The most common and essential daily used item in a scientific lab is glassware, which requires effective and efficient sterilisation. The appropriate size glassware autoclave will sterilise all shapes and sizes of lab glassware, including conical flasks, volumetric flasks, beakers, test tubes, graduated cylinders, glass pipettes, stirring rods, microscope slides, Petri dishes, and more.
The process of sterilising glassware brings about its own set of concerns, primarily glass breaking or shattering. Borosilicate and quartz are the recommended types of glassware in professional laboratories as they can withstand high temperatures and pressure, both necessary for efficient sterilisation. Given that the material is delicate in nature, glassware autoclaves need to be used with appropriate caution, care, and the necessary features in place.
Since glassware loads are generally vessels of various sizes, each will harbour different amounts of air inside the containers. The longer or taller the container, the more difficult it is to remove all of the air prior to sterilisation. As this air needs to be removed for proper sterilisation, pre-vacuum air removal is recommended. If you purchase Priorclave’s vacuum options, the steriliser is capable of both pre-vacuum and free-steaming/gravity cycles, in addition to post-vacuum systems to help with properly drying the glassware.
Our sterilisers are all laboratory-grade and can be created to any desired specification. There are a variety of custom features to choose from for your glass steriliser, one being load sensed process timing. There is also a great deal of variance in terms of desired chamber volume – as small as 40L or as large as 320L. Finding which autoclave is right for you will depend on volume, capacity, speed, and space.
Here are a few we recommend:
- Our top-loading autoclaves are our top sellers for lab environments and universities. These autoclaves are ideal for tall glass flasks, beakers, and other lab glassware. Like all of our autoclaves, they feature our proprietary Tactrol Programmable Control System that allows for automatic steam sterilisation with precision custom cycles and one-touch simplicity.
- Benchtop autoclaves are ideal for smaller shared lab environments as they are easy to use with plug-n-go features and offer fully-featured programmable control systems. They come in both 40L and 60L sizes.
- Our pass-through autoclaves are a bit more advanced with added safety features such as door interlocks, which prevent the potential for laboratory safety standards to be compromised. Every double-ended autoclave provides a sterile path in and out of sealed laboratories, with the option of 0.05-micron filters in the vent outlet capable of capturing organisms as small as viruses. They are used in universities, BSL-3 containment suites, and research labs.
You might feel uncertain about exactly what autoclave features and functions are appropriate for sterilising glassware in your lab. Priorclave has a dedicated team of seasoned experts ready to guide your autoclave decision. Whether you need a small, large, or custom glassware steriliser, we will guide your laboratory autoclave purchasing decision and find the right autoclave for you.