Lab Armor
Lab Armor LLC designs, manufactures, and distributes patented dry metallic thermal beads and compatible bead-based laboratory baths that replace water and ice in lab workflows, serving academic, pharmaceutical, biotech, and hospital laboratories globally as a brand subsidiary of Sheldon Manufacturing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersPlano, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lab Armor does
Lab Armor LLC is a US-based life science company specializing in thermal management solutions for laboratory environments. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Cornelius, Oregon, the company designs, manufactures, and distributes dry metallic thermal alloy beads that replace water, ice, oil, and sand in laboratory baths, ice buckets, and dry bath applications across a -80°C to 180°C temperature range. The flagship Lab Armor Beads product is a consumable, sold in sizes from 0.75L to 8L, and is paired with a growing portfolio of capital equipment and accessories: Lab Armor Bead Baths (6L, 14L, 20L), the Peltier Bead Bath with dual heating/cooling via Peltier TEC-H technology (7L, 14L), the Chill Bucket, Bead Box, Walk About Tray, Stay Temp Tray, and maintenance consumables (Bead Soap Wash, Bead Cleanser). Underlying technology centers on a patented oblong pellet design protected by patents in the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe, with Peltier Bath models certified to UL 61010-1, CSA 61010-1, and CE.
The business model is hardware sales across both consumables (recurring bead refills, cleaning products) and equipment (Bead Baths, Peltier Baths, accessories), distributed through a dual channel of (a) Sheldon Manufacturing direct sales following the 2024 reintegration and (b) an extensive global distributor network including Fisher Scientific, Invitrogen/Life Technologies, VWR, MidSci, BioExpress, and Grainger, plus a GeneMate OEM/channel partnership. Customer segments are primarily life sciences laboratories in academic, pharmaceutical, biotech, and government institutions, with secondary adoption in healthcare/NICU settings for human milk thawing.
Lab Armor operates as a brand subsidiary of Sheldon Manufacturing Inc., under whose headquarters and infrastructure it now sits. The company has no disclosed revenue, no disclosed headcount, no external funding rounds, and limited forward-looking operational disclosure. Named adoption is concentrated in small institutional and educational buyers (e.g., Vanderbilt University), with no large anchor customer disclosed. Distribution is broad and the moat relies materially on patent protection and shelf-presence in major lab-supply catalogs.
Lab Armor firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lab Armor
- Legal name
- Lab Armor LLC
- Website
- https://labarmor.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lab Armor LLC designs, manufactures, and distributes patented dry metallic thermal beads and compatible bead-based laboratory baths that replace water and ice in lab workflows, serving academic, pharmaceutical, biotech, and hospital laboratories globally as a brand subsidiary of Sheldon Manufacturing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Lab Armor is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Plano
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lab Armor business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Lab Armor Beads (Thermal Media): Sale of dry metallic thermal beads in various sizes (0.75L to 8L) that replace water/ice/oil/sand in laboratory applications.
- Lab Armor Bead Baths: Sale of waterless lab bath equipment in three sizes (6L, 14L, 20L) specifically designed for use with Lab Armor Beads.
- Peltier Bead Baths: Sale of dual heating/cooling units using Peltier technology in 7L and 14L sizes, with or without beads.
- Bead Cleaning Products: Sale of Lab Armor Bead Wash (1 gallon) and Lab Armor Cleanser (16 fl oz) for maintaining bead cleanliness.
- Chill Bucket and Accessories: Sale of Chill Bucket with beads, mesh bags, and chill packs for ice-free cooling applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Standard return policy for all products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Lab Armor product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lab Armor manufactures and sells dry metallic thermal beads and a family of bead-based laboratory benchtop equipment (including bead baths and a Peltier-cooled bead bath) that replace water in laboratory water baths and related thermal workflows. The company also offers supporting consumables and accessories such as cleansers, wash systems, trays, and chill buckets for life sciences laboratories.
