We’re happy to announce the arrival of SHEL LAB’s new Bactrox Chamber, the latest addition to our industry-leading Bactron line of anaerobic workstations.

The Bactrox offers precise oxygen and carbon dioxide control from 1-20%.  The SHEL LAB Bactrox Chamber preserves optimal application conditions not only during incubation but also in the chamber work station.  Removal of cultures from the incubator does not require exposure of cells to undesirable oxygen or carbon dioxide levels.

The unit’s advanced atmospheric controller allows for the use of a highly accurate and long-lasting zirconium dioxide oxygen sensor, with independent oxygen and carbon dioxide control and logging.  The Bactrox also has a standalone 300 plate incubator so users  can comfortably work without gloves in ambient room conditions.

To minimize set-up time, the Bactrox includes an extra- large vacuum-less sample pass box that takes only sixty seconds to purge. The new design provides a vacuum-less sleeve entry into the chamber.

Other features of this unit include temperature control and logging, superior condensation control, and ultra bright LED examination lights inside the chamber.

The Bactrox is ideal for stem cell research, mammalian cancer research and clinical and research microbiology, and joins the SHEL LAB line of Bactron Anaerobic Chambers including the BacBASIC, and Bactron I, II, III and IV.

To minimize set-up time, the Bactrox includes an extra- large vacuum-less sample pass box that takes only sixty seconds to purge. The new design provides a vacuum-less sleeve entry into the chamber.  Other features of this unit include temperature control and logging, superior condensation control, and ultra bright LED examination lights inside the chamber.

Learn more about our new Bactrox Chamber or any of SHEL LAB’s Bactron Anaerobic Chambers by visiting our online store.

Maintaining the safety of your cell cultures is a key aspect of all SHEL LAB CO2 incubators–cell cultures need a controlled and accurate environment throughout the culturing process in order to provide reliable results. SHEL LAB’s incubators are made to create the most stable environment possible to reduce the chance of shock to cell and provide reliable test results.

Two of the most important aspects of cell culture safety were the focus of a recent editorial featured in Drug Discovery & Development’s February issue:

• Temperature uniformity: Several features of SHEL LAB CO2 incubators are designed specifically to maintain the best possible temperature uniformity.
• Contamination control: From available incubator accessories like copper shelving available on many SHEL LAB incubator products to high heat decontamination cycles, SHEL LAB offers a variety of features intended to reduce the risk of contamination for cell cultures

Learn more about SHEL LAB CO2 incubators! Read the complete SHEL LAB incubator editorial in Drug Discovery & Development.

All SHEL LAB CO2 incubators are now built using IR sensors with a 7-year limited warranty!

Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc. is a global manufacturer of constant temperature equipment for the biotechnology pharmaceutical, research and production markets. Under our SHEL LAB brand, our product lines include Bactron anaerobic chambers, CO2 incubators, vacuum ovens, refrigerated incubators, shaking water baths and more.

Our 2012 trade show schedule has been firming up and , and we couldn’t be more excited about this year’s list of events. From attending the World Brewing Congress at home in Portland, Oregon later this summer or sending SHEL LAB representatives across the globe to places as far-flung as Dubai and Munich, Germany, SHEL LAB representatives are hitting the road! If you plan on attending any of these events, be sure to stop in and say hello at the SHEL LAB booth where we’ll be showcasing many of SHEL LAB’s high quality products. We may even have a surprise or two up our sleeves this season that you want to be sure not to miss!

To help us kick off the season, SHEL LAB will participate in the upcoming ArabLAB Expo coming up March 26-28 in Dubai with our Saudi Arabian based distributor Biotechnology Medical Services K. Canada, Inc.  The ArabLAB show is one of the largest international trade shows for the global science industry with attendees from over 85 countries coming together for the latest science news across a variety of disciplines, from environmental sciences to robotics and automation. This show is an opportunity for us to connect with SHEL LAB customers in the Middle East and Africa as well as China, India and the rest of Asia. We can’t wait to be a part of this year’s show!

Next up, we’ll showcase SHEL LAB laboratory equipment that includes CO2 incubators, vacuum ovens, anaerobic chambers, water baths and more at the upcoming Analytica International Trade Fair in Munich, Germany April 17-20. Analytica is one of the leading international fairs for state-of-the-art laboratory technology and biotechnology. Each year more than 30,000 visitors from around the world attend this show to share ideas and learn about new technology and laboratory products. We look forward to meeting SHEL LAB customers from around the world in Germany’s third largest city.

And these are just the beginning! We’ve got plenty of other stops to make on our world tour of industry events, including the ASM 112^th General Meeting in San Francisco, the Canadian Society of Microbiologists conference in Vancouver BC, Canada and the Clinical Lab Expo this summer in Los Angeles, California. See our full list of upcoming events at the SHEL LAB Events page. We will see you at the SHEL LAB booth!

