Dan Sheldon - Sheldon Manufacturing, 1988

After forty years of manufacturing constant temperature equipment, we have grown quite a bit. Founded in 1970, Sheldon Inc. started out with just a few different types of incubators. Those incubators have had the luxury of 4 decades of advancements in engineering, design, and productivity with the Shellab quality remaining constant. Check out the difference below.

Sheldon Manufacturing Incubator from the 70's

Shellab Incubator -Today

Our line of equipment has expanded exponentially over the years as well.  We now manufacture hundreds different types of units ranging from water baths, to vacuum ovens, lab ovens, and every type of incubator on the market.  Such progress as a company is largely due to enhancing our manufacturing processes to stay both relevant and efficient with current components and technology.  Below is part of our powder-coat painting process for our incubators from way back when.  Not too far off from some modern abstract art installations.

We like to think of ourselves as wise when it comes to Laboratory equipment.  We enjoy our work daily and hope that it shows in our products as much as our experience and industry wisdom. We hope you liked these vintage photos we stumbled upon.

One of our first logos …

An early Shellab Brochure

Early Shellab Logo

As the emergency recovery period continues in Haiti following the recent earthquake disaster,  looming large in its wake is the Long-term reconstruction and rebuilding of an entire country.  According to Mark L. Schneider, former Peace Corps director in the Clinton administration, “Long-term reconstruction will last more than a decade and involve billions of dollars in aid.” In the front and center of the reconstruction period is the glaringly obvious need to build essential structures like schools, government buildings, and hospitals. But with a disaster of this magnitude – the worse national disaster in the history of the Western Hemisphere – it’s hard to imagine every aspect of what will be needed to get a third world country like Haiti at least back to where it was as a nation.

One necessity is in the Clinical Laboratory arena.  Laboratory equipment is essential for blood banking, vaccine storage, infectious disease control, waste water treatment and testing, diagnostics and treatment. All things that are extremely sensitive, both socially and relative to time, when most of the population is living close to each other in tents with little or no sanitation.  Dan Sheldon and his Laboratory Manufacturing company, Sheldon Manufacturing, are leveraging  industry contacts to collect donations of capital equipment, lab consumables and technical expertise for the Haiti relief efforts.

“We are working with teams on the ground to identify the state of the current infrastructure and supply any immediate need for equipment and supplies. As the recovery efforts move to rebuilding projects, we hope to work hand-in-hand with government and the private sector to supply state of the art equipment and supplies to the people of Haiti. Initial response from my industry contacts has been very receptive and I am optimistic that we can fully outfit a number of labs over the next 12-18 months.”

It is estimated that outfitting a laboratory with supplies and equipment can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000.  Knowing that there is pledged support for new labs during this chaotic time that will directly result in treatment and prevention of infectious disease is just one small step of many that will be required to help rebuild Haiti.

CEM Corporation is also supporting Haiti Relief efforts with their Hats for Haiti fundraiser.  The Company will be offering its trademark Crazy Dave Beanies, which have become a tradition at the exhibition, for a 1 dollar contribution. All proceeds from the beanies will benefit the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund and CEM will match every dollar contributed to Hats for Haiti. Learn more about Hats for Haiti

Please stop by the CEM booth #2669 and get your Crazy Dave Beanie for a minimum $1 donation to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.

Expectant mothers have long been warned that gum disease can cause a baby to be born prematurely or too small. But for the first time scientists have linked bacteria from a mother’s gums to an infection in a baby that was full-term but stillborn, according to the study which was published Thursday in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Scientists from Case Western University made the discovery after a 35-year-old California woman contacted them to help investigate the death of her baby. Earlier studies by the same researchers showed that an oral bacteria called Fusobacterium nucleatum could spread from the bloodstream to the placenta in mice. The woman wanted to know if it was possible in humans.

Women have been warned that gum disease could lead to a baby being born prematurely, or too small, but up until this point, Doctors had yet to definitively link gum disease to a single case of infant death.

Bacteria from the mouth can easily get into the bloodstream once a woman’s gums are bleeding, explains the study’s lead author Yiping Han, an associate professor of periodontics and pathology at Case Western University. Generally, this type of bacteria can be easily combated by the immune system of the mom-to-be, whether mouse or human. But because of special conditions that exist in the womb, the fetus can be more susceptible, Han suspects.

While this strengthens the argument that women who are pregnant and are experiencing gum-related problems should immediately get themselves checked out by a dentist, Dr. Richard H. Beigi states that women shouldn’t be overly alarmed by this single case.

“This is just one case,” he explained. “Most pregnant women have bleeding gums and most don’t have dead babies. This can happen, but it’s rare. And this finding doesn’t mean that it’s increasing.”

Source: MSNBC.com

Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc., a leading laboratory equipment manufacturer in Cornelius, Oregon, Invests in two new Trumpf Press Brakes, continuing their growth as  a premier international OEM manufacturer.

With centralized programming of CAD Software, the Trubend 3120 press brake from Trumpf allows for automated fabrication of raw metal into component parts by providing exacting tolerances and a comprehensive database of shortening values, depth values, and bending programs. Such characteristics promote consistent, top of the line, machine-quality manufacturing, ultimately improving run time, flexibility and output.  In addition to automating most of the set up process,  the press brakes offer state of the art safety features that are extremely important with such powerful machinery.

