General Purpose Laboratory Ovens

Laboratory ovens are used for high-forced volume thermal convection applications and can reach uniform temperatures of three hundred and forty degrees centigrade. In configuration, they can be bench top, cabinet or walk-in; some can have a conveyor belt and a viewing window for better temperature monitoring. There are various types of laboratory ovens. Convection ovens keep the heating element in a separate external envelope to prevent radiant heat from affecting the specimen. Mechanical convection ovens are often preferred because blowers and baffles in the chamber means it heats quickly and more evenly. In gravity ovens, cooler air is displaced by warmer air but there is poor heat distribution and it takes longer to heat up. Other types of laboratory oven include vacuum, clean process, burn-in and reach-in. Laboratory ovens are used in healthcare, technological industry, transport industry and civil engineering. Specific ovens are used in each sector so clean process ovens are used in the manufacturer of medical equipment and anneal plastics to the stainless steel of syringes, catheters, stents and pacemakers. Vacuum ovens are used in forensic science for lifting fingerprints while pharmaceutical companies use gravity convection ovens to heat substrates without dehumidifying as well as for sterilisation and material testing.