SHEL LAB’s Bactron Anaerobic Workstations have been making a name for themselves for more than fifteen years. Designed to provide efficient, dexterous handling and inspection of samples, SHEL LAB workstations were the first to incorporate glove-free handling into the product design. This improves users’ ability to handle samples in an oxygen-free environment and is good for use in a variety of procedures, from unpacking and inspection to inoculation and incubation.

The SHEL Lab Bactron Anaerobic Workstations are used in a variety of applications, including:

• Anaerobic microbiology assays
• Clinical microbiology
• Anaerobic tissue culture research
• Anaerobic bacteriology

Available in sizes ranging from 7.6 to 17 cubic feet, SHEL LAB Bactron chambers can handle anywhere from 150 up to 900 Petri plates but are designed to have the smallest possible footprint that requires less valuable bench space in your laboratory.

Purchase of a SHEL LAB Bactron Anaerobic Chambers includes installation as well as an operator training session designed to provide operators with more information about anaerobic bacteriology in general and proper operation of the systems specifically.

For more information about our Bactron Anaerobic Chambers, visit our product page or contact us today.

Don’t forget to check out the SHEL LAB Anaerobic Education Tool, too! This interactive educational tool offers a five-section course for either professionals or for students, and is jam packed with helpful information about anaerobes plus tips for culture techniques and identification protocol, and includes a helpful review and test section to test your newfound knowledge. Find out more by visiting our SHEL LAB Anaerobic Education Tool pages.

A group of Sheldon employees served up everybody’s favorite dinner this week (hint: it involves pancakes and eggs!) to help support HomePlate Youth Services, an organization dedicated to the “positive development of young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability through community building, education, access to services and resources and youth empowerment.”

Employees are eager to regularly support this worthwhile organization and the teens and families the group works to assist. Giving back to the community is a passion shared throughout the Sheldon Manufacturing family, and the HomePlate dinners offers a chance to provide benefits to the community and enjoy quality time with each other as well. Good times!

This month our group served dinner to more than 25 teens and their families, giving us the opportunity to practice our hotcake-flipping skills while providing a nutritious, healthy meal for the teens.

HomePlate offers young people a positive environment where they can drop-in for a weekly free dinner. The goal of these events is simple: provide a meal for young people who are without a stable place to live or are experiencing homelessness.

To donate or to learn more about how to get involved, visit the HomePlate website for more information.

Sheldon employees served "breakfast for dinner" at the HomePlate Dinner

Dan Sheldon Serves Up Pancakes at HomePlate Youth Services Event

About Sheldon Manufacturing:

Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc. is a global manufacturer of constant temperature equipment for the biotechnology pharmaceutical, research and production markets. Under our SHEL LAB brand, our product lines include Bactron anaerobic chambers, CO2 incubators, vacuum ovens, refrigerated incubators, shaking water baths and more.

Over the next few months we’ll be gearing up for the 2012 trade show season, and we’re already getting excited to participate in this year’s list of great events.

Beginning in April, 2012, Sheldon will be an exhibitor at several premier industry trade shows, including the well-known analytica Trade Fair in Munich, Germany as well as events in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland.

Here is a list of events we will be exhibitors at this year:

• analytica 23rd International Trade Fair for Laboratory Technology, Analysis, Biotechnology and analytica Conference April 17-20, 2012, Munich, Germany
• ASM 112th General Meeting June 16-19, 2012, San Francisco, California
• Clinical Lab Expo, July 15-19, 2012, Los Angeles, California
• World Brewing Congress, July 28-August 1, 2012, Portland, Oregon

These shows are a wonderful way to get out and meet members of the industry and to share news and updates about our SHEL LAB anaerobic and CO2 incubators, vacuum ovens and other laboratory equipment. Stay tuned! We will update with new show information, just visit our SHEL LAB events page for more information and updates.

We’re proud to introduce the newest member of the Sheldon Manufacturing team, Engineering Manager Jeremy McDonald.

Jeremy began working with us in early November and we’re thrilled to have him join the Sheldon Manufacturing family; no surprise, really, given his impressive background in the microbiology industry. Jeremy comes to us after thirteen years as Manager of Research and Development for Anaerobe Systems, a Bay Area company providing PRAS plated and tubed culture media for use in clinical research.

As our new Engineering Manager, Jeremy will focus his considerable talents toward SHEL LAB development of new products for the clinical microbiology market—projects like the BACTROX hypoxic chamber (hypoxic chambers create an environment with controlled levels of oxygen for advanced cell culture and bacteriology research as opposed to anaerobic chambers which remove oxygen completely) as well as development of a full line of SHEL LAB anaerobic chambers. Some of the new products are slated for release as early as spring of 2012.

SHEL LAB Anaerobic Chamber

“As a scientist, I’m interested not only in the results of clinical research but also in the tools needed to conduct the testing,” says Jeremy. “At Sheldon, making sure the testing environment is reliable and cultures are protected is a huge priority. Coming from my background in microbiology research and development, a partnership with Sheldon is a great fit.”

Jeremy completed Microbiology and Biotechnology studies at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.

