Author

David Schmidt

HWS founding family, third generation

David Schmidt belongs to the third generation of the family behind HWS Labortechnik. A grandson of the founder, he grew up close to the Mainz workshop where HWS has developed and hand-crafted borosilicate glass apparatus since 1941. Through his work with the HWS team, he helps carry the family's eight decades of accumulated experience in laboratory glass technology forward.

Jacketed Glass Reactor with Helical Agitator

How to Specify Mixing for Viscous Slurries and High-Solids Batches in Glass Reactors

"High solids" is not a mixing specification. For viscous slurries and high-solids batches, specify the mixing system for the hardest…

2026.09.15 • 9:27 read

Jacketed Glass Reactor Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Jacketed Glass Reactor Specification for Batch Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Batch liquid-liquid extraction in a jacketed glass reactor turns on four controllable steps: disperse, settle, observe and withdraw. Define the…

2026.09.08 • 14:23 read

Separation & Solvent Recovery Stirring Valves & Dosing

How to Specify a Glass Reactor System for Fume-Hood Installation

A glass reactor intended for a chemical fume hood must be specified as a complete working layout, not as a…

2026.08.31 • 10:57 read

Custom Reactor Design Operation & Maintenance

Nitrogen Blanketing in Glass Reactors: How to Specify Inert-Gas and Closed-Transfer Requirements

A nitrogen connection on the reactor lid does not define an inert system. Specify the complete atmosphere boundary — gas…

2026.08.27 • 10:00 read

Custom Reactor Design Stirring Valves & Dosing

Laboratory glass reactor rated for combined pressure and vacuum operation

Pressure and Vacuum in Laboratory Glass Reactors: How to Specify the Operating Window Before You Order

Volume and temperature do not specify a laboratory glass reactor. State the complete operating window first — normal and maximum…

2026.08.23 • 19:29 read

Custom Reactor Design

PAT-ready glass reactor with ports for inline process analytical probes

Designing PAT-Ready Glass Reactors: What Process Chemists Must Specify Before the Vessel Is Built

PAT-readiness must be designed before a glass vessel is built, because probe ports and their geometry cannot simply be relocated…

2026.08.05 • 9:02 read

Automation & Digital Pharmaceutical & GMP

GMP-compliant glass reactor system for pharmaceutical manufacturing

Specifying a GMP-Compliant Glass Reactor: An Engineer’s Framework

A GMP-compliant reactor is not a standalone label; it is equipment designed, documented, qualified, and maintained to support a validated…

2026.07.21 • 9:02 read

Pharmaceutical & GMP

Jacketed glass reactor with emergency cooling circuit for exothermic reactions

Thermal Safety by Design: How Jacket Geometry and Emergency Cooling Circuits Should Be Specified for Exothermic Scale-Up in Glass Reactors

At pilot scale, an exothermic reaction can produce heat faster than a reactor can remove it, because reaction heat grows…

2026.07.14 • 9:14 read

Jacketed & Thermal Design

Low-temperature glass reactor setup used for process development

Low-Temperature Glass Reactor Setups for Process Development

Low-temperature reactor performance depends on the complete setup, including vessel design, cooling source, insulation, stirring, sensor placement, and dosing path.…

2026.06.30 • 9:48 read

Jacketed & Thermal Design

Reflux and condenser configuration fitted to a laboratory glass reactor

How to Specify Reflux and Condenser Setups for Laboratory Glass Reactors

Reflux looks simple on a bench: heat the reaction, condense the vapour, return the condensate to the vessel. In process…

2026.06.23 • 13:28 read

Separation & Solvent Recovery