Choices are good; but when you are presented with too many options it is easy to get confused. The number of companies making autoclaves and sterilizers (and offering multiple options for each model) has increased dramatically over the past decade. Making a poorly informed or inappropriate choice can have a significant negative impact on the operating efficiency of any organization that relies on one or more of these machines.
The wide variety of available alternatives has grown exponentially due to the increase in general industry knowledge and improvements in sterilization technology. You should take a close look at your specific needs and relevant budget constraints before making a procurement decision since acquiring a sterilizer can be a significant investment. LTE Scientific offers some consumer guidance for autoclave purchases that may help in the customer’s decision making process.
A little free advice can be a great help in the effort to ensure the efficacy of such a valuable asset. After all, you want to make sure you have the right apparatus to meet all your needs. You also do not want to spend extra money on something that does much more than necessary. LTE Scientific identifies some issues that are sometimes not given as much weight as maybe they should be.
Due Considerations
The following are some important questions you need to ask yourself before buying:
- How will steam be generated? Is there already an on-site source or will it be created by the autoclave itself?
- Is cycle length and equipment down time important?
- What are the specific requirements for data traceability and cycle recordings? Will the computer management of this information need to be handled remotely? Storage and archives for temperature and pressure validation are usually necessary in one form or another at most laboratories and medical facilities.
- What kind of vacuum pump is necessary to meet your needs? Drying time and effectiveness of the flashing away of residual water can be dramatically affected by this.
- Do you need a ballast type system to help prevent breakage? Increasing pressure instead of vacuum can be very useful for certain applications involving sealed and unsealed media. In such cases equalizing pressure or sometimes even overpressure can prevent breakage or volume loss.
- How important are power consumption and water usage? Environmental concerns are on the rise. Recycling of water or steam can provide some reassurance that you are doing your part to aid conservation.
LTE Scientific can provide answers to many of these questions. Founded in 1947, this company has over 60 years of experience from which to draw its information. This large manufacturing and supply company has industrial customers throughout the pharmaceutical, biotech, food manufacture, agriculture, healthcare, veterinary, higher education, research testing, analytical laboratories, electronics, defense, and other technological sectors.
Some of their main products include:
- Laboratory Autoclaves (30 to 10,000 liters)
- Central Steam Sterilizers (330 to 10,000 liters)
- Dry Heat Sterilizers (60 to 1,000 liters)
- Ovens (60 to 1,000 liters)
- Incubators (60 to 1,000 liters)
- Cooled Incubators (70 to 410 liters)
- Freeze-Dryers (3 to 18kg ice capacity)
- Environmentally Controlled Rooms
- Solution and Blanket Warming Cabinets
Their recent innovative additions include the Touchclave-R autoclaves and QualicoolTM incubators. They continue to adapt to customer needs and incorporate the latest technologies.