Imagine sitting down to tackle your latest work project and you can’t help but feel frustrated by your current setup. Your workspace is cluttered, your chair is uncomfortable and your productivity is suffering.
Now imagine all of your employees are struggling with their current work environment. As a lab manager, warehouse foreman or other type of supervisor, that can be a scary prospect. Numerous studies show that a workplace environment (lighting, layout, ergonomics, etc.) has a direct impact on worker productivity.
Creating a more ergonomic workspace is an effective way to elevate productivity, and a key piece of industrial furniture that can help you achieve this is a workbench adjustable to employees’ needs.
Introduction To Adjustable Workbenches
An adjustable height workbench can be customized to fit the needs of the user by allowing the
worker to adjust the workbench to a comfortable position whether sitting or standing. Many adjustable workbenches also have customizable storage solutions, including shelving and drawers. These often can be rearranged or designed to accommodate different tools and materials.
Adjustable workbenches are ideal for a wide range of work environments that require ergonomic support to prevent injury and fatigue. Ergonomics is the scientific study of how people interact with their work environments and how to optimize those environments to improve productivity, comfort and safety. The goal of ergonomics is to design and arrange workspaces, equipment and tasks in a way that minimizes physical strain and discomfort, as well as reduces the risk of injury.
Adjustable height work tables are ergonomically-friendly because they reduce strain on the body and create a more comfortable workspace. Environments where adjustable workstations can be beneficial range from manufacturing and assembly to laboratory, healthcare, office, woodworking and more.
Types Of Adjustable Workbenches
While all adjustable workbenches essentially shorten or elongate the legs of the bench, there are different lift mechanisms that drive this feature.
There are typically four lift mechanism options for your industrial adjustable workbench:
- Slot adjustment
- Hand crank
- Hand crank with hydraulic features
- Electric
Slot Adjustment Bench
With a slot adjustment bench, a worker must raise the adjustable workbench legs and remove bolts or spacers. This type of bench allows employees to adjust the height of the bench, but isn’t the most ergonomically-friendly option because it requires the worker to manually lift the bench.
Hand Crank Adjustable Height Workbench
A hand crank adjustable height workbench is also manual in design, but allows employees to rotate
a hand crank to lift or lower the bench. A hand crank makes the process easier for workers, but if there are heavy objects on the bench, it may be difficult to raise and lower the worksurface.
Hand Crank Workbench With Hydraulic Features
When cranked, the hydraulic fluid in the cylinders force the shafts in the legs to elevate. This pressure that lowers or lifts the work surface makes the process easier, especially with heavy duty workbenches that hold heavy loads. Depending on the workbench you purchase, hydraulic adjustable versions can lift up to 1,000 pounds.
Electric Adjustable Height Workbench
For many work environments, an electric adjustable height workbench provides the highest level of ergonomic support because an employee can lift or lower the surface with the simple push of a button.
If there are heavy work tools on the bench, a bench with an electrical component will also require less physical effort to raise the bench than hand cranking the bench. Depending on the model, you may be able to preset positions for convenience as well. This can come in handy if multiple workers use the same bench in multi-shift operations.
Which Is Best?
The answer to that question often depends on your employees’ needs, as well as your budget.
A hand crank adjustable bench still allows your workers to adjust the height of the bench, but may be more budget-friendly depending on what other customizations you include. No electricity is required, so the work station isn’t tied to a particular location.
An electric adjustable height workbench is faster and requires less effort. It can typically handle higher weight capacities, and you don’t have to worry about oil leaks that may come with hydraulic benches over time with heavy use.
Adjustable Workbench Customizations
Which type of adjustable workbench you choose is just the beginning of the choices you should have as a facility manager. The best laboratory furniture manufacturers should be experienced in your industry and have a good idea of what types of customizations can help your workers maximize their productivity.
For example, one of the most important features you will choose is the countertop on the workbench. If the material can’t withstand the conditions of your lab, your workbench won’t function as intended.
There are several table top worksurfaces to consider, including some of these that are most commonly found in laboratories and manufacturing spaces:
- Phenolic Resin: Typically used in labs, and are designed as one solid, lightweight countertop that is durable and long-lasting.
