How to Choose the Right Lab Drying Oven

How do you determine the right lab drying oven for your lab and application?
With so many lab ovens on the market, how do you find the perfect oven for your needs? Here are some tips to help you:

1. Select the oven type according to your application.
Mechanical convection drying oven
Designed with a motor and fan to circulate air for even heating and faster drying times - ideal for drying and heating of samples requiring greater accuracy, multiple samples and high moisture content.

Application
General Heating - Baking, heating and drying glassware and rubber
Sophisticated Heating - Bitumen testing, conditioning, digestion of proteins and starches, drug metabolism, electronic aging, epoxy and plastic curing, serum protein analysis, stability chamber and QC batch testing, sterilization, suspended solids assessment and vulcanization studies.

Gravity Convection Drying Oven
No need for a fan to ensure gentle, natural circulation of the warm air moving upwards - ideal for disinfection, drying and other applications requiring subtle airflow.

Application
Use when the powder or substance will be disturbed by the airflow generated by the fan.
Ideal for simple heating such as baking, drying, conditioning, preheating, aging and curing.

Vacuum drying oven
A vacuum is created to remove moisture from the sample faster than using ambient temperature. Ideal for tightly controlled processes such as drying, vacuum embedding, electroplating and semiconductor processing.

Application
Heat in an oxygen-free atmosphere to prevent sample corrosion or scaling.
Drying, low temperature drying, aging testing, moisture determination and chemical resistance studies.
Ideal for pharmaceutical/food drying and electronics

Plant vacuum oven
Provides higher vacuum levels for faster and safer extraction. Great for botanical and cannabis applications.

2. Match the oven size to your material.
Choose an oven that is neither too small nor too large. Consider the size of the sample and how many you need to put in the oven at one time. Choose a smaller one that might fit your space but not your sample. Getting the maximum oven when you don't need it will consume too much energy and you will lose cost efficiency.

3. Use the oven at your desired temperature.
Maximum oven temperatures range from hundreds to thousands of degrees. Choose the oven temperature based on the desired temperature for your materials. Like size, you don't want to choose a size with a higher temperature range if you don't need it. You will waste money and energy.

4. Choose the oven with the best thermal insulation.
Lab ovens often run at high temperatures for long periods of time and consume a lot of electricity. Choose an oven with the best thermal insulation to reduce heat transfer rates. This will prevent the generated heat from leaking out of the chamber, minimizing energy waste and saving energy costs.

5. Look for ovens that are easy to clean and maintain.
Being able to clean and maintain your oven is very important. Failure to do so could undermine the lab's push to advance your science. Look for ovens with rounded corners for easy cleaning, and stainless steel components and interior construction to extend the life of your oven. Also, look for trays and racks that can be removed quickly, as well as a larger door so you can access the inside of the oven when you need to clean it. A leak has occurred.

6. Make sure the oven you choose has reliable safety features.
Prevent fire and protect your valuable samples from overheating. Choose an oven with a built-in over-temperature thermostat so that if the temperature exceeds a set temperature, the oven will shut down. Other features to consider include temperature excursion alarms, overcurrent protection, and automatic start-up after power loss/recovery.