What autoclave you should use is determined by the type of instruments that you sterilise. If you sterilise Hollow Load Type A & B instruments, you will need an autoclave capable of running a Type B Cycle. These autoclave are usually called Class B sterilizers. Typical users of Class B autoclaves include: Dentists Plastic surgeons Day surgeries Medical Surgeries Podiatrist Tattooist Body Pierces Veterinary application Cosmetic application (Including hair or nail salons etc…) If you only sterilize unwrapped Non Hollow instruments, you only need an autoclave capable of running Class N Cycles. These autoclaves are usually called Class N Sterilisers. Not many new sterilizes are Class N, although many older sterilisers are. When purchasing a new autoclave to run Class N, it is best to purchase a Class S sterilisers as these can easily process such instruments. Can a single sterilizer be used for multiple load types? Generally all autoclaves are capable of sterilizing all types of loads, but in order to get the most from your considerable investment it is worth investigating what options might be available to more efficiently process the different types of materials. A waste load can be processed far more effectively by using options such as vacuum and free steaming, but using these on a media load could lead to disaster. Some laboratories use a different autoclave for each load type to avoid cross contamination, but for smaller laboratories this can easily be overcome by having pre-set selectable programs for each load type. Once programmed and ‘locked off’ these cycles can also be qualified.