Whether setting up a new laboratory or refreshing an old one, acquiring the correct equipment is paramount to ensure it functions to the best of its abilities. While procuring all this equipment and planning an entirely new workplace can be exciting, it isn’t without challenges, as every decision can influence various factors.
Failure to obtain the proper equipment for your start-up laboratory could affect the accuracy of your experiments, the safety of everyone within the lab, how efficiently experiments are carried out, if further research can be pursued, the time taken to analyse results and ultimately drain your time/resources – highlighting the urgency to get the right equipment from the start.
Yet, with so much laboratory equipment on the market, how do you know which vendor such as ulabspt.com will benefit your start-up laboratory (and those working in it!) more? This article outlines several pieces of essential equipment every start-up lab needs, from safety equipment and incubators to titrators and microscopes. Equipped with these foundational tools, you can set a solid groundwork for your day-to-day operations and set you up for future growth and success – keep reading to find out more.
Titrator
A titrator is an essential piece of equipment for a start-up laboratory. It is instrumental in determining the concentration of a known analyte by enabling a reaction between it and a titrant to occur until a finding is made gradually. Typically, titration is a method of quantitative chemical analysis commonly used in but not limited to, the food and pharmaceutical industries.
For instance, a food processing company could use a titrator to determine the amount of sodium or vitamins in a particular beverage or food item. Not only is this process essential for determining the nutritional value of these products, but it can also affect their overall appearance and taste, which is the main ingredient (pun intended!) of customer satisfaction.
Depending on the product being manufactured or developed, your laboratory might use a manual or automated titrator, which has various benefits depending on the titration method. You can opt for an automated titrator like the ones produced by Metrohm and solidify your start-up as one of the 40% of laboratories currently using automated titration methods.
If you’d like to discover more, consider visiting their website to browse their portfolio of titrators, including stand-alone options and modernised, fully automated systems, request a quote, locate your local sales rep and more. Or contact them directly for specific inquiries, and see how their titrators could become an essential piece of equipment in your start-up laboratory today.
Safety Equipment
Safety equipment is another essential piece(s) of equipment your start-up laboratory requires. In an average workday, laboratory professionals handle various dangerous substances that, if not handled correctly (and with the right equipment!), can cause devastating injuries and hiccups for your whole organisation that can easily be avoided by wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE).
According to key figures from the Health and Safety Executive, in 2020/21, around 441,000 employees sustained a non-fatal work injury across all UK work sectors. Due to this and knowing the fast-paced nature of a laboratory, your laboratory must contain all necessary safety equipment no matter how minimal a risk a hazard might pose.
Accidents can appear anywhere in a laboratory, from long sleeves on a sweater knocking over beakers on a benchtop to long hair dangling in chemicals or over open flames. However, the above scenarios and others can be prevented, providing your laboratory has the following safety equipment:
- Lab coats
- Eyewash stations
- Fire blankets
- First aid kits
- Fire extinguishers
- Safety gloves
- Safety glasses/goggles
- Chemical fume hoods
- Safety shower cubicle, and much more.
Microscope
Perhaps one of the most evident pieces of equipment on our list (but still essential, nevertheless!) is the microscope, which we’re confident needs no introduction. As one of the most indispensable tools in a laboratory setting, a microscope is essential for helping laboratory workers analyse/examine samples and record their findings.
They allow workers in a laboratory setting to conduct breakthrough research about cells, tissues, microorganisms, and other structures that are too small for the human eye to see. However, just because all microscopes have a common use doesn’t mean they are all the same, so when selecting them for your start-up, ensure that you make a few considerations first.
Look at the specifications of each microscope, such as magnification power, illumination options, ergonomics, and resolution, and think about which factors would best suit the needs of your laboratory and those that work within it. From electron microscopes and fluorescence microscopes to light microscopes and confocal microscopes, there’s a whole range to choose from.
And only by determining your laboratory’s needs beforehand can you choose the correct piece of equipment. Ensuring you have a high-quality microscope, you can streamline your day-to-day operations, improve employee output, and produce better results that will set the stage for future growth and success.
Incubator
Providing that your start-up laboratory specialises in microbiology, cell culture, and other biological research, another piece of essential equipment you’ll require is an incubator. Designed to influence temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions, incubators can help laboratory workers assist in the development and growth of living organisms in a controlled setting.
Yet, like other laboratory equipment, there is a range of incubators on the market, each with different features such as temperature range, programmability, capacity, humidity control, stability, and many more additional features. From constant temperature and biochemical incubators to mould and CO2 incubators, you can choose from various machines to determine which would be best for your start-up laboratory (and its staff!).
Due to this, it is essential that you take your time choosing a piece of equipment that will cater to the needs of your laboratory and ensures a safe, stable environment for each of your experiments involving living organisms. Doing so will maximise your laboratory’s operations, ensure the safety of your experiments, produce more accurate results, and provide many other benefits to your organisation and those that work within it.