- Epoxy Resin: Durable and non-porous, and holds up very well under harsh and extreme conditions such as high heat.
- Solid Surface: Solid surface countertops are often made from acrylic or polyester resins and feature a filler material. They are non-porous and water-proof, and feature many different customizable looks.
- Chemical Laminate: This countertop choice is budget friendly and is produced by layering melamine resin, layers of wood fibers and phenolic resin-impregnated Kraft paper with a decorative substrate. They are highly protective against chemical agents.
- High Pressure Laminate: Used for basic, non-extreme applications. While they are functional and durable, they’re also very affordable.
- ESD laminate: This material provides a safe work surface for environments where static electricity is a concern. As an added benefit, ESD laminate surfaces are also resistant to staining and chemicals that include acetone, gasoline and 10% ammonium solutions.
- Stainless Steel: Resistant to bacteria, rust and corrosion. They also are stain and heat resistant. This makes stainless steel an ideal choice for laboratories where high heat and open flames are used.
- Butcher Block: Traditionally used in woodworking and basic assembly applications. While this type of countertop is sturdy, it’s also porous and can dent easily. This type of material likely isn’t an appropriate choice for a laboratory workstation unless used in non-work areas or in labs where abrasive chemicals are not handled.
Our article, Top 5 Materials To Consider For Your Lab Countertops, helps you narrow down some of the factors that should be considered when choosing a good quality work surface for your adjustable workbench.
Other customizations to consider revolve around your storage and organization needs. Many of these decisions will depend on the type of work you perform in your facility and the types of tools you use.
For example, an adjustable workbench with drawers can come in a variety of designs. One of the ways you can customize the design of your drawers is by choosing a configuration that best meets your workspace’s needs.
There are several different drawer options when it comes to how you configure them. Here is one example. In the same amount of space, you could fit:
- Four 3-inch drawers and two 6-inch drawers
- Two 3-inch drawers and three 6-inch drawers
- Eight 3-inch drawers
- Four 3-inch drawers and one 12-inch drawer
- Four 3-inch drawers and one 12-inch locker (with left or right opening)
Design elements like full extension and heavy duty roller bearing slides, which allow you to effortlessly open and close drawers, are important to consider as well, as are your security requirements and handle options.
If your workspace requires heavy security, you might want to consider locks on drawers, which can be keyed the same or all differently. Handle options include plastic cup handles, aluminum cup pull handles, full finger steel pull handles that run the length of the drawer, lab-grade aluminum handle pulls and chrome wire pulls.
Other storage and organization features include:
- Utility drawers that come in a variety of sizes and configurations
- Shelving that can be installed below or above the work surface
- Upper storage cabinets with flipper doors
- Articulating monitor arms that can accommodate flat screens and laptops
- Keyboard trays that can be added to any work surface or articulating arm
- CPU holders that can be fixed or adjustable
- Pegboards that can be added between the uprights to attach tools
- Bin rails or panels to store parts and accessories
At the bottom of your workbench’s legs, you have the option of adding casters that can turn your workstation into a mobile industrial workbench. Make sure the casters are industrial strength and can withhold the weight of your adjustable work table.
Carefully Choose A Manufacturer For More Benefits
A workbench adjustable to your employees’ needs can go a long way in increasing their comfort, boosting their productivity and ultimately improving your company’s bottom line.
As you begin the process of selecting the right type of adjustable workbench for your facility, make sure you work with a high-quality industrial furniture manufacturer that can ensure you are getting the right product for your specific needs, as well as ensure you receive this product on time to meet your production deadlines.
A furniture manufacturer located in the United States will offer more safeguards and benefits, as well as minimize the risk of working with a foreign manufacturer that will likely have longer lead times. It’s critical to ask any company you are considering about its lead times since many factors can impact how long it takes for the workbench to arrive at your facility.
It’s also important to ask HOW the company ships its products. The best manufacturers or distributors will deliver their products using their own trucks or a trucking company that they trust and use frequently that carefully packs every item in a truck for long-distance transport.
The best furniture manufacturer will meet your deadline needs, but also will have extensive experience in fulfilling customized orders that meet the individual needs of a company to ensure a productive future.
