Filtered air flows from the back of the cabinet across the work and out towards you. Right for sterile work with harmless material — media plating, sterile assembly, subculture.
Never use one for infectious, toxic or sensitising material.
01Does SMS Lab Instruments manufacture its own equipment, or resell it?
We manufacture. Sheet metal work in mild steel and SS 304/316, powder coating, HEPA and pre-filter housings, blower and switchgear assembly and worktops are all done at our own works in Kodungaiyur, Chennai — which is why a non-standard size is a normal order here rather than a special case.
02What is the difference between a laminar air flow cabinet and a biosafety cabinet?
A laminar air flow cabinet protects the sample only: filtered air passes over the work and out towards the operator, so it must never be used for infectious, toxic or sensitising material. A Class II biosafety cabinet protects both the sample and the operator, drawing air in at the front before it reaches you and exhausting it through HEPA. A fume hood is different again — it protects the operator from chemical fumes but does not keep a sample sterile.
03Can you build laboratory equipment to a custom size?
Yes — everything is built to order. Working size, overall size, material, finish, airflow and services are all fixed with you against a drawing before fabrication starts, so the unit suits the room rather than the room having to suit the unit.
04Do you install laboratory equipment outside Chennai?
Yes. The works are in Kodungaiyur, Chennai, and we manufacture equipment for installation across Tamil Nadu and the rest of India. Our own fitters travel for installation and commissioning.
05Do you build cleanrooms as well as the equipment inside them?
Yes. We take the whole room as one job — layout and pressure cascade, modular wall and ceiling panels, coved epoxy flooring, air handling and terminal HEPA filtration, doors, airlocks, pass boxes, air showers and electricals — to ISO Class 5 through 8, handed over with the validation readings.