Rand Weyler

Rand Weyler is the Technical Services Manager for New England Lab, and has been working in a technical capacity with lab furniture and fume hoods for over eighteen years. Prior to that, he spent three years in the plywood industry becoming familiar with engineered wood products and hardwood veneers.

Recent Posts

Inclusive Design: Fume Hoods for Everybody

by Rand Weyler

 

In this blog, we're diving deeper into the nuances of designing fume hoods that are truly inclusive to both able-bodied and differently-abled individuals. We understand that there are compliance rules to follow, such as a maximum worktop height of 34”, a minimum 30” wide kneespace, a maximum height of 48” for reaching post-mounted devices, a maximum 29” deep reach for access to a cupsink, and the use of ¼ turn ball valves for plumbing fixtures. However, does meeting these requirements truly make the hood inclusive? While ADA standards provide a strong foundation, we need to go further to create fume hoods that are ergonomic, flexible, and supportive of diverse research needs.

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Topics: Adaptable Lab Furniture

Redefining Flexible Laboratories; The Top 5 Benefits of a Media Ceiling Solution for Your Lab!

by Rand Weyler

Do you wish you could make some changes to your lab layout? Maybe you can’t even imagine making changes because the cost of shutting down the lab and relocating staff is way beyond the budget. What if you could not only adjust the furniture and equipment locations, but also move the walls and plumbing valve locations in just a few hours?  What if you could do this without reconfiguring the HVAC system at all? What if you could increase your electrical fixtures or add a new gas service without shutting down the lab?

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Topics: Adaptable Lab Furniture, laboratories, flexibility

Top 10 Unique Lab Photographs!

by Rand Weyler

With almost 700 images collected over the years, a few stand out as unique and noteworthy. We have compiled a list of the top 10 unique lab photos and why we think they are so special! We hope you agree and perhaps some of these images will be an inspiration for your next laboratory.

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Forensic Equipment; It Would be a Crime Not to Read This!

by Rand Weyler

This just in: Labconco, a pioneer of airflow products already used in forensics labs, has done it again with products that protect vital evidence! With their forensic expertise, Labconco developed both fuming and drying cabinets that will improve on your current ability to discover evidence. Here’s what we found when we started our investigation:

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This is real wood, right? Wood veneers, reconstituted veneers, and wood laminates explained

by Rand Weyler

It looks like wood, it feels like wood, it may even smell like wood.  Well, that’s because it is wood! In this article we will discuss the pros and cons of building cabinets with different engineered panel products including actual hardwood veneers, reconstituted wood veneers, and woodgrain laminates. Can you tell which of these products is featured in the above image?

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Now with Over 600 Searchable Project Images!

by Rand Weyler

We did it! Our site now has over 600 portfolio images of completed installations that you can drill down through to find the types of products you are looking for! From food labs to research facilities, we’ve got it all in pictures! Since each picture says 1000 words, our photo database tells at least a 600,000 word story about the types of projects we work on and how great the

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The First Flexible Biosafety Cabinet: Introducing the Labconco Axiom C1

by Rand Weyler

Labconco has a ninety-plus year history of providing great products to the market and it’s no surprise that they have pioneered a new class in biohazard protection. This Class II C1* Axiom Biosafety Cabinet is the best biosafety cabinet option on the market, and here are five reasons why:

  1) It’s the most flexible. The Axiom Biosafety Cabinet can be run in an A mode (recirculating air) or a B mode (exhausting air). Once this C1 unit is purchased, you can choose to set it up with or without an exhaust connection and select the MyLogic TM operating mode to match. Let’s say that you initially want it to be recirculating air since no hazardous chemicals are present, but six months later you decide to move it
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Finally, a Bright New Idea in Energy Savings!

by Rand Weyler

Introducing The BrightedgeTM LED Light, an intelligent task light system for laboratories!

This one of a kind product is available only through New England Lab. For 25 years our philosophy has been to bring the right solutions to our clients. When forward thinking architects at Payette Associates approached us for a shelf mounted LED task light solution that was smart enough to turn off its own motion sensor, we found there was nothing available on the market. That’s when New England Lab’s design team took over to create an intelligent, energy saving, adaptable, and bright task light solution.

The nutshell: If you don’t have time to read all the details, this is what you need to know. This is a very bright task light designed to be mounted to the entire front edge of a single upper

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This New Fume Hood is the Clear Choice!

by Rand Weyler

Introducing the Observation2™ Student Fume Hood!

Mott Manufacturing, one of the leading fume hood manufacturers in North America, has announced that it has recently given the ObservationTM fume hood a complete overhaul. The new hood, now dubbed the Observation 2TM features a more modern look but more importantly can now be pre-plumbed and pre-wired at the factory. Without needing to connect service valves into base cabinets onsite, the new 3” wide hood post can accommodate up to 4 front-loaded plumbing fixtures and a duplex receptacle per hood side post. (If you are doing the math in your head that’s 16 plumbing services on a double sided hood, but this real estate can also be used for electrical fixtures instead if needed)

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Pump Cabinets: Control the Heat!

by Rand Weyler

Vacuum Pump Cabinet
Design Considerations

Vacuum pumps suck, and that suction power can produce significant heat! When a pump is trapped in an enclosed and acoustically-insulated vacuum pump cabinet, the air temperature can quickly rise beyond the operating range of the pump. This common oversight can be quite frustrating upon completion of the lab project. The users move in and their vacuum pumps immediately begin to overheat. To protect the pumps, they leave the pump cabinet doors open, or the pumps are pulled out and put on the floor until the problem can be resolved.

How can we avoid this? Vacuum pump cabinets are designed for basic smaller pumps but can be configured for larger pumps or even multiple smaller pump units. A bit of simple design preplanning on vacuum pump cabinets is essential to a successful project. And it’s not just the heat output that is important; it’s the noise level, the weight

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