Broadly speaking, you have two options for your autoclave door: a “power door” or a “manual door.”

• Power doors open at the push of a button, sliding either horizontally or vertically into the autoclave cabinet. They are also called “powered doors,” “automatic doors,” or “sliding doors.”
• Manual doors swing open after the operator has either unlatched all the securing bolts, or worked a lever that releases the internal interlocks.

In most cases, we strongly urge labs away from power door autoclaves, because the problems they “solve” are almost always far outweighed by the ones they create.

Why Choose a Power Door Autoclave?

Users interested in power door autoclaves almost always cite one or more of the following three reasons:

1. Convenience and workflow: Push button operation is fast and easy! Load your autoclave without having to set down your load and fuss with locks and latches. Removing a step accelerates your workflow.
2. Space efficiency: Manual door front-loading autoclaves need clear space in front of the autoclave to allow for the door to swing open. Because a power door slides into the autoclave cabinet, it requires zero swing space in front of the unit.
3. Accessibility: Many manual doors require two hands for operation and manual dexterity. Even those designed for one-handed opening and closing often still require a fair bit of hand strength and full use of the hand and arm. Automatic doors can be opened by users with strength, flexibility, and mobility issues.

But to what degree can an automatic autoclave door actually help you improve workflow, save space, and expand accessibility in your lab?

Power Doors Don’t Deliver

On consideration, most of these “wins” turn out to be negligible. For example, in terms of accessibility, it’s certainly true that older style “hand wheel” and twist locks are a hassle. Many require two-handed operation. But today, smaller wheel locks and lever-based handles are much more common, and can be operated with one hand. And if someone lacks the strength or mobility to operate these, it’s usually the case that they also lack the strength or mobility to load the autoclave—which generally requires more strength than opening the door.

Likewise, while a zero-swing sliding door sounds like a big win for lab space, you still need to have the space to load the autoclave, often by positioning a cart in front of the chamber. One way or the other, you need a large clear space in front of the autoclave.

Finally, it’s our experience that, in most labs, the major impediment to efficient workflow isn’t the time it takes to open the autoclave door: it’s the heating and cooling of the autoclave itself. Saving a few seconds on door opening isn’t going to make water boil any faster.

Power Door Problems

Meanwhile, power doors introduce a host of problems and liabilities. For example, although they eliminate the need for door swing, power door autoclaves take up more floor space, because the cabinet must be larger to accommodate the door. A manual door sterilizer with the same chamber capacity will actually have a smaller footprint, but still handle just as large a load. Also, because all power door autoclaves must have a rectangular chamber, users also miss out on the efficiencies and cost savings that come with the cylindrical chambers Priorclave favors for their non-jacketed research, education, and industrial-use autoclaves.

On top of all of this, powered door mechanisms are complicated, with additional actuators, controlers, and a specialized sealing gasket. They require additional maintenance, above and beyond the standard maintenance any autoclave needs to continue operating efficiently. If anything goes wrong with the door, the entire machine is offline. For safety reasons, it cannot default to “manual operation” if there are any faults with the powered door system.

Finally, and usually the dealbreaker: adding an automatic door to an autoclave significantly increases the price.

“This is why every Priorclave steam autoclave begins with a conversation,” explains Priorclave Sales Director Lee Oakley. “Once we start talking to someone about what they expect to get out of the features they’re asking for, and then explain the costs and benefits, it often is the case that the trade off just is not worth it for them.”

Ready to start that conversation? Contact our team. They’ll explore your sterilization needs and help you determine the right configuration of the right autoclave model for you.