Combining functionality and safety

Laboratory equipment must adapt to both simple and complex conditions. When furnishing the premises, it is not only a question of selecting suitable furniture components, but also of creating a safe working atmosphere.

The demand for laboratory services has been growing steadily for years. On the one hand, technological progress is making new ways of working possible and expanding research technologies. On the other hand, the increasing quality of life in a society in which people are getting older and older is creating a greater need for quality laboratories and a great interest in medical laboratory services.

Four different laboratory areas dominate among the largest service providers: materials analysis, food and environmental analysis and medical laboratories. The first three belong to the broad market segment of the so-called TIC sector: Testing, Inspection and Certification [1]. Digitisation is making a massive contribution to growth here: Networked devices, such as highly developed sensors, allow remote evaluation and maintenance instead of costly on-site. Increasingly, testing laboratories and other providers are taking over these services. The demand for TIC premises is growing continuously. By 2019, this area will have grown by about eight percent each year [2].

Laboratory equipment for a safe working environment

Laboratory equipment must not only be functional, but must also offer the highest level of safety. Laboratory staff need a working environment that supports them in their work and allows them to switch between different tasks with ease. In many laboratories, however, smooth work processes are difficult to achieve. Architects design buildings and detailed plans for the design of the premises are only drawn up once construction is complete or even after the building is complete. For optimum functionality of the laboratories, it would make sense to plan from the inside out. Depending on the area and field of activity, attention should be paid to where the rooms are located, how many there should be and how large they should be. For this reason, it is advisable to give priority to the laboratory planning phase for new laboratory buildings – and only then to complete the architecture of the building [3].

Involve employees at an early stage

For efficient laboratory planning, employees should be involved at an early stage in order to analyse the work processes. In this way, Köttermann’s contact with the customer is as intensive as possible, especially at the beginning of furnishing projects: the sales and planning departments take up the wishes, ensure the correct measurements are taken and take into account the areas of activity. Decades of experience with laboratory furniture in a wide range of industries is incorporated here. Depending on the field and focus of research, furnishing components can be arranged flexibly for short distances and smooth processes. Köttermann has been producing steel laboratory furniture solutions in Hänigsen near Hanover for more than 70 years. Köttermann’s employees have built up a long term relationship with its customers and have often been allowed to supplement their laboratory facilities. As the products are manufactured individually, new components fit in well.

Material steel in the laboratory

Practical example: New laboratories for the Ludwig-Fresenius grammar school

Combining safety and sustainability

In principle, the defined protection goals of the European fume cupboard standard DIN EN 14175 must be observed. Thus, a high retention capacity for pollutants is a prerequisite for development. However, this is associated with a correspondingly large exhaust air volume. Economic efficiency and safety are therefore inversely proportional to each other in this case: higher safety is achieved with higher operating costs. Special air handling technology helps here: A special air flow technology in the “EXPLORIS EcoPlus®” fume cupboard reduces the air volume flow rate while maintaining the same level of safety. The extract air volume is reduced by 30 percent, which can save up to 1,000 euros in operating costs per year.