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Touchclave lab machine

Autoclave Machines and Loading Systems

Multi-Purpose Autoclave Machines & Sterilizers for Laboratory Use

LTE Scientific offers a wide range of multi-purpose lab autoclaves for the research and general laboratory markets including university, research, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and the food and beverage markets. Our sterilizers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, either with rectangular or circular chambers and capacities ranging from 23 litres up to 1052 litres, with our Touchclave systems offering a bespoke option up to 10,000 litres.

Numerous options can be fitted to most LTE lab autoclaves to provide enhanced performance, efficiency and functionality, this coupled with our expert advice allows us to provide a solution to any requirement.

All our autoclaves/sterilizers are designed and manufactured here in the UK and as such comply with, and often exceed, the required standards to ensure all our products offer outstanding reliability, performance, longevity and value.

LTE has also partnered with a leading European loading equipment company to provide a complete sterilisation solution. Remeda, based in Sweden specialise in the design and manufacture of loading systems for autoclaves and washer disinfectors.

Remeda systems can be manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic in operation and offer the perfect solution to reducing or completely removing any manual handling of racks and trolleys. This reduces operator risk, creates a better work environment and fits in with the increase in legislation around manual handling. Remeda loading trolleys can be fitted onto LTE and other brands.

Raising the standard

All LTE Autoclaves are built to meet many national and International Standards. Below are some of the applicable standards and codes

IS9001 GAMP
UKAS* ISO 17025, ISO 13485 PD5500
BS2646 Pressure Equipment Directive
BS3970* HSE Note PM73
BS6759 (safety valves) EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
97/42/EC Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC
HTM 01-01, HTM 01-06 EN61010-1-2001
EN285* EN55011
PM60* EN61000-4
21CFR11*

Those standards marked * may require the fitting of options or additional documentation/testing in order to comply.

Service and Testing

Our Autoclaves are designed to operate to high standards of reliability and quality as demanded in the laboratory and medical environments. Our Service Centre employs a highly skilled team of autoclave service engineers and we offer a full after-sales care service including autoclave servicing, testing, validation and breakdown cover. Work can be carried out to UKAS and various CfPP (HTM) protocols and we can service any make or brand.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should my autoclave be serviced?

To keep your autoclave performing optimally, we recommend two maintenance visits per year for an autoclave with typical usage.

We find this works well arranged once every six months, with the annual visit providing support with the pressure vessel insurance inspection and we perform any load re-validations required.

Autoclaves being used more frequently, including on a 24-hour basis, would require up to four service visits per year.

What can cause a failed autoclave cycle?

A failed cycle can occur for numerous reasons, interruption to the services/utilities supplying the autoclave will cause the autoclave not to complete a cycle.

Within the cycle itself, not completing to a pass cycle stage, two areas can be looked at. Firstly, have the autoclave cycle parameters been met? For example, an autoclave failing to pull the desired vacuum could indicate that the door seal needs replacing.

Secondly, the load itself needs to be looked at. A failed cycle and incomplete sterilisation occurs when contents are not exposed to the correct temperature for the required duration. Several factors can cause this in an autoclave: using the incorrect cycle for the contents being sterilised, incorrect loading of the chamber (overloading), or inadequate packaging of the load.

It is imperative that the loading of items is in accordance with the autoclave set-up and validation process carried out to UKAS/HTM of that load. Changes to the load may require re-validation to offer assurances against the effectiveness of the sterilisation process.

What can cause insufficient effectiveness of the sterilisation process?

Incorrect or changes to the cycle load. It is vital that items are loaded in accordance with the set-up of each cycle and validation process carried out to UKAS/HTM of that load.

Changes to the load may require re-validation to ensure the effectiveness of the sterilisation process. If you are unsure about the changes made to a cycle; please get in touch with our service team for advice.

How can I verify the effectiveness of my autoclave sterilisation process?

There are a few methods available. Chemical or biological test indicator strips are commonly used for regular effectiveness checks on autoclaves without inbuilt monitoring.

For more precise checks, UKAS/HTM qualified engineers like LTE’s service engineers can perform professional validation and calibration using specialised machines.

Where can I buy an LTE autoclave?

LTE are a UK-based manufacturer supplying autoclaves to laboratories and healthcare settings worldwide, thanks to our extensive distributor network.

You can find our international distributors here or for UK autoclave sales  please contact us directly on: 01457 876 221 or email info@lte-scientific.co.uk

Why is it important for air to be removed from the load before sterilisation?

Steam sterilisation relies on the steam being in contact with the load. Air acts as a heat insulator and in certain instances it can compromise the effectiveness of sterilisation, making air removal crucial.

A vacuum system from LTE provides two functions: pre- and post-vacuum. Pre-vacuum provides efficient air removal at the beginning of the cycle, ensuring that steam penetrates deep into the load and will

not be affected by trapped air pockets. Vacuum air removal is considerably faster than gravity systems.

Post-vacuum aids the cooling stage. A vacuum can be used to help dissipate heat from the load and in some cases can aid in the removal of some moisture from the load to help drying.

What are the stages of sterilisation?

The stages of autoclave sterilisation can vary dependent on the load. For example, media / liquids load will start with a heat ramp up to the desired temperature, whereas a mixed discard load will typically start with air removal vacuum.

Stages of a typical waste discard laboratory cycle are:

  • Air removal / vacuum – including a series of negative and positive pulses.
  • Steam admission – steam heat-up ramp to set temperature.
  • Sterilisation hold – autoclave reaches the correct temperature which is held for a set time for effective sterilisation of the load.
  • Cooling and drying – autoclave is cooled conventionally or with the aid of a vacuum.

What is the difference between a porous load and non-porous load?

It is dependent on whether air and water can pass through a load or not.  A porous load consists of materials that air and water can pass through while a non-porous load has materials which it cannot. The type of autoclave cycle and the options you need will depend on whether you plan to sterilise a porous or non-porous load.

What industries are autoclaves used in?

Autoclaves are used in many industries for a wide range of applications. Most commonly, autoclaves can be found in scientific institutions (life science, biology, research and pharmaceutical) plus healthcare facilities. However, they can also be found in utilities, industrial, manufacturing, educational and the food and beverage industries.

What applications can autoclaves be used for?

Steam autoclaves can be used for a huge range of applications. Some common applications include the sterilisation of instruments, sterilising lab equipment (glassware, tubing, pipettes, stripettes, culture media etc.) and sterilising biohazardous waste prior to disposal, plus so much more. In laboratory settings LTE autoclaves can support your biosafety level (BSL) 1, BSL2 and BSL3 work.

Can I put bottles of liquids and fluids in my autoclave?

You can sterilise liquids in an autoclave. There are two options available, either naturally cooling post-cycle, which significantly increases cycle time or using air ballasting, which we strongly recommend.

The air ballast system maintains constant over-pressure in the chamber during cooling, preventing liquid volume loss and allowing for faster, safer cooling whilst also reducing overall cycle times.

Am I able to process BSL3 category waste?

Biosafety level 3 (BSL3) waste can be processed in an autoclave, but this does require a CAT3 effluent retention filter to be fitted to the autoclave.

This filters all non-condensable gases through a 0.2-micron filter prior to release and then returns liquids back to the chamber for sterilisation.

LTE can offer passthrough autoclaves with bio seal separation for safe working.

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LTE Scientific

LTE Scientific