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Autoclave Manufacturer: Customization

How working with a Custom Autoclave Manufacturer can help you with autoclave projects in existing buildings.

Whether you need vivarium autoclaves for your animal-related research facility or standard laboratory sterilization equipment, you may run into the option of buying a prefabricated unit or having your equipment custom-made. In a few respects, working with a custom autoclave manufacturer can be more advantageous if you are in an existing building than buying standard pieces. 

Cost-Efficiency for Specialty Autoclave Applications

Working with a custom autoclave manufacturer specialized in customized equipment delivers cost efficiencies for specialty autoclave applications. While you can find quite a few standard autoclaves with the most expected features, these units may not always cater specifically to your building or operation. In addition, opting to have a new autoclave retrofitted with additional features may not always be the most cost-effective option.

Instead, you are far better working with an engineer from a custom autoclave manufacturer to design the unit around your needs and with the features that coincide with daily use within your building. For example, if you need an autoclave with split bulk sterilizers (see illustration below), unique cycling capabilities, and a ventilation system that connects to your existing ventilation outlet points, a customized unit can be designed from the ground up. Therefore, post-manufacturing reconfigurations and adjustments will not be involved, and you can spend less to get the equipment you need. 

Get Larger Sterilization Equipment Manufactured and Installed, in Spite of Constraints in an Existing Building 

Certain autoclave projects have specific challenges that can only be efficiently addressed through engineering a customized piece of equipment. For example, if a company needs a large autoclave and operates from an existing, multistory building, buying a prefabricated unit can bring along hard-to-overcome quandaries. Many of these challenges will come into play during the installation process, such as: 

  • Elevator weight capacity restrictions or size limitations 
  • Restrictive hallway layouts that prevent adequate maneuverability of the equipment 
  • Doorway width and height limitations 
  • Problems with creating an adequately sized pit for installation

These types of challenges are hard to avoid in an existing building and can dramatically increase project costs. With our expertise in a custom approach, we developed the Split Bulk Sterilizer to eliminate all of the issues previously defined. While Beta Star does manufacture some standard sizes in batch lots, such as the LSII 20-inch by 20-inch or the 26-inch by 26-inch by 39-inch, our larger sizes are custom-made. 

Take Advantage of Custom Autoclave Manufacturing with a Streamlined Approach

Our integration with R-V Industries here at Beta Star Life Science Equipment has given new life to our manufacturing processes. R-V Industries actually specializes in custom manufacturing, and we’ve streamlined our own operations to coincide. When you opt for our services as your custom autoclave manufacturer, we provide: 

  • Engineering flexibility to get clients the autoclave sterilizers they need 
  • Carefully thought-out manufacturing plans utilizing the valuable insight of industry engineers 
  • Timely project efficiency with our in-house project scheduling department to ensure efficiency
  • A dedicated project management team to support client updates throughout the manufacturing process

We pride ourselves on delivering sterilization equipment that can suit even the most unique floorplans, usage objectives, or layouts. To find out more about our custom manufacturing processes, reach out to us. 

More Autoclave Manufacturer Topics to Know

For more information about what to consider when selecting an autoclave manufacturer, visit the Autoclave Manufacturer post or any of the subtopics listed below:

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Autoclave Manufacturer: Avoiding Metal Contamination

Can You Use Stainless and Carbon Steel
for Autoclave Manufacturing?

As one of the top autoclave manufacturers in North America, Beta Star life science sterilizing equipment is engineered and built to exacting standards with only the highest-grade materials available. That’s why all of our autoclaves are exceptionally reliable, highly adaptable, easy to use, and the equipment of choice in the laboratory, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. Being a premier autoclave manufacturer means that every Beta Star sterilizer is able to handle the most demanding jobs, while minimizing downtime and maintaining dependability cycle after cycle. How do we do it? It all starts with stainless steel.

The “Riddle of Steel”

steel stacked and ready to be used by an autoclave manufacturer
All Beta Star autoclaves start as steel plates, which are then bent, cut, machined, and welded to manufacture the finished autoclave in your facility.

Steel is actually an entire family of metal alloys, with hundreds of application-specific grades. However, for this comparison we are only concerned with two different categories: stainless steel and carbon steel. Although stainless steel and carbon steel both contain the same basic ingredients of iron and carbon, their main difference is alloy content. Carbon steel has less than 10.5 percent alloy content, while stainless steel must contain 10.5 percent of chromium or more. It is this essential difference that gives the two steels their distinct physical characteristics – and why Beta Star only uses 100 percent stainless in its autoclave manufacturing.

In general, steels with higher carbon content (carbon steel) are hard and brittle, while steels with lower carbon content (stainless) are able to deform without losing toughness, are pliable, and can sustain significant plastic deformation under tensile stress before failure. In short, this means a significant difference in expansion and contraction rates between the two steels. Stainless steel can expand 34 percent more than carbon steel, which is a critical consideration when deciding which steel to use for an autoclave steam jacket.

The Problem With Rust for an Autoclave Manufacturer

Stainless steel is specifically designed to resist moisture or atmospheric induced oxidization. It contains a minimum chromium content of 10.5 percent by mass, which creates a protective barrier between environmental oxygen and the metal’s iron content. This prevents any corrosion or rust development. It is for this simple reason that Beta Star only builds autoclaves with a stainless steel jacket.

