A hot air oven is a dry heat sterilization oven. It is used in the various industries where the materials or instruments were sterilized. Out hot air oven uses high temperature and runs for several hours to destroy the bacteria.

Characteristics of the material for heat sterilization

The hot air oven consists of stainless steel rod trays where the material is placed for the heating. First, the door is open and the material is placed on the trays. The material that needs to be sterilized has characteristics like a higher melting point. It also has to be fire-resistant so it will not catch fire or burn while heating inside the hot chamber. It also does not deform its shape and size during the heating.

Working of hot air oven

First, the door is open and located at the front. The trays are placed inside the chamber on the slots. The objector material which needs to be sterilized is placed on the trays. The door is closed and locks and the switch is turned on.

As the switch gets on, the air heaters start to heat. This heat is then distributed inside the chamber and the temperature inside the chamber starts to increase. As the temperature increases, the fan stats and generates the airflow to ensure the uniform heat distribution inside the chamber. In some cases, the fan is not provided and it is dependent upon the material and customer requirement. As the insulation is provided on the outside and the door, the heat gets trapped inside the chamber. Due to these, the temperature inside the chamber gradually starts to increase. The temperature reading is shown on the indicator provided on the control panel. The desired time for the heating is set and shown on the indicator.

As the hot air mixture starts to increase the temperature, the heat first gets consumed by the outer surface of the material, and then it gradually moves toward the core layer by layer. As the heating process continues, the material reaches the desired temperature for sterilization, which destroys the bacteria. The lab oven is kept running through a specific time to make sure the process is done and the desired results are achieved.

When it reaches the set limit, the alarm sounds. The laboratory oven is then turned off. The material is taken out of the hot air oven with safety gloves and given some time to cool down. Once the material gets cooled, it is ready for next use.

Some safety has to be taken care of while removing heated material from the lab oven. As the size and temperature range vary, the time and number of materials placed also vary. Check the link for detailed hot air oven sizes and temperature range. Contact us for more details.