 700 L and 500 L models. The 700 L models go on sale in September 2026, and the 500 L models will follow later.

The headline is power use. VIP SMART combines natural refrigerants with dual-circuit inverter control and holds power consumption to 5.4 kWh a day, according to PHC, which calls this top-level energy efficiency for an ultra-low temperature freezer. Frostless adds vacuum insulation panels (VIP) to the inner doors to improve insulation and reduce the frost that builds up on them. That means less time spent defrosting.

An ultra-low freezer, once loaded, often cannot be switched off for years. It holds cell banks, drug substance and clinical samples, and the more valuable the contents, the less it can be stopped. So it draws power around the clock, all year. A small difference per unit adds up across many units and many years: 5.4 kWh a day comes to just under 2,000 kWh a year. Freezers take a large share of a lab's utility bill, so many sites look at this figure when they replace equipment.

Frost is about protecting the contents rather than the power bill. Frost on the inner doors weakens the door seal and lets warm air in, and moving samples out to defrost is a risk every time it happens. For cryopreserved cells and the cold chain, the concern is not only the temperature record but also the temperature swings that never show up in it. A design that reduces frost is one way to cut those.

Refrigerant choice now counts in purchasing too. Fluorocarbon regulations are tightening in stages, and since a freezer lasts more than 10 years, buyers need to plan for the rules that will apply after installation, not just those in force on the day they buy.

PHC has not disclosed prices or sales targets. The announcement also does not give cooling capacity or how quickly the temperature recovers after the door opens, the numbers that matter in daily use.