Product overview
Lab Armor offers a unified portfolio of waterless laboratory thermal management products centered on their proprietary thermal bead technology. The core offering includes Lab Armor Beads—dry metallic pellets that replace water, ice, oil, and sand in laboratory applications—paired with purpose-built Bead Baths (6L, 14L, 20L) and the Peltier Bead Bath (7L, 14L) featuring unique both heating and cooling capabilities. Supporting products include the Chill Bucket for ice-free cooling, Bead Box and Stay Temp Tray for temperature-controlled incubation and storage, and the Walk About Tray for sample transport. The accessory line comprises Bead Soap Wash and Bead Cleanser for maintenance. Lab Armor holds U.S. and international patents on their bead technology and operates as a subsidiary of Sheldon Manufacturing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Beads (Thermal Beads) Dry metallic thermal beads used as a direct replacement for water in laboratory water baths, providing stable temperature control for sample incubation, thawing, and warming in life sciences labs.
- Bead Bath
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 4X less energy consumption at 65°C compared to traditional water baths
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Lab Armor
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Lab Armor technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Lab Armor partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Sheldon Manufacturing Inc.coreLab Armor rejoined Sheldon Manufacturing to streamline operations and enhance customer support. Lab Armor products are now exclusively available through Sheldon Manufacturing's sales and support channels. The integration combines Lab Armor's innovative products with Sheldon Manufacturing's established expertise and customer service infrastructure. Centralized purchasing and improved efficiency for customers.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lab Armor competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Avantor (formerly VWR): Major laboratory distribution and supply company that resells Lab Armor via VWR while also offering competing water bath and dry bath lines from third-party manufacturers.
- Corning Life Sciences: Supplies cell-culture and liquid-handling labware plus temperature-control consumables used in the same life-science workflow as Lab Armor's bead-based heating media.
- Eppendorf: Global lab-equipment manufacturer of pipettes, mixers, and temperature-control instruments (e.g., Eppendorf ThermoStat), with comparable applications in life-science research labs.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Dominant broad-line life-science instrumentation company offering water baths, dry baths, and incubators; competes via its own portfolio while also operating Fisher Scientific, a key Lab Armor distributor.
Direct peers
- IKA Works: Sells laboratory heating and dry bath equipment (e.g., IKA Dry Block Heaters) to the same research and industrial lab segments served by Lab Armor's Bead Bath line.
- Julabo: Manufacturer of temperature-control equipment (circulating baths, refrigerated/heating circulators) for laboratories and industry, comparable to Lab Armor's Peltier Bead Bath platform.
- Benchmark Scientific: Manufactures dry baths, water baths, and bead bath accessories targeted at the same life-science and academic lab customers as Lab Armor, offering directly competing temperature-control hardware.
- Boekel Scientific: Producer of water baths, dry baths, and incubators used in clinical and research labs, overlapping with Lab Armor's customer base and product categories.
- Grant Instruments: Manufactures water baths, dry baths, and stirred/heated lab equipment for research and clinical labs, with overlapping product applications to Lab Armor's bead-based baths.
- Torrey Pines Scientific: Specialty manufacturer of benchtop incubators, dry baths, and water baths for life-science and clinical markets — directly overlapping with Lab Armor's thermal-control product line.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lab Armor social profiles
Digital presenceLab Armor compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Lab Armor financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lab Armor leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lab Armor funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lab Armor M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lab Armor
What does Lab Armor do?
Lab Armor manufactures and sells dry metallic thermal beads and a family of bead-based laboratory benchtop equipment (including bead baths and a Peltier-cooled bead bath) that replace water in laboratory water baths and related thermal workflows. The company also offers supporting consumables and accessories such as cleansers, wash systems, trays, and chill buckets for life sciences laboratories.
Is Lab Armor a public or private company?
Lab Armor is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Lab Armor founded?
Lab Armor was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lab Armor based?
Lab Armor is headquartered in Plano, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lab Armor make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Lab Armor Beads (Thermal Media) is the primary driver. The others are lab Armor Bead Baths, peltier Bead Baths, bead Cleaning Products and chill Bucket and Accessories.
Who are Lab Armor's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Avantor (formerly VWR), Corning Life Sciences, Eppendorf and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Direct peers are IKA Works, Julabo, Benchmark Scientific, Boekel Scientific, Grant Instruments and Torrey Pines Scientific.
Does Lab Armor have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lab Armor.