Autoclave for Laboratory
An autoclave is the fastest, safest, and most efficient way to sterilize glassware/containers, instruments, and even liquids.
This article will cover some common autoclave applications, then help you determine whether an SH Scientific autoclave suits your environment.
SH Autoclave Design & Features
Our autoclaves are floor-standing models with a cylindrical chamber for efficient loading.
All sizes use a top-loading (vertical) design to accommodate delicate glassware of any height. This creates a smaller footprint than comparable front-loading models, without the expense or complexity of an external boiler.
Standard features include automatic door locking while pressurized, a digital PID temperature controller, and built-in temperature and water level detection.
It reaches an operating temperature of 121°C in approximately 19 minutes, with temperature uniformity of less than ±1°C.
Laboratory Equipment Sterilization
Medical, pharmaceutical, bioengineering, bioprocessing, biopharmaceutical, and various university/research laboratories use SH Scientific autoclaves to sterilize items including:
- Beakers
- Growth media
- Fermenter vessels
- Flasks
- Media storage bottles
- Reagents
- Miscellaneous fittings, adapters, etc.
- Funnels
- Pipettes
- Waste
Each self-contained autoclave is quick to set up. Casters make it easy to position (or reposition) as your workflow requires.
Canning, Brewing & Distilling Supply Sterilization
Medical, pharmaceutical, bioengineering, bioprocessing, biopharmaceutical, and various university/research laboratories use SH Scientific autoclaves to sterilize items including:
- Beer, wine & spirits bottles
- Cans and tins
- Glassware
- Yeast growth media
This is a particularly common upgrade for home or small commercial operations that began with a pressure cooker.
They’re similar in principle, since most pressure cookers can sustain 121°C at 15 psi (like an autoclave), although details and precision vary by model. The biggest practical difference is that our smallest (60L) autoclave replaces a fleet of about 8 large pressure cookers.
A single autoclave can:
- Eliminates the need to monitor several pressure cookers at once
- Conserve both floorspace and utilities
- Perform lab-grade sterilization you can trust—even without constant attention
Background: How an Autoclave Works
Autoclaves use pressurized steam to sterilize quickly and easily. They’re controlled programmatically, so there’s no need to supervise the device during its cycle.
We all know that high temperatures kill microbes, and higher temperatures kill them even faster.
And compared to dry heat, saturated steam does a better job of penetrating surfaces for thorough sterilization.
But at atmospheric pressure—like the room you’re sitting in right now—steam is limited to roughly boiling temperature (100°C/212°F).
By sealing steam inside an airtight chamber, we can simultaneously increase pressure and temperature. It’ll quickly reach about 15 psi and 121°C/250°F.
At that point, steam sterilization is about 80% faster than at atmospheric pressure—and more thorough, too.
Pricing & Customization
Our standard autoclave configurations suit most facilities without modification. However, several power and control customizations are possible.
We encourage you to explore the line, or to contact us directly for technical inquiries or customization requests.