What is the number one contaminant source in your cleanroom? Your operators. It's not that your operators don't care about keeping contamination at bay, but people make mistakes. They are the ones that go in and out of the cleanroom, and contamination is bound to sneak in. This weeks video goes over the best practices to help your operators keep contamination out of your critical environment. 

There are a lot of step that are required to enter a cleanroom. Here are the 5 steps that you can take to be a cleanroom super star! 

1. No Smoking
Smoking before you enter a cleanroom can bring in contamination. There is residue that will stick to your fingers and the smoke will linger in your lungs. Even though you cannot see the contamination, it could still be there. 

2. Always Ask Questions
Asking questions is very important. You cannot just assume that something is clean or will work. Double check with your manager before you change anything. 

3. No Food or Gum
Food and gum cannot be in the cleanroom. The possibility of dropping crumbs is just too great when you are working in such a critical environment. 

4. No Cellphones
Cellphones need to be left outside of the cleanroom as well. They are a great place to house contamination and are not easily cleaned. Plus, gloves do not work well with smartphones and this might prompt you to remove them. 

5. Wearing Apparel Properly 
Putting the apparel on correctly is very important, but keeping it on correctly is even more important. Letting some slip or fall off is a huge risk for contamination. Make sure that everything fits correctlyy before entering the cleanroom. 

When you are buying new wipers there is a lot to consider. Similar to gloves you have to consider the 5 C's: cost, capacity, cleanliness, chemical compatibility, and construction. On-top of the 5 C's you also have to worry about the edge treatment that you choose to use in your critical environment. There are a lot of different options for you to choose from:

Pressure Heat-Sealed: This is used for synthetic wipers and is accomplished by forming a flat edge on the wiper that eliminates any stray threads from being exposed. This is the cleanest of all edge treatments. 

Ultrasonic-Sealed: This is superior to laser sealed because it delivers a softer edge with a lower carbon level. An ultrasonic sealed edge is thinner than the substrate. 

Laser Sealed: This allows for particulate retention because the laser uses heat to seal the edge of the wiper. This is superior in cost and precision. 

Wire Cut: This uses a hot wire similar to the way a poll bag is heat-sealed. The border is not as clean as a laser cut or heat sealed edge, but it much lower in cost. 

Cold Knife Cut: This uses a steal blade to cut the fabric. This method can leave a lot of fibers on the wiper and can lead to contamination when used. 
 
​To learn more about wiper selection watch the video below or visit our wiper section here. 

People want to the cleanest products in their cleanrooms and critical environments. But what are you supposed to do when the terminology is used interchangeably? Low lint, low fiber and low particle wipers are all very different and mean different things, yet are commonly used in the wrong context. This week we will go over the breakdown of the terms, what they mean and how they affect your critical environment. 

Low Lint:
Micron Count: <100 microns 
Use: Industrial 

Low Fiber:
Micron Count: 5-100 microns
Use: Critical Environment

Low Particles:
Micron Count: >5 microns 
Use: Cleanroom 

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