Workstations Industry Information
Workstations
In an industrial and commercial context, workstations are spaces set apart and designed to be compatible with broad or specific applications. Workstations, found on factory floors, in warehouses, office buildings, labs and other permanent and temporary facilities, aim to make work more organized, more easy and safer. No two applications are exactly alike and neither are workstations. Most are modular in design, meaning they consist of several segments, or “modules,” rather than being a single piece. This allows workers to adjust them as needed for evolving applications or changing settings. It also allows for a high degree of customizability. They may also be mobile or function as a component of a greater system, like an assembly line.
When it comes to workstation design, manufacturers and their clients have many options. Materials that manufacturers typically use to create workstations include: aluminum, steel, stainless steel, maple/hardwood block, wood laminate, plastic laminate, electrostatic discharge (ESD) laminates and a variety of plastics. They come with any number of special features, such as overhead lighting, tackboard panels, privacy panels, arm supports, grommets for wire access, outlets, overhead shelving space, drawers, adjustable keyboard trays, locking files and more. In addition, workstations can be designed to adjust in height, if needed. To protect them from the impact of collisions, the corners of workstations may be finished with PVC edging. Surfaces may be coated with scratch-resistant surfacing, and they can be built to comply with the strict standards of medical, defense or food-grade furniture. Laboratory-specific workstations can be built with lab-appropriate surface materials, such as epoxy resin, chemical resistant plastic laminate and phenolic resin. Additionally, cleanroom workstations can be covered with high-pressure, postforming horizontal grade laminate. Workstations can also be built to withstand the damage of natural and man-made elements, such as salt spray, humidity and moisture and chemical spills. For customer convenience, workstations may be delivered fully assembled, partially assembled or ready to assemble.
To help them make the right decision, those shopping for workstations should consider a number of aspects of their application. For example, they need to keep weight requirements at the front of their minds. Can their potential workstation support the weight of its intended application? If it is a moving workstation, can it still move while bearing said weight? Along those same lines, those in the market should make sure that the model or models they are considering are suitably durable. In addition, buyers should consider working position; they want to be careful to select a model that does not force their workers into an awkward or potentially hazardous angle. Also, do they expect their application to periodically or constantly change? If so, they may consider a workstation model that can be easily updated. Another important consideration is industry standards and regulations. Customers may want to look for workstations with certain certifications, such as those from ISO (International Standards Organization), UL (Underwriters Laboratories), ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association). Bearing factors such as these in mind, if and when they communicate with manufacturers, potential workstation owners should be able to make much more informed decisions. For the best results, workstation customers should consult with one or more of the highly qualified workstation manufacturers listed here on IQS Directory.
To suit the needs of customers, workstations are usually available in a few different levels of pre-configuration and design. Some workstations, for example, are available for “quick ship,” or shipping within, on average, five to ten days. These workstations are not candidates for customization. Rather, they are available only in standard and highly common colors, sizes and designs. They are, in other words, stock products. Other workstations are available in standard/built-to-order designs. These workstations can be ordered in a wider range of colors, sizes and designs than quick ship workstations, and they may even be partially customized. They are not, however, the same as fully customized workstations. Fully customized workstations are rather those workstations that are designed and built for specific and unique applications. In this case, the customer works with the manufacturer, sharing specifications and requirements, so that the manufacturer can build the customer a highly specific workstation. Fully customized workstations take the longest to ship and they may be more expensive than quick ship or standard workstations.
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