Autoclaves for pipettes and other laboratory glassware: the importance of correct sterilization
03-02-2021
Pipettes and other glassware also have their use in the medical industry, and like any other medical tool, needs to go through a proper sterilization procedure to be safely used again. The most practical and modern answer to this are mostly autoclaves, which have gained serious popularity in the medical industry. However, not all steam sterilizers are the same, since not all medical facilities use the same tools, and work for different purposes.
In Celitron’s next article, we will discuss how pipettes are different from other loads that can be put in autoclaves, and what kind of steam sterilizers you should use to be able to sterilize them properly!
About autoclaves and pipettes
Pipettes and glass hollows are most used in the medicinal and biochemical industry to transport and measure certain liquids. While staff will certainly wear appropriate protective gear when handling potentially hazardous and infectious materials, how can they be sure that the tool will be completely free from bacteria after use? The answer lies in autoclaves.
Also known as steam sterilizers, autoclaves are used in many industries to handle medical waste disposal, or sterilize tools that need to be reused or stocked without having to worry about them being a source of danger to humans or to the environment.
The reason autoclaves are more effective than cleaning and disinfection is that they use high pressure steam with a temperature well over 100 degrees Celsius, enabling them to destroy even heat-resistant bacteria!
Why you need to use a class B autoclave to sterilize pipettes
Not all autoclaves are the same. Apart from size, they are usually classified by their class: N, S, and B, with the latter representing the highest category available on the market right now. But what exactly makes a class B autoclave “better” than the others?
It all depends on your sterilization needs. Class N, and the slightly more advanced S class are no bad choices by any means, if you only need to treat flat instruments that do not have holes. Of course lab glassware like pipettes is another question.
Air removal plays a critical role in allowing the steam inside the autoclave’s chamber to reach every single part of the load inside. Containers like pipettes can also contain air inside, making them a more complicated load to treat. Only the vacuum pumps of class B autoclaves are powerful enough to not only remove the air inside the chamber, but also from any hollow container present inside the machine.
The taller and bigger the container, the harder this can be to achieve. Still, with the right steam sterilizer, this is something you will never have to worry about.
Class B autoclaves for pipettes and other lab glassware from Celitron
Celitron only provides the most advanced types of equipment for the medical industry: regardless of their size (small, medium, and large),our class B autoclaves are all capable of creating ideal sterilization conditions for hard goods or hollow containers and glassware like pipettes. So how should you decide which one is most suited to your facility? This mainly depends on your available space and capacity needs for your sterilization cycles.
1. Azteca A Series large autoclave
Our largest available steam sterilizers have immense capacities, and can store loads from 110 liters up to 880 liters. Due to their large size, we mainly recommend for large hospitals and other facilities that deal with a large amount of tools on a day-to-day basis, and need to be sterilized often to be able to be reused for different purposes.
For smaller medical facilities, labs, and research institutes, the medium and small benchtop autoclaves may be a better choice to be able to work profitably and can be installed more easily thanks to their more compact size.
2. Azteca AC Series medium autoclave for pipettes
These steam sterilizers are more modest in size and capacity: the volume of their chamber ranges from 75 liters to 200 liters, and even the largest of these medium autoclaves weigh less, than the smallest autoclave in our large category. So even if you need more capacity, you can expect an easier installation at the site of your facility.
It is particularly easy to use, with a completely automated process that can be started with just the push of a button. It also comes equipped with extra safety features to protect staff from any potential accidents that might come from the extremely high pressure and temperature levels: until these go back to normal, no one will be able to open the door of the autoclave’s chamber. The sterilization cycles themselves last about 20 minutes.
3. Sting 11B Premium small tabletop autoclave for pipettes
If you want the most compact and light autoclave that does not compromise on effectiveness despite its smaller size, then you will be delighted by Celitron’s benchtop autoclave, which can sterilize pipettes and other lab glassware just as well. For the smallest medical facilities, this one is definitely the way to go if you do not have a lot of space available, and do not need to treat huge loads each day.
The Sting 11B weighs much less than the previously mentioned steam sterilizers, and its chamber volume can store 25 liters’ worth of porous, prion, wrapped, and unwrapped loads.
These small autoclaves for glass pipettes are also equipped with energy saving systems, just like their “big brothers”, and can help smaller facilities reduce their power consumption, and reduce their operations costs. Not to mention reducing the burden on our environment!
All in all, no matter the size of the autoclave you choose for pipettes, it needs to be the right kind: class B steam sterilizers represent the most advanced the category on the market, and can handle even the most complex loads, including porous loads and containers. If you are looking for autoclaves for pipettes and laboratory glassware, make sure to check out Celitron’s website, where you will be able to learn even more about these machines, and compare them all in one place!