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There are many items of equipment which may be useful in a laboratory environment but then there are others which you are almost certain to find in all laboratories worldwide.
The following ten pieces of equipment are must have items for any laboratory:
Centrifuge: A Centrifuge is a piece of equipment where you can place items (usually test tubes) within it and rotate them around a fixed axis. When used within a laboratory environment, centrifuges utilise two main types of rotor: swing out rotors and fixed angle rotors. Swing out rotors are used for low speed and high volume whereas fixed angle rotors are used for running at faster speeds.
Vortex mixer: Vortex mixers are laboratory devices which are used to mix individual vials of fluids. Due to the position and movement of the motor, the liquid inside the mixer transforms into a vortex. Speed settings on vortex mixers are variable and can be set to run continuously. Vortex mixers are commonly used to suspend cells or to mix samples.
Laboratory Benchtop: Laboratory benches are basic and fundamental pieces of laboratory equipment. Laboratory benches are often supplied in kit form for easy assembly and can be ordered in measurements to fit your specific requirements. The laboratory bench is basically your base from where you can work and conduct your experiments.
Light / optical microscope: Light microscopes are extremely versatile and can be used to examine a large variety of samples and specimens. Most microscopes available now have multiple lenses and can magnify up to 100x. Light microscopes are ideal for lab work as they are portable and easy to maintain.
Pipettes: Pipettes are laboratory instruments which are used to measure and transport volumes of liquid. Pipettes are very popular and crucial pieces of lab equipment. There are varying types of pipettes which can be used for different measurements and to deliver different levels of accuracy. One of the most common types of pipette are the piston driven air displacement pipettes. These particular pipettes utilise the piston to create a vacuum in order to draw liquid up into the pipette to make it easy to transport. You can also acquire non piston driven vacuum assisted pipette.
Ph Meters: pH Meters can be used to analyse the pH value of fluids and solids (such as foods). Ph Meters are high tech pieces of equipment which can work well under fluctuating temperatures. Contemporary pH Meters are mostly portable and digital and are therefore very easy to use with their LCD screens and automatic recording.
Dewar flasks (liquid nitrogen storage): A suitable container to store liquid nitrogen is an important addition to any working laboratory environment. Dilvac Dewar flasks are a popular range of suitable vessels for liquid nitrogen storage. Dilvac flasks are made up of stainless steel or tough plastic and strong, tried and tested borosilicate inner glass.
Colony Counter: Colony counters are used to aid technicians in counting colonies of bacteria on plates or dishes. Modern colony counters count bacteria electronically by analysing dark and light areas of each sample.
Incubators: Incubators are often used in laboratories to incubate petri dishes, slides, coliforms and dipslides. Incubators are available in a variety of sizes from the very small (for occasional use) to larger models with room for 40 plus slides. Most incubators are ideal as they have now been manufactured to be practically maintenance free.
Consumables: beakers, measuring cylinders, glass slides, gloves, needles, scalpels, syringes, filters, cover slips, bottles are all extra accessories which are essential in most laboratory work.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Ten essential items for laboratory work
