As of 2020, there are reportedly over 335,000 jobs in the clinical laboratory technologist and technician industry. The market is projected to grow 11% by 2030, which is faster than the average career trajectory.
If you work in a lab or are thinking of opening one, you’re in a lucrative field. Yet, to be successful, you need to know what laboratory equipment you need to have stocked to get started.
Otherwise, you’ll have significant setbacks when running tests, lessening your productivity levels.
Avoid this, and read our guide below to learn what laboratory equipment is essential.
Safety Equipment
When you open a lab, safety should be your top priority. Laboratory research often requires working with hazardous materials and chemicals that could get on the user and injure or burn them.
Stocking and wearing safety equipment such as lab coats, goggles, gloves, and face shields is essential.
Weighing Equipment
As you run tests in your lab, you’ll find that being able to weigh substances accurately is crucial. The two most popular weighing equipment options are a watch glass and a weighing dish.
A watch glass is a circular concave glass that can be used to weigh both liquids and solids, as well as a minuscule amount of substances.
A weighing dish is similar to a watch glass but is primarily used to weigh larger substances.
Chemical Mixing and Storing Equipment
A lot of your lab supplies will be dedicated to mixing and storing chemicals.
To properly conduct tests, you’ll need beakers, test tubes, nylon syringe filters, graduated cylinders, and flasks.
You want to use high-quality glassware that is made from borosilicate glass. This will allow you to use the lab tools to heat substances up, as the glass can withstand thermal stress.
Fluid Handling Equipment
Handling chemical fluids is dangerous, and you are required not only to store them safely and properly but also to handle them safely and properly.
Using equipment such as pipettes and burettes can allow you to transfer chemicals from one container to another safely and create accurate chemical fluid measurements.
Heating Equipment
Many of your experiments will require that you have a safe heat source to heat your substances.
For heating that is almost instantaneous, you can use a Bunsen Burner to heat up a test tube or beaker. If you need to heat up a beaker or a flask, you can use a hot plate, but it will take a bit longer than the Bunsen Burner.
Ready to Buy Your Laboratory Equipment?
If you use the guide above, you can get started stocking your laboratory equipment. This list is just the essentials, so depending on what your lab will study, you’ll most likely need to add in more equipment to complete your tests and experiments.
Remember to prioritize safety first, and you’ll find your lab will run much smoother.
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