For heating, the chamber load is exposed to defined temperatures at atmospheric pressure within an incubator. The thermal energy is transferred to the chamber load by convection and radiation. The opposite is true in the case of cooling. Here the heat is extracted from the chamber load and released to the environment outside the incubator via the cooling system (Peltier-cooling in the Memmert cooled incubator IPP or compressor-cooling in the Memmert cooled incubator ICPeco).

The heating system of a Memmert incubator can be programmed according to respective requirements with regard to energy efficiency, heating-up times, quiet running or low vibration. With conventional IN and IF incubators (with natural convection or forced convection), heating takes place via a unique, full-surface heating system (all-round heating) behind the interior walls. In contrast to other heating systems such as ring heaters or heating coils, this ensures excellent heat transfer and optimum temperature distribution and uniformity even when fully loaded, thanks to the direct contact between the heating ribs and shelf or grid. The energy-efficient, quiet and vibration-free IPP incubator is suitable for incubation temperatures close to ambient temperature due to the Peltier technology used for both heating and cooling. The incubator ICPeco, in turn, cools with conventional compressor technology and wins with fast heating-up and cool-down times.