Horizontal Autoclave: The Workhorse of Large Volume Sterilizations

Some pieces of equipment are designed to make things convenient for you. A horizontal autoclave, on the other hand, is designed to make sterilizing large batches of items quick and efficient. Once you have seen what goes on behind the scenes in a hospital or pharmaceutical company, you will understand why this particular design has been used in the industry for decades and continues to be the standard regardless of any "miniature" solutions that appeared.

For the last ten years, I covered the topic of sterilization in my laboratory and hospital articles and always had to talk about horizontal units. The reason is quite simple — if your work involves daily sterilizing of large surgical trays, bulk linens or many parts of medications, the most suitable solution for you will be a front-loaded horizontal autoclave machine.

Why Orientation Is Important

While autoclave horizontal may seem like another name to me, it is actually a different loading and handling process of the machine. Horizontal autoclave stands out among other models in the manner in which it is opened – from the front rather than from the top. Typically, the horizontal autoclave consists of a sliding door with a rack or trolley that slides directly into the chamber. It is evident from the definition of a horizontal autoclave that the chamber itself is installed horizontally and can accommodate larger and heavier loads.

One of the additional features of this particular model is the possibility to use pass-through autoclave design where the chambers are separated by sterile and non-sterile zones so that sterile items can be loaded from one side while the other side stays for loading and unloading non-sterile items. This particular characteristic is one of the reasons why such machines are widely used in hospitals.

Built to Last: Materials and Structure

Most of the units on the modern market are made of stainless steel and there is a reason for that beyond aesthetic. This kind of metal does not get rusted even after being exposed to high pressure steam cycles and handles thermal expansion and contraction very well besides being easy to satisfy the hygiene requirements. Therefore, while choosing a medica autoclave for your hospital, take note of the material used in making the chamber.

What Influences Autoclave Machine Price

Price of a horizontal autoclave machine is determined by its chamber size, automation, and presence of pass-through double doors design. A small autoclave machine with a single door configuration for a hospital department will be far cheaper than a full-size automated machine required for pharmaceutical production processes where cycle validation is essential. Take care not to consider only the cost — think about your facility's load volume first.

Its Area of Application

Portable autoclaves are commonly used in dental clinics to sterilize hand instruments between procedures. The same devices are widely applied by veterinarians to sterilize instruments in surgical procedure when there is not enough room to install an autoclave. Small labs and field laboratories prefer such machines due to the fact that they do not need any plumbing or electrical system to operate. Even piercing and tattoo shops, which are under health code control, use this kind of devices to meet all the regulations.

Concluding Thoughts

While horizontal autoclave may not be the best option for everyone, if you need a large load capacity per day and work either at hospitals, CSSD or in the pharmaceutical industry, this type of equipment will be the most efficient one to consider. Just remember that you need to pick the right chamber dimensions, the door type and material, to have a long-lasting piece of equipment.

Need to update your CSSD or add a pharmaceutical sterilization line? Don’t hesitate to contact us; just provide us with your load capacity information below.