We’ve been hard at work planning for 2012 but that doesn’t mean we’re ready to say goodbye to 2011 just yet! In fact, 2011 was a great year for the company, from new products that deliver energy and cost savings to our customers to updates to current product features that make existing products safer and better than ever before.

We came up with a list of some of our favorites from 2011. As we get ready to head into the new year we can only hope (and plan!) for another twelve months as good as the last have been. Here is a small sample of what 2011 had to offer. Enjoy!

• Sheldon introduced the new LI20P BOD Incubator in spring of 2011. The first widely available, environmentally friendly thermoelectric cooled incubators designed for low temperature applications are so environmentally friendly they use up to 78% less power than conventional models. Sheldon customers save up to $450 a year in energy costs!

• Our ovens improved, too! In Fall of 2011, Sheldon announced new features on the SHEL LAB vacuum ovens–including fully-programmable Watlow temperature controllers, RS-485 communication capabilities and digital vacuum gauges–making our vacuum ovens easier to operate and improving durability and dependability.

• In answer to rising concern over sample contamination, we made copper shelving available on many of our laboratory incubators. Use of copper has been shown to reduce bacterial contamination of cells, achieving up to 99.9% reduction within two hours of exposure to the copper. 99.9% in two hours? Now that’s something to be excited about.

And product changes were just the beginning. We renewed our commitment to science education and research again in 2011 with the creation of a brand-new educational tool for both students and clinicians called the SHEL LAB Anaerobic Education Tool. This interactive tool offers a five-section course on all things Anaerobe—from an overview of common pathogens to proper culture techniques and identification protocol. Learn new skills or just brush up on old techniques!

We rounded out the year with a feature article in Lab Outlook Magazine and a new product video demonstrating SHEL LAB general purpose laboratory incubators. The video is another great tool for use in choosing a laboratory incubator. See the video at Sheldon Manufacturing’s YouTube page.

As we reflect on all that’s happened in 2011, we also look to 2012 with renewed inspiration, continuing our 40 year tradition of providing the industry’s leading laboratory equipment.

Happy New Year From All of us at Sheldon Manufacturing!

SHEL LAB Vacuum Oven

Choosing the right incubator for your research needs can be a confusing process no matter what your laboratory setup; which is why at Sheldon we do our best to guarantee customers have all the tools they need to make an informed decision when the time comes to buy. We want customers to purchase the right incubator to help keep their samples safe, contaminant free, and capable of producing reliable results every time.

And it’s also why we were so pleased when we were asked to contribute an article to Lab Outlook Magazine, a digital supplement to the popular Laboratory Equipment Magazine. The article, “Practice Safe Specimen Storage,” is featured in November’s issue of the publication and covers many of the important factors to consider when deciding which incubator to buy, including:

• Incubator size, stability and uniformity
• Antimicrobial effects of copper
• Water jacket vs. air jacket insulation

The article also incorporates a new video featuring President Dan Sheldon and Product Design Engineer Pradeep Muppala as they discuss product features of the SHEL LAB General Purpose Incubators.

Both the article and the video are great resources for anyone considering a new incubator, so be sure to read the entire article in this month’s Lab Outlook Magazine and view our new video on the Sheldon Manufacturing YouTube channel!

Sheldon Manufacturing has been building the SHEL LAB line of incubators and ovens for over 40 years. Learn more about our CO2 Incubators, forced air laboratory ovens, Bactron Anaerobic Chambers and more at our online store!

High school kids at Baltimore’s Northwestern High School are finishing up their AP Environmental Science homework this year with the help of a new drying oven from Sheldon Manufacturing.

The high school students needed the drying oven in order to complete AP-level course requirements that include experiments to estimate primary productivity of a crop grown within a laboratory environment—in this case, the school’s greenhouse facility. Students grew their own “mini-crops” of annual ryegrass; the crops then required drying  before results could be analyzed. Unfortunately, the high school didn’t have access to the necessary equipment needed to complete the experiments.

That’s when retired scientist Philip Filner contacted Sheldon Manufacturing and asked for our help.  Mr. Filner has dedicated himself to efforts to improve the greenhouse and science education facilities at Northwestern High School. He asked us if we had a drying oven that wasn’t currently being used that we could donate and, luckily, we did!

“Supporting science education programs benefits all of us,” says Amy Schulties, Director of Sales and Marketing for Sheldon Manufacturing. “Keeping kids excited and curious about science today leads to continued scientific research and discovery in the future, which is why the efforts of people like Mr. Filner are so important and why we were happy to be able to supply a SHEL LAB drying oven for their project.”

Sheldon Manufacturing has produced some of the world’s most well-known lab equipment for more than 40 years, with products that span the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research and production markets.

Drying ovens are typically used in clinical settings where research samples must be dried quickly. The classes at Baltimore High School are operating their SHEL LAB drying oven at 90°C.

To learn more about drying ovens or any of our other laboratory ovens, visit our SHEL LAB oven pages.