Stirrers and hot plates are a must have at any laboratory.
When picking lab equipment, there are many different considerations you have to make in advance. You don’t want to rush into purchasing lab equipment only for it to break or give you inaccurate readings. There are a few characteristics to consider when it comes to laboratory equipment like hot plates, stirrers, and stirring hot plates. Read on to learn about a few variables to take into consideration while buying stirrers and hot plates for your laboratory!
Stability and Accuracy
Basic analog stirring and heating units don’t provide exact temperature or stirring speed control. However, they do provide economy, reliability, and ease of use once precise control isn’t required. Units that have demand-type bimetallic thermostats that sense changes in top plate temperature through a mechanical connection offer better heat control. These units simulate closed-loop control and minimize any temperature overshoot. Digital heating and stirring equipment with electric feedback controls provide the best degree of stability and accuracy and are recommended for most applications.
Volume
Hot plates, stirring plates, and stirrers come in various sizes and configurations – from smaller, single-vessel units to larger-capacity, multiple unit ones too. Decide which type works best for the kinds of experiments and tests you will conduct and purchase accordingly. If you are having issues deciding on which type of stirrer or hot plate you should buy, don’t hesitate to ask our professional team!
Hazardous Lab Environments
Organic solvents or chemical mixtures typically pose a hazard within your lab because standard heating or stirring equipment has the ability to ignite fumes at medium to higher temperatures. Reduce the risk of potential damages, injuries, and increased liability by using only the best explosion-proof equipment with it.
Viscosity
The ability of a stir-bar and drive-magnet combination to effectively stir a solution is a function of multiple variables, like drive-magnet shapes and sizes, stir-bar shapes and sizes, the distance between the stir bar and drive magnet, the size and shape of the vessel, your desired stir speed, and your solution’s overall viscosity. Given normal circumstances, most stirrers will perform correctly at stirring speeds around 100 rpm and 1000 rpm. Mixing more vicious solutions, however, requires a unit with greater magnetic coupling strength. Pick a stirrer with a bigger drive magnet, heavy-duty motor, and the ability to accommodate bigger stir bars.
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