Even though available records indicate that heat sterilization was already used in Ancient Rome, it only became a sanitary priority in the 19th century. Ever since modern science postulated the need for sterilized objects or instruments, the autoclave became an essential device in hospitals and laboratories. The autoclave is a medical sterilization device that permits the application of pressure and heat in order to decontaminate items or render them sterile.

Transmissible agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and spores can pose great hazards to human and animal life. Using steam, autoclave sterilizers have the ability to destroy virtually all of these agents from any surface or piece of equipment. Very few organisms able to survive autoclaving are known to scientists today.

Dentistry demands the use of many instruments that enter into contact with blood or other parts of the body of a patient. The same is true for other areas of medicine in which equipment like scalpels and hypodermic needles are used. Placing these instruments in the chamber of an autoclave will ensure that they are kept clean and free of any hazardous agents, thus protecting the patient's health.

Beyond its use in dentistry and general medicine, the autoclave is also important in certain areas of metallurgy. Autoclaves are the strong, closed, airtight vessels required for the complex process of leaching sulfides, particularly in the metallurgy of zinc. Autoclaves are also used to sterilize piercing tools and jewelry. Autoclaves are designed in different models and sizes to respond to the needs of each particular industry or specialty.