Carbon steel does rust and corrode when exposed to moisture because it lacks the corrosion-resistant properties contained in stainless steel. Due to the missing chromium in carbon steel, it does not last as long as stainless steel, nor does it withstand extreme temperature changes without damage. Even small amounts of moisture, including atmospheric vapor, will cause carbon steel to rust. Since carbon steel can be damaged from moisture exposure, in certain situations steam will degrade the material at rates of 0.05 inches per year in extreme use environments.

While maintaining autoclave chamber integrity is easy given the ability to clean inside the chamber, the same cannot be said about outside the chamber between the carbon steel jacket. Since that cannot be cleaned, rust residue continues to accumulate on those surfaces. Over 15 years (which is the industry standard chamber warranty) it could result in a three-quarters of an inch erosion of carbon steel – which is far thicker than any jacket material. Ultimately this leads to failure of the autoclave’s carbon steel jacket, with all of the associated consequences.

Beta Star Manufactures Better

All Beta Star autoclaves come with a 100 percent stainless steel chamber and jacket, and are welded, assembled, completed, and acceptance tested through a full cycle in a facility that handles only stainless and alloy metals. This prevents any cross-contamination during the manufacturing process. Using only stainless steel, our small, medium, and bulk throughput autoclave chambers can regularly hold up to 12,960 pounds of force on just the chamber door alone, safely maintaining vital structural integrity. Some manufacturers use stainless steel chambers inside but carbon steel jackets outside. This puts additional stresses on joint welds because of the two different materials, which then become potential weak points. So when it comes time to choose your next autoclave, think simple, reliable, stainless, sterilization solutions from Beta Star.

Take Advantage of Custom Autoclave Manufacturing with a Streamlined Approach

For more information about what to consider when selecting an autoclave manufacturer, visit the Autoclave Manufacturer post or any of the subtopics listed below:

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Autoclave Manufacturer: USA Single-Sourced

bulk autoclave built by a usa autoclave manufacturer

Why trusting a single-source, USA autoclave manufacturer for autoclave production matters.

When sourcing autoclaves for your operation, whether that be biopharmaceutical, laboratory-based, or otherwise, you will face a big decision. Should you work with a single-sourced USA autoclave manufacturer or opt for multi-sourced autoclaves.

Numerous advantages of working with a single-source autoclave manufacturer exist. Take a look at just a few of those benefits of relying on a U.S. single-source manufacturer for your much-needed equipment. 

Gain Better Control Over Lead Time

When you work with a single-source autoclave manufacturer, you gain more power over lead time with your equipment orders. Using a single-source manufacturer optimizes lead time because the manufacturer can effectively target and reduce four of the primary types of waste associated with lean manufacturing. For those unfamiliar, lean manufacturing always means reduced waste, optimized processes, and cut costs without an effect on productivity. The four types of waste that can be targeted by trusting a single-source manufacturer include: 

Transportation

Parts and materials will not be transported to and from various manufacturers where the risk of project schedule disruptions increases.

Motion

Autoclaves will not be subject to unnecessary movement which increases the likelihood of delays.

Waiting

Time waiting for equipment from other manufacturers will be reduced.

Over-Processing

Equipment (autoclave chambers and supporting components) will not require additional processing time that does not bring value. This includes quality processing that must occur between multiple manufacturers.

bulk autoclave built by a usa autoclave manufacturer
Bulk autoclave chamber

Reap the Advantages of Quality Control Oversight

When you are working with a single-source autoclave manufacturer, quality control oversight becomes a more uniform effort. You have equipment that is controlled by the QC oversight at just one location instead of multiple locations that may have differing QC processes. For example, you will always know what to expect with provided weld documentation because the same autoclave manufacturer was overseeing the quality of welding processes and weld procedure specifications. As an adage, when you work with a single source US autoclave manufacturer, you can easily determine if the manufacturer is Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) Certified.

Negate Customs and Geographical Issues

Covid-19 has impacted international manufacturing, trade, and global supply chains profoundly, and in more than one way. The pandemic brought out concerns of risk exposure between countries simply due to travel and the transport of supplies or goods. So much so that some countries temporarily restricted incoming shipments from offshore locations and halted shipments from their own countries completely. Many companies that were sourcing their manufactured supplies from offshore suppliers fell into precarious shortages that affected their ability to keep going.

Due to the eye-opening experience with Covid-19, more countries have begun to rely more on onshore supplies to thwart risks of interruption to their business or operation. According to Forbes, the reshoring of manufacturing efforts is bound to become more the norm in the coming months and years. When you work with a US autoclave manufacturer that operates as a single-source operation, overseas shortages, trade restrictions, and other problematic situations are less likely to affect your own operation.  

usa autoclave manufacturer, from raw plate to FAT
Every weld is completed at our Pennsylvania facility.

Choosing the Right USA Autoclave Manufacturer Makes the Difference 

In the end, a single-source autoclave manufacturer like Beta Star means you always get a quality, reliable product that can be customized to your standards. Even more important, you negate issues that can come along with international suppliers and wasted resources. To learn more about Beta Star Life Science Equipment and our capabilities, reach out to us for more information. 

More Autoclave Manufacturer Topics to Know

For more information about what to consider when selecting an autoclave manufacturer, visit the Autoclave Manufacturer post or any of the subtopics listed below:

Article Sources

7 Wastes of Lean (Kanbanize.com): https://kanbanize.com/lean-management/value-waste/7-wastes-of-lean

Why Reshoring US Manufacturing Could be the Wave of the Future (Forbes.com): https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/09/09/why-reshoring-us-manufacturing-could-be-the-wave-of-the-future/?sh=3b4283143bfc