Field Oven vs Laboratory Oven: Which is More Accurate?

Ovens are important across many use cases and multiple domains or industries like material testing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and more. So, it is important that we consider the possible purchase of the field oven vs laboratory oven.

The primary functions of ovens typically include curing, drying, melting, baking, heat treatment, and much more.

Some procedures across many of these industries rely on strict heat treatment within specific temperature ranges. Failure of which can damage materials and affect the accuracy of outputs.

As such, accuracy is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing an oven for the field or a laboratory and hekps answet the question, “which is better? Field Oven vs Laboratory Oven?”

At the heart of it, field and laboratory ovens are similar. However, assembling field ovens and the logistics of setting them up can affect their performance. That’s why lab ovens are more accurate than field ovens.

This article compares field oven vs laboratory oven, especially on their accuracy. We also share the differences between the two types, factors to consider when buying a lab oven, and much more.

Differences Between Field Oven vs Laboratory Oven

Multiple differences exist between field and lab ovens, primarily based on their setup. Below, we review these differences.

Field Ovens Have a Lower Initial Price Than Lab Ovens

The initial prices of field ovens are lower than those of laboratory-assembled ones.

That said, it’s important to stress that the initial sum does not include the cost of assembling the oven.

The cost of setting up the equipment can reach up to 30% more than the initial price, depending on the size and complexity of the oven.

The final price will also depend on the skill and experience of the installation crew.

Laboratory Ovens are Tested Beforehand, While Field Ovens are Not

All laboratory-assembled ovens are tested before being shipped. They’re tested for high-efficiency circulation, temperature uniformity, maximum temperature protection, and more.

Field ovens do not have this luxury and would rely on the supplier providing proper parts and the installation team doing an excellent job.

You won’t know the overall performance of the oven till you’ve fired it up.

Field Ovens are More Prone to Design Problems and Defective Parts Than Laboratory Ovens

This difference is especially true for customized designs. There’s always the odds that your supplier provides a poorly designed oven with errors.

Such poor designs can delay implementation and lead to lost production, especially considering replacing faulty items and parts can take multiple weeks.

Field Ovens Allow for More Customized Details Than Lab Ovens

Per their nature, field ovens are tailored for more customizations, including size, maximum temperature, custom temperature range, number of workspaces, and the standards the oven must meet.

Field Ovens are More Likely to Suffer From Fuel Loss Than Laboratory Ovens

This issue is a direct result of poor design or poor setup. Openings can cause air to move through the oven, leading to a significant fuel loss.

Overview of Field Oven

Field ovens are commissioned for facilities with limited entry access. This means moving a pre-assembled oven into the place may be difficult.

Additionally, some ovens are just too large to ship. Hence, assembling them on-site is the next best alternative.

Types of Field Oven

Different types of field ovens include:

Batch Ovens

Batch ovens come with insulated doors for environmental control and isolation. They process items in batches or groups. You can use batch ovens for preheating, baking, forming, during, and drying.

Conveyor Ovens

Conveyor ovens are great for the continuous processing of large quantities of product pieces. They can produce superior air temperature uniformity because of their high-volume, vertical down airflow design.

They are often used for annealing, curing, drying, stress relieving, tempering, preheating, and bonding.

Walk-In Ovens

Walk-in ovens are a form of batch industrial ovens. Their primary applications include aging, annealing, baking, drying, and curing.

One of the major factors to consider when choosing a walk-in oven is the airflow direction (horizontal-vertical or full horizontal?

You may also like: Industrial Oven: Key Considerations

Uses of Field Oven

Field ovens are large and are often used in manufacturing, especially in the metal works, pharmaceutical, biotech, and automotive industries.

For example, pharmaceutical companies use these ovens to bake coating onto pills and to cure tablets.

You may also like: The Importance of Material Testing Ovens

Overview of Lab Oven

You can find lab ovens in all kinds of laboratories, including forensic, research, material testing and processing, electronics, clinical, biology, environmental, and pharmaceutical.

Types of Lab Ovens

Here are some of the types of lab ovens:

Gravity Convection Ovens

These ovens are specifically designed for processing lightweight materials or powders. As such, these ovens have restricted airflow. Gravity ovens also provide less temperature uniformity than their mechanical alternatives.

Forced Air Convection Ovens

These are also known as mechanical convection ovens. Forced convection ovens have fans that circulate hot air around the chamber. This circulation ensures heat is transferred evenly throughout the equipment.

Vacuum Ovens

Vacuum ovens combine the power of heat with a vacuum. The vacuum increases the pressure in the chamber, which, in turn, reduces the boiling point of the solvent.

Thus, the oven can remove moisture from items at temperatures below their boiling points without cooking them. They are mostly used for drying.

High-Temperature Ovens

These ovens are used for processes like sintering that require very high temperatures. They are often custom-built and lined with additional insulation. There are also low-temperature ovens popular within the food industry.

Laboratory Incubators

Laboratory incubators also generate heat but are different from standard lab ovens. These types also come as refrigerated incubators for research that require cooling technology.

Uses of Lab Oven

Examples of lab oven applications include:

Lab ovens are used with other gadgets to test samples and determine their physical properties.
Polymer curing
Removal of moisture or solvent
Surface treatment of metals
To sterilize equipment and tools
Glassware drying

Laboratory Oven vs Field Oven, Which is More Accurate?

Lab ovens are likely to be more accurate than field ovens. The primary reason is that the former are tested and certified before leaving the factory, while the latter is not and is prone to design and installation errors.

Earlier, we discussed the differences between field oven vs laboratory oven. We stressed that field ovens are prone to design and performance issues because they are not tested like preassembled ovens.

There are also additional issues like damaged parts during transit and installation errors.

For example, failure to maintain the accurate insulated panel gap is one of the most common errors during field oven installation. This error can reduce the efficiency of an oven.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Lab Oven

Some of the factors we recommend assessing before buying a lab oven include:

Ease of use
Method of heating
Chamber dimensions
Temperature range
Temperature recovery time
Control options (timed, automatic, or manual operation)
Heating uniformity

Takeaway: Lab Ovens are More Accurate Than Field Ovens and the clear winner of the Field Oven vs Laboratory Oven

Lab ovens are tested before they’re shipped out by manufacturers. Field ovens must be coupled before you can assess their performance.

This performance will depend on the quality of the oven’s design, damage-free shipping, and accurate installation.

That’s why lab ovens have a higher probability of being more accurate than field ovens. That said, circumstances may necessitate getting a field oven.

In that case, ensure you go with a seasoned supplier or manufacturer and consider factors such as ease of use, control options, and temperature recovery time.

If you have additional questions about Field Oven vs Laboratory Oven, contact us today.