Laboratory furniture

Laboratory furniture is a base of every lab. Laboratory work usually requires great concentration so furniture must provide comfort, ergonomy and work safty, which obviosly affects quality and satisfacton of work. Lab furniture is intensively used and frequent work often takes place under difficult conditons, so the furniture has to be made out of durable materials, furthermore customization under personal requires shoud be available.

What is laboratory furniture? Among others, they include independent work and weighing tables, as well as laboratory cabinets - movable or permanently mounted on various types of frames, which are also the basis for the most important part of the workstation, i.e. countertops; this is where the most of the work is done. The standard of work depends on their quality. Countertops are made out of materials which ensure lasting in time of typical lab work, however in order to choose the right equipment, firstly characterize types of work, which will be performed. It is also best to ask the company building laboratories for samples of materials, so that we can try the materials ourselves by contacting them with the reagents we work with every day. It is necessary to determine what the load on the countertop will be, whether mechanical damage to its surface may occur, whether it will be exposed to reagents and whether it will be exposed to moisture or even direct sunlight. Additionally, you need to consider the nature of the work performed in the laboratory. Among the materials from which laboratory countertops are made, the best parameters are those made of monolithic ceramics. They are resistant to virtually all chemicals (except hydrofluoric acid), even when the substances are used in high concentrations. Countertops made of monolithic ceramics facilitate their chemical disinfection, which is so important in microbiological laboratories. In addition, they remain resistant to mechanical damage, especially scratches, which can be a nightmare for countertops made of plastic. The problem in this case is the price, because they are the most expensive. Other countertops are phenolic resin countertops, which are also easy to clean. Thanks to their resistance to UV radiation, they are an excellent solution for microbiology laboratories. Working with liquid substances is made easier by countertops with edges - this makes it difficult to drain spilled liquids. If there is no need for laboratory furniture to be equipped with such resistant tops, you can choose other materials. Similar to ceramic countertops will be quartz-granite conglomerate and glass countertops, which are also resistant to chemical reagents and scratches or minor mechanical damage. It is also worth considering countertops made of plastics: resins, polypropylene and post-formed laminate (the only advantage here, however, is the price).

Fume hoods and their special purpose. Currently, special cabinets for storing and working with the most dangerous reagents, i.e. fume hoods, are also equipped with ceramic countertops. Their special design allows you to work with both reagents heavier and lighter than air, thanks to air outlets connected to a powerful fan that enables the removal of vapors. Fume hoods can be available as large cabinets directly connected to the ventilation system or can be placed independently  in the case of a ventilation system equipped with filters, thus saving valuable space in the laboratory.