A light table is just what it sounds like it is: a table with a light source emitting from either somewhere underneath its surface or from above. This simple tool is extraordinarily useful for any kind of work where precise inspection and examination are important. Thus, everyone from engineers, artists, and architects to scientists, lab workers, and industrial workers has something to gain from using light inspection tables in their place of work.
Since a good inspection table offers something for seemingly everyone, we’re going to take a look here at exactly what these tools are and what they can do for you. Along the way, we’ll also discuss some of the many different features that RDM Industrial Products can add to its tables. RDM has been in the business of building industrial furniture for more than 40 years, and all of our products are proudly manufactured in the USA. The great range and diversity of customization options for our light panels is a particular source of pride for us.
With that, let’s discuss the nature and benefits of our illuminated light inspection tables.
What Are Light Inspection Tables & What Can You Use Them For?
RDM Tilting Light Inspection Table – Model LT-100P VERT LIGHT PANEL
As already alluded to, what we’re fundamentally talking about here are simply tables, panels, or some other kinds of flat surfaces, plus some sort of light source to go along with that surface to illuminate everything that might be happening on it.
The greater visibility that this setup affords is essential to working at a wide variety of tasks with the proper level of care and precision. Just to give a few examples, suppose that you’re a researcher in a chemistry lab, and you need to mix chemicals in exact proportions. Poor visibility would increase the likelihood of mismeasurement, which, depending on the nature of the chemicals being used, may have dangerous consequences.
A further consideration for scientists working with potentially dangerous substances is the following: if you need light, it may, in some cases, be inconvenient, or even dangerous, to rely entirely on a light source coming from above. The need for greater illumination may require you to pull an overhead light bulb closer to your work area, which could potentially expose you to danger.
Outside of any kind of work involving scientific research, experimentation, or the triggering of volatile reactions, tabletop light tables may also be useful for engineers, artists, architects, or anyone else who must carefully examine drawings, design plans, schematic diagrams, and the like. Light tables for drawing would be indispensable for preparing and creating such plans or drawings. Medical workers who need to look at x-ray results could also use them, for instance.
The number of areas where these tables can be of use, though, is really potentially limitless. Any kind of work where you need to see what you’re doing and act with precision could potentially qualify.
A Few Important Features & Benefits of Light Tables
Now that you have some idea of what you’re looking at and why you might need light inspection tables, let’s finally get down to brass tacks. What kinds of light panels can RDM design for you, and what can we make them do?
At the most basic level, all of our models are roughly rectangular-shaped benches or tables with frames made of stainless steel. The table surfaces themselves can be made of anything from stainless steel, glass, plastic laminate, or wood. For tables that stream out the light from below the surface, glass is usually ideal to allow for proper illumination. If you prefer a table with an overhead light boom, we can make the surface from other materials besides that.
Here are a few other important features and customization options available to you:
- Light Colors: We can custom build tables for you that emit any color of light that you please. The standard color is bright fluorescent white, but green red, blue is also available. We should make clear that these color options usually apply to tables whose light is emitted from beneath their surfaces rather than to tables with an overhead light boom. However, if you want an overhead light boom to emit light of some nonstandard color, contact us and we may be able to work that out for you.
- Light Types: The lights on our panels and tables are all either LED or fluorescent lights. They also come with dimmer switches that allow you to regulate the intensity of the light to whatever level you find appropriate. All lighting materials are inside the lightbox. The tables can also be easily plugged into electrical outlets.
- Desk Height and Hydraulic Lifts: 30 inches is the standard height for most of our desks and workbenches, though if you require them to be ADA accessible or for it to be convenient to work at them while standing, we can vary the height to about 36 inches. For maximum versatility and convenience, however, we suggest getting a table with a hydraulic lift. This will allow you to vary the table’s height to any of a number of different levels, from as little as 6 to as much as 30 inches. You can choose to have a table whose height can be varied via either a manual hand crank, an electric motor, or both. The motor can have a lift capacity of anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 pounds. The manual crank provides lifting power of 250 to 500 pounds.
- Tilting: If you want light tables for drawing, outfitting your light inspection tables with the ability to tilt their surfaces is especially useful. Table surfaces can be tilted, using either a manual hand crank or an electric motor, anywhere from 0 to 90 degrees. Furthermore, we can also build for you an adjustable height tilt top light table that allows you not only to tilt your work surface but to vary the height of the workstation itself. Adjustable height tilt top light tables thus give you the best of both worlds in these two important areas of customizability.
- Surface Options: In addition to the different surface materials already mentioned, you can also make some of our tables surfaces ESD static resistant and/or chemical resistant if you need to.
- Foot Rests: Many of our tables have as part of their frames a steel cross-member by the bottom. You can use this as a convenient footrest while you sit and work.
- Racks: If you need to have some extra materials or tools close at hand while you work, you may want to consider adding a utility rack to your table. It’s easy to tack on an extra overhead light to the rack as well.
We’ve only just scratched the surface here of what our many different light inspection tables can do and how you can customize them. To get a fuller picture, we encourage you to check out our full selection of factory-direct and quality-designed light tables.
Conclusion
In all things related to industrial furniture, RDM is here to put its top-class expertise to work for you and your lab or business. Light tables’ tremendously impressive applicability to a wide array of situations and the vast range of options that our own manufacturer-direct customizability puts at your fingertips means that almost no matter what you’re in the business of doing, you can stand to benefit in at least some way from having these tables around.
Whether you need tabletop light tables, ones with overhanging light fixtures, or any other type, we advise taking a look at what RDM has on offer.