Cleanroom Wipe Dispenser Improves Process in Controlled Environments

Problem: Within the pharmaceutical, biomedical, micro-electronics and similar industries, it is imperative that exposure to microbial contaminants and electrostatic discharge (ESD) are minimized at every turn of the manufacturing process. To maintain an exceptionally “clean” environment, tabletops and other hard surfaces must be regularly wiped down with cleanroom wipes.

Normally, cleanroom wipes are supplied in flat sheets and placed on a table or in trays within a cleanroom. Because the facility personnel is required to wear gloves, it is very difficult to select one wipe at a time. Consequently, sometimes three or more wipes are selected – resulting in wasteful usage and the possibility of cross-contamination.

Solution: Modifying the process of selecting a cleanroom wipe is often not the top priority of cleanroom personnel. Yet, as waste continues and valuable counter space is taken up by a messy stack of wipes, that modification might be worth a second look.

Similar to the benefits a napkin dispenser offers a busy fast food restaurant, the Grab-EEZ provides these same benefits to a cleanroom. Unlike a napkin dispenser used in a fast food restaurant, a well-designed cleanroom wipe dispenser has to be carefully engineered using advanced nonwoven folding technology and cleanroom compatible materials.

At the heart of the Grab-EEZ design are it’s uniquely folded wipes. Each wipe is uniquely folded in a double “C” shape. The wipe contains and upper and lower leg, wherein the lower leg of each cleanroom wipe abuts the upper leg of an adjacent wipe. Each cleanroom wipe abrades the adjacent wipe when distributed through the dispensing opening, leaving the next wipe in the stack untouched yet exposed enough to easily pull from the dispenser.

The Grab-EEZ is an ESD-safe, wall-mountable or table top cleanroom wipe dispenser. Its rectangular shape features a compartment for storing wipes protected from chemicals and other outside contaminants found in cleanroom settings. A viewing slot along a substantial portion of the dispenser is present so that a user may visually determine when the wipes within the compartment become depleted.

The outer housing of the wipe dispenser is comprised of an ESD-resistant material. One particular issue with ESD-safe cleanroom wipes when they are pulled from the bag, although the wipe itself may be ESD-safe, the bag can contain static electricity which is harmful to a cleanroom that produces microelectronics.

This method of distribution prevents cross contamination by removing the option to select more than one wipe at a time. In addition, the efficient delivery eliminates the need to “fan” through a stack of wipes and saves time – resulting in reduced cost of consumables and operating cost.

Each dispenser is prepared and cleaned in a cleanroom and double bagged before it is first introduced into the controlled environment where it will be used. The Grab-EEZ is made from the highest grade ESD-safe plastics and is suitable for use in ISO Class 5 (Class 100) cleanrooms and higher.

Cleanroom facilities that incorporate the Grab-EEZ Wipe Dispenser will notice improved organization, reduced cross contamination, as well as cost savings as a result of less waste. More information is available at www.high-techconversions.com