Now more than ever, having a floor-level contamination control plan is key. 80% of particulates are said to enter critical environments via feet and wheels (source: 3M). Dycem provides a world-leading solution for controlled environments; long-lasting, polymeric contamination control flooring and mats. Dycem is committed to helping companies avoid the risks that floor contamination can pose.
A Medical Device Manufacturer, operating in a cleanroom environment, evaluated polymeric floor coverings in comparison to peel-off “sticky mats” that were previously being used. Peel-off mats were used to capture dirt from “street shoes” upon entering the gowning room. The facility where the tests were conducted spent an average of $24,000 on peel-off mats and disposed of approximately one ton (2028 lbs) of used plastic sheets per annum.
Types of Cleanroom Mats:
Adhesive peel-off mats consist of layers of plastic sheets or polythene film, each coated with an acrylic adhesive. When walking across the mat, the surface is “sticky” and is intended to remove contamination from the sole of the shoe.
Adhesive mats are disposable and after a period of use, the top layer is removed from the stack and discarded. The frequency in which the top layer needs removing varies between organizations on factors such as rate of saturation, and foot traffic.
Polymeric flooring is manufactured from a non-toxic, plasticized material. The flooring has a natural tack, which enables the attraction and retention of particulate contamination on its surface, and short-wave electromagnetic forces bind particles to the surface.
An Opportunity for Improvement was Identified:
Dycem polymeric flooring was identified as an alternative to peel-off mats and is easily cleaned, with a product lifespan of 3-5 years. During that period, the comparative cost would spend at least $72,000 on peel-off mats. Dycem mats and flooring also contain BioMaster, an antimicrobial additive that inhibits the growth of microbes by 99.9%.
“Polymeric solutions offer advantages for particle level cleanliness in terms of removal of particles from footwear and avoiding the particle generation which arises from the peeling of adhesive mats.”
-Tim Sandle, Bio Products Laboratory
The Benefits of the Dycem Material are:
• Reduction of harmful particulate in the gowning room
• Improved product yields
• Reduced product rejects
• Reduced expenses
• More sustainable solution
• Reduced cleaning costs
Results:
• Airborne particles in the gowning room are reduced by 75% as a result of using polymeric floor coverings.
• