Without lab tables and lab benches, a laboratory is incomplete. In fact, because experiments and demonstrations are carried out on top of these lab tables and benches, they personify a science lab. Lab tables are an essential component of every lab, but understanding their purpose and why each laboratory needs them is critical when deciding which science table you should purchase.
Each scientific lab is unique, with specific furniture, equipment, and normal laboratory chemicals designed to their experiments and specifications. If you’re considering buying new laboratory tables for your lab, let’s take a look at some of the science lab tables key features and why they’re important for your lab design.
Continue reading below to learn more and discover how LabTech Supply Company can help you choose the right science lab tables for your lab.
Lab Table Styles
To be successful, scientific discovery requires the correct environment and equipment. By investing in the correct science lab tables for your needs, you can ensure that you have enough space to work with.
To match your lab’s requirements, you should choose the correct style of science lab table for your needs. Let’s take a look at the most common styles of science lab tables below.
Microscope Science Tables
A microscope is required equipment in every laboratory, which means every microscope must be placed on a stable bench. On the other hand, the table must be a dedicated microscope table designed for that purpose, making it ideal for these instruments.
Microscope tables should also be made to match the user’s needs, not just the microscopes, to provide a great deal of comfort, allowing your workers to be more productive and efficient.
Balance Science Tables
Balance tables are designed to give superior stability for lab equipment that is extremely sensitive. To ensure utmost security, each of our balance tables is constructed with a solid epoxy or marble equilibrium and unique heavy gauge steel frames, as well as anti-vibration surfaces designed exclusively for precision laboratory instruments.
Solid epoxy or marble balance science lab tables, as well as custom heavy gauge steel framed tables with epoxy resin surfaces, are available for you to choose from for your laboratory. Marble balance tables provide the most stable, anti-vibration surface conceivable, while solid epoxy balance tables give properly calibrated equipment more stability.
Laboratory Workbenches
The laboratory workbench is the most frequent lab component present in all types of labs. During experiments and other laboratory tests, laboratory workbenches are platforms where instruments and equipment are placed. This means that carrying out numerous experiments is nearly difficult without them.
Laboratory workbenches and workstations are designed to handle a wide range of laboratory uses and come in various work surface solutions, such as high-pressure laminate, epoxy resin, stainless steel, and a variety of other materials.
Stainless Steel Furniture
Stainless steel lab furniture offers an unequaled durability level and is fairly strong, and maintains its shape over time. It also offers superior resistance to significant impact and structural damage, and its stiffness is maintained across high temperatures of about 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, unlike other typical materials like wood, grooved plastic, and other metal alloys, stainless steel maintains a smooth and level surface with ease.
Laboratory Island
Lab islands are designed and outfitted to boost lab productivity and efficiency. Aside from providing an excellent work surface, laboratory islands are convenient and ergonomically constructed for laboratories of all types, with additional options such as worksurface options, gooseneck faucets, and sink bowl options.
Casework Cabinets
Casework cabinets are another important component of any lab, which means you’ll need the right cabinets to keep your equipment and conduct your work to create a productive, useful lab. While lab equipment is normally kept in cabinets, casework cabinets are technically considered equipment in and of themselves because they are required in every lab.
When it comes to casework cabinets, you should look for a number of things. Because a lot of equipment will be stored inside, casework cabinets must be durable, especially the shelves, doors, and drawers on proper casework should be double-walled for a stable and secure closure, and every door should also have rubber bumpers installed to ensure that it closes silently.
Fume Hoods
Working in a lab can swiftly expose you to a variety of toxic, flammable, corrosive, or otherwise harmful vapors, fumes, and specks of dust. Fume hoods are common lab equipment that can help to reduce inhalation exposure to these dangerous substances and are the first line of defense against major laboratory hazards, which are divided into four categories: toxic vapor inhalation, chemical absorption, chemical burns, thermal burns, fires, and explosions.
Fume Extraction Systems
Fume extraction systems are vital to ensure employee safety at all times, regardless of the work environment, lab experiments, or science classroom. Fume extraction systems should be close to the source of pollution, making them particularly effective at removing harmful pollution such as chemical vapors, gases, smoke, and dust.
Components of Science Tables
To achieve the best lab results, any experiment or discovery requires the utilization of science lab tables outfitted with all the components your laboratory needs. The qualities of the table are what assure the functionality of lab tables in such a precision-demanding work environment.
Science lab tables contain a variety of components to meet the particular needs of the lab environment they are used in. Let’s take a look at a few things you will see in some of the most common lab table components below.
Adjustable Leveling Glides
Adjustable leveling glides are additions to science table legs and other furniture products that have an adjustable design to increase contact with the floor surface for wobble-free installation on uneven floors.
Adjustable Shelf
An adjustable shelf is a shelf that may be placed in a storage cabinet or frame in a variety of pre-determined settings. The adjustable shelf is put atop the pins at the desired location, and shelf pins or pegs are moved to the pre-set locations indicated by the pre-drilled holes on the inner side panels of the storage compartment.
Built-In Book Compartments
Built-in book compartments are open-front book-sized compartments built into the frame of laboratory tables beneath the surface for out-of-the-way use, boosting safety in science labs and classrooms.
Fixed Shelf
The base shelf or other non-adjustable shelf that offers stability to the overall frame of a science lab storage cabinet or compartment is referred to as a fixed shelf.
Locking Cabinet
When supplies and equipment are not in use, a locking laboratory cabinet provides safe under-tabletop storage and organization with a keyed lock to retain and protect supplies and equipment.
Ratchet Height-Adjustment Mechanism
A ratchet height adjustment mechanism is a science lab table design feature that uses a power lift to adjust the tabletop height position by turning a ratchet to raise or lower the work surface on selected table models. These science laboratory tables are also known as adjustable height tables.
Steel Book Compartments
Steel Book Compartments are steel box-like improvements put beneath a tabletop in some science lab table models, offering a suspended book compartment appearance and handy storage for clutter-free floors and tabletops.
Materials of Science Tables
The type of science lab tables and benches you select for your laboratory workspace is critical. Because you’ll be spending the majority of your work there, having efficient and effective science tables, benches is essential for creating an excellent work surface that is good for taking notes, conducting experiments, and other lab-related duties.
Below, we’ll review some of the most common science lab table materials used in laboratory environments.
Phenolic Resin
Phenolic resin benchtops are an excellent choice for locations where lab research must be done in a contamination-free environment. Phenolic resin benchtops are light, durable, long-lasting, chemically resistant, and resistant to moisture, germs, and fungus.
Epoxy Resin
Solid epoxy resin benchtops are stylish, durable, and affordable while also providing a clean look that fits nicely with both modern and historic labs. They are also non-porous and water and moisture resistant and heat and chemical resistant, making them ideal for usage around sinks and other high-moisture and high-contaminant areas.
Maple Wood Block
If you’re searching for a dependable lab work surface, maple wood block is the way to go. Due to its widespread availability, maple wood block is also a cost-effective work surface alternative, and it comes in a range of styles and grades.
High-Density Polyethylene Sheets
High-Density Polyethylene Sheets is a thermoplastic polymer with a changeable crystalline structure and a wide range of applications. High-Density Polyethylene Sheets are available in a number of different forms, each of which is best suited for a certain set of lab applications.
Wilsonart Solid Surface
If you want high-quality, visually beautiful benchtops, Wilsonart Solid Surface may be your best option. Wilsonart Solid Surface is an adaptable, cost-effective, and hygienic material choice, making it excellent for a variety of laboratory situations. They also do not support the growth of bacteria, making them ideal for healthcare environments like hospitals and medical labs.
Build Your Laboratory Science Tables with LabTech Supply Company
When it comes to designing your laboratory workstations, LabTech Supply Company doesn’t believe in cutting corners.
For more than 30 years, LabTech Supply Company has provided customers with a comprehensive choice of science tables and lab benches for all types of environments.
All of our equipment and furniture is assembled in the United States to ensure that our customers receive only the best laboratory equipment that fits their budget and satisfies all industry standards, all while remaining extremely durable.
Are you looking to build out your lab with the best science tables available?
Contact LabTech Supply Company to learn more about our high-quality, professional-grade science tables and how they can benefit your space today.