By investing in the press brakes and large scale automation, Sheldon shows its dedication towards being a world-class original equipment manufacturer and partner. Having in-house equipment of this quality means there is no outsourcing of key manufacturing steps.  Everything is handled at Sheldon in the US. “Our ability to automate so much of our metal production is key to staying competitive with the global marketplace,” according to Dan Sheldon, President of Sheldon Manufacturing, Inc..

With 40 years in the business of manufacturing top of the line equipment, low volume high mix production is a big key for Sheldon’s future success as a world class OEM.

The New Trumpf Press Brake

Orlando, FL, Pittcon: February 28- March 5th : Booth #1856  www.pittcon.org

San Juan , Puerto Rico, Interphex: March 2nd- March 5th: booth #501  www.interphexpuertorico.com

Munich, Germany, Analytica: March 22nd -March 26th Stand # B2-128 http://www.analytica.de/en/Home

San Diego, CA, ASM: May 24th  – May 26th booth #600 http://gm.asm.org/

Being an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for more than 40 years has its benefits.  We have the advantage of designing equipment based on years of feedback from customers, colleagues, and competitors - in addition to honing our manufacturing processes along the way.   The latest family of Shellab Water Baths has benefitted from and evolved with such evaluation and sentiment in mind.  Some of the features include coved corners within the chamber for efficient and simple cleaning, a drip free cover holster, and over temperature protection, to name a few.   But alas, what’s the point of the video if we talk about everything here.  See for yourself.  

Our General purpose incubators have had a successful career in the life sciences industry, earning a strong reputation and lots of popularity in the marketplace. So, we thought it would be nice to recognize all their hard work and dedication in the labs by celebrating and reflecting upon why they have been such prolific incubators over the last 25 years.

SHEL LAB General Purpose Incubator

The SHEL LAB incubator possesses superior craftsmanship with a seam-welded design, protecting against gradual breakdown over time and providing a consistency that guarantees the same results over 25 years. A unique warm air-jacket design, heated outer door, and 5 strategically placed heating elements deliver an uncompromising temperature uniformity, which means no hot spots. This has been winning the delight of scientists and lab professionals for years.

Overall operation of the SHEL LAB Incubators are controlled with simplicity and safety, also helping with their lab popularity. Temperature calibration is controlled with a touch pad. The microprocessor controller achieves exceptional temperature control with no overshoot, while set-point and actual chamber temperature are digitally displayed. A totally independent controller provides the safety of guarding against overtemperature.

With multiple sizes to fit any laboratory need, time-tested quality and performance, and operational simplicity, it’s pretty easy to see why these incubators have gained noteriety. Now depended on by Laboratory professionals from around the world, the SHEL LAB Incubators deserve a bit of recognition for work they’ve put in over the years. Salute!

For even more details and benefits of the SHEL LAB incubator, check out the General Purpose Incubator product page.

SHEL LAB General Purpose Incubator Family

Employee Education Campaing:

• Letters home for the families
• Weekly newsletters
• PA updates and announcements
• Weekly meetings amongst supervisors

Preparation Steps and Action:

Flu prevention kit for each employee to take home that included:

• Hand sanitizer for whole family

• Digital thermometer

• Brochures and pamphlets

• Antiviral spray & Alcohol wipes

• Tissues for the family

• Hand sanitizer stations all through the shop

• Tool and surface disinfecting protocol for all tools daily

In addition to these important steps, tools, and procedures, we are also monitoring websites and staying up on the latest news.  For the benefit of all employees, all information and everything sent out has been bi-lingual in Spanish and English.  In case you missed it, check out how SHEL LAB  incubators are helping fight the H1N1 Flu on the scientific and medical level.

This training, held at Sheldon Manufacturing in Cornelius, OR, is provided with the purchase of each Bactron Chamber*. A 2 day seminar on proper anaerobic technique and the Bactron system!  Hotel accommodations and meals are provided by Sheldon Manufacturing.  Attendees must arrange for their own transportation to Sheldon Manufacturing from Portland.  For more information email Mike McLane.

*Training is only available for customers in the USA.

Click here for Directions to Sheldon

Upcoming Dates Include:

October 14-16, 2009

January 13-15, 2010

April 14-16, 2010

“This collaboration with Sheldon has been a wonderful opportunity for the students involved to both use the technical training they have received and to also gain new skills in effectively interacting with manufacturing personnel and industrial vendors,” reports Professor John Parmigiani, Ph.D., P.E., OSU School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering, and overall project manager and technical consultant (Pictured above on the right).

The students follow a very structured, formulaic process that has all the expected steps, giving them a real world application to their studies. They are graded every step of the way and have a built-in accountability for their work.

The collaboration came about through the OSU alumni association and Sheldon Manufacturing’s President (OSU alum) Dan Sheldon. “Great concepts come out these projects and are viewed as a launching point for our engineers to take and implement into the equipment,” says Sheldon. “In our experience with senior  design projects, the results can be more innovative than the conventional design counterparts,” he continues, “We also see intrinsic value in the collaboration. This is part of Sheldon giving back to the science/technology and local education communities.”

Thus far, the joint effort has developed a green technology incubator, a hands-free, automated door opener for shaking incubators, and a heated door design for large CO2 incubators. As an added benefit, the incubator(s) will be used by the OSU Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics once the project is complete.

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