Laboratory Ovens are Available in All Types

Laboratory ovens can be used in many thermal processing applications such as general lab work, core hardening, component and stability testing, sterilizing, and drying glassware. Ovens are a lower temperature-usually below 1400 degrees F- thermal processing unit and normally dont include refractory insulation. Another name of oven is kiln. Kilns are extremely high temperature thermal processing units. They are used to fire ceramics or calcine materials. Kilns made for firing ceramic materials have temperatures of over 2300 F. Kilns used for drying wood or other wood products are like ovens and run temperatures which are lower. Specific laboratory applications for ovens include aging, baking, annealing, brazing or soldering, curing, firing or sintering, burn-off, drying, foundry or melting, treating heat, preheating, hot pressing, quenching and sterilizing. Ovens in laboratories can also be used as applications in the general industry.

Temperature range is the most important aspect for laboratory ovens. This is the highest temperature at which the unit can still operate and maintain performance. The maximum capacity or space inside the oven also needs to be taken into consideration. Also, pressure range might be important when specifying types of ovens.

Laboratory ovens can come in several different configurations. These include bench or cabinet, continuous or conveying, tube or muffle, walk-in or truck-in and vertical. Cabinet or bench ovens are small batch equipment which is mounted on integral stands. Batch ovens are normally suited for processing products in a single batch. Conveyor units generally are oriented to automated production of small to medium sized products in much larger quantities. The type of system used in a conveyor unit depends of the volume of work to be produced, the product line, and the required temperature. A tube or muffle oven has heating which is indirect. In this type of oven, the material which needs to be heated is placed inside a refractory container which is heated from the outside. A configuration which is vertical saves space. The name, vertical, is not a reference to the direction of airflow. Truck-in or walk-in ovens are named for their larger size batch equipment, usually placed with double doors and shelves etc. Batch ovens are generally suited to process larger amounts of products as a single batch.

Important specs for laboratory furnace ovens are heating and control. Heat source or transfer can be among several types. These are arc, combustion, electric or resistance, contact or conduction, indirect, infrared or radiant, induction, propane, natural gas, oil, rf, microwave or dielectric, and steam. Laboratory ovens controls can be programmable or single set point. If it is single set point, the oven has to reach a specific temperature before it activates. In a programmable oven, different temperatures can be set for different time intervals. Another important aspect of specifying laboratory ovens is atmosphere. Atmospheres are usually air or oxidizing, inert, reducing, salt bath or vacuum.

Commonly found features on laboratory ovens include racks or shelving, cooling systems, air filtration, alarms, timers, logging or recorder options, and explosion proof construction.

Since purchasing a brand new laboratory oven can be costly, you may want to consider purchasing a certified used unit.