A surgical instrument includes a handpiece, an elongate shaft assembly extending distally from the handpiece, an activation assembly, an end effector disposed at a distal end of the shaft assembly, and a firing beam. The handpiece comprises a cover operable to selectively expose an interior of the handpiece. The activation assembly is selectively coupleable with the handpiece and is operable to regulate the delivery of power to the end effector. The shaft comprises a selectively removable jaw assembly. The end effector has a pivoting jaw operable to pivot toward and away from the jaw assembly to thereby capture tissue. The jaw assembly and the pivoting jaw each comprise an electrode surface. The electrode surfaces are configured to seal the captured tissue by providing RF energy to the tissue. The firing beam is configured to sever the sealed tissue.
