how to set up your first testing lab

Are you setting up your new testing laboratory? Setting up a testing laboratory can be a tiresome yet thrilling experience. The material testing lab can play its role in ensuring the quality of the products and understanding their physical properties.

You can also use these labs to innovate products that will serve mankind. For your laboratory, you can get products from authentic suppliers like OTS Technik.Learn more.

Here is a guide for setting up your first material testing laboratory.

Define Your Objectives

Before you set up a testing laboratory, you must pick your objective. You should know the aim of your laboratory. What products will you test? Do you aim to test the chemicals or electronic products or the materials or something else?

When you have clear answers to these questions in your head, you can select the type of equipment. The clarity will help you choose the lab types of equipment and appropriate space and follow safety protocols.

Select an Appropriate Location

To ensure safety, you must choose your laboratory location wisely and responsibly. You should locate your laboratory at a place where communication by road is easy. Make sure that people can access your lab without having to travel a long way. Your laboratories should be easily accessible for all the deliveries of the samples and even the equipment.

Furthermore, you must choose a location which has no direct contact with sunlight and is far from the traffic areas. You must also make sure to set up your laboratory where there are lower risks of contamination and other interferences.

Space Requirements

When you set up a laboratory, you should install benches that are chemical-resistant and can bear corrosive substances. The furniture surface should be resilient to all corrosive substances like acids and alkalis. Furthermore, you should divide spaces for storage purposes.

There should be specific storage sites allocated to specific storage materials. For example, there should be climate-controlled cabinets for materials that are sensitive to varying climate conditions. You should also have an area for types of equipment.

Place the types of equipment at their designated places. You must ensure to leave enough space around the larger machines to make maintenance and operation easier. One thing you should strictly follow is to assign a safety zone in your laboratory. This zone should have a first aid box and other safety types of equipment like eyewash stations or even fire extinguishers.

Equipment Recommendations

You will always need basic equipment for your laboratory, no matter what kind of lab you are setting up. There is no laboratory without microscopes, scales, and other measuring instruments. These are the basic instruments every laboratory needs.

In addition to this, there are some specific instruments that you will need for a specific type of laboratory. For example, you will need a spectrometer for your chemistry lab, but it might not be needed for the material testing laboratory. Likewise, you will need tensile testers for your testing laboratory. However, these testers are only specific to material testing labs.

For the data analysis, you will need computers for relevant software. You can record and model your data using this software on your computer. Furthermore, you may also need utility materials for the laboratories, including sinks, water disposal machines, and fume hoods.

Safety Considerations

You must always keep your laboratory ventilated. There should be good airflow to ensure healthy air in the working space. You must be even more careful when dealing with volatile or hazardous substances. It is essential for your safety. Never miss installing fume hoods when doing chemical work.

Furthermore, you must have a plentiful stock of safety gear like gloves, goggles, and lab coats. You must always be careful about your safety.

In addition to this, you should always hire employees who are well-trained and know the accurate usage of each piece of equipment.

Utility Requirements

Before setting up your laboratory, you should ensure that there is consistent and easy access to utilities like electricity and water. There should be a constant electric supply with appropriate voltage. Your laboratory equipment needs a continuous supply of electricity. Thus, ensure the continuous supply and backup supply for your laboratory.

Storage

One thing that you must strictly follow in the laboratory is to tag or label everything. Keep your shelves labeled, your containers named, and storage areas tagged to avoid any potential confusion. You must agree that a little confusion in the laboratory can pose a big risk to your safety and to the equipment as well.

Conclusion

We suggest you plan carefully and make informed decisions when setting up a new laboratory. You should also stay committed to quality if you want to gain the trust of your clients.