Your laboratory’s instruments play an essential role in your research, but they can also be a source of high costs. After making significant investments to acquire these pieces, your lab may also need to pay significant sums to repair and eventually replace them. This makes it wise to focus on getting the most out of your equipment. Read on to learn several tips for maximizing the lifespan of your laboratory instrumentation so you can delay the need for repairs and prolong their use in your lab.
Review Instrument Manuals Thoroughly
One important step you should take when it comes to your laboratory instruments is to thoroughly review their instruction manuals. Manufacturers provide important operational details and specific care instructions in these booklets. Skipping over these instructions may lead to misuse or early wear, resulting in a missed opportunity to extend the working life of these precision tools.
Every manual contains clear directions regarding equipment assembly, handling, maintenance schedules, and warnings about potential issues. For example, some instruments may require specific settings to avoid wearing down their internal components. Engaging with these instructions allows you to make sure that your team operates the equipment correctly.
Equipment manuals can also help you avoid common mistakes, such as using incompatible cleaning agents. Reading these instructions will allow you to gain insights that could mitigate small errors before they evolve into larger, costlier problems for your lab.
Educate Your Employees on Proper Instrument Use
Your employees utilize your lab’s equipment daily, making their level of knowledge a critical factor in the longevity of your tools. This makes it essential to provide them with training so they can understand the specifics of operating and caring for each instrument, which will cultivate better outcomes in your lab.
Instead of focusing only on basic operational knowledge, make sure you stress the importance of paying attention to detail as your employees use the equipment. For example, if your lab conducts a sensitive biological test, your team should know that minor mishandling can compromise their results.
If a member of your staff mishandles pipettors by adjusting volumes while improperly inserting tips, this can disrupt outcomes and damage internal mechanisms. By expanding education efforts throughout the team, you can reduce instances of negligence while promoting consistent care of all equipment.
Store Your Instruments in Safe Places
Another way you can maximize the lifespan of your laboratory instrumentation is to store your devices in safe places. Ensure your laboratory keeps all equipment in areas where it won’t experience threats from environmental hazards, such as moisture, chemical exposure, or extreme temperatures.
For instance, your lab should store delicate microscopes in dust-free environments. In addition, you may have to put certain biochemical analyzers in refrigerated storage since they operate best under specific temperature parameters.
It is also wise to position instruments away from areas that experience heavy foot traffic. For example, if you store centrifuges or analytical balances near high-activity zones, they may be in danger of people bumping into them or displacing them. Instead, place them in lockable instrumentation cabinets that can securely hold high-value tools. Whatever storage option you choose, it is important to make sure that you protect the instruments from any damage that might compromise their performance.
Inspect and Maintain Your Equipment
Your lab can also prolong the life of its equipment by performing routine inspections. Employees should examine and review the instruments to spot issues that may include loose connections, wear on moving parts, or residues left behind from prior experiments.
Inspecting instruments involves evaluating both internal and external components. For example, when your employees are examining your centrifuges, they should look for cracks or deformations on the rotor assemblies. If they are looking at liquid chromatography systems, they should see if they can find any signs of blocked tubing. Neglecting such issues increases the likelihood of irreversible damage to high-pressure systems.
Address Repair Issues Immediately
When instruments fail, addressing these problems swiftly prevents minor inconveniences from becoming catastrophic issues. Delaying repairs can lead to more extensive malfunctions that shorten the usable life of an instrument. Immediate intervention protects the functionality of the instruments while encouraging uninterrupted laboratory operations.
Having your equipment repaired promptly can also strengthen your customers’ level of confidence in your team. When your lab reports to clients that it has promptly resolved an issue and returned operations to normal, it reflects your lab’s commitment to excellence.
When looking at providers of professional repair services, seek out those with specialized repair knowledge and access to replacement parts. With their assistance, you can find solutions more quickly and restore your lab’s productivity.
Have Professionals Calibrate Your Instruments
One last tip for maximizing the life of your lab instruments is to seek out professional calibration services. These can enhance the accuracy of your lab’s results and allow you to meet compliance requirements.
Your instruments may measure critical parameters, such as temperature, weight, or chemical concentrations. However, marginal deviations can compromise your results. Calibration services bridge that gap, refining the equipment’s performance levels so that they match manufacturer standards.
Professional calibration ensures precise calibration protocols. Skilled technicians compare instrument readings against certified reference standards, identifying and correcting any errors. These professionals will also provide you with certificates that serve as validation documents, adding credibility to your laboratory processes during audits or stakeholder reviews.
Calibration should receive as much attention as your lab’s other maintenance efforts. Together, these actions exemplify a proactive approach to managing your assets responsibly.
Laboratory instrumentation serves as the foundation for reliable research and testing. By protecting these investments, you can elevate the productivity and accuracy of your lab, positively impacting your overall operations. Lighthouse Lab Services can assist you in this process with our lab instrument services, which include calibration. Our team members can help ensure that you consistently provide your clients with the correct data.
Contact us today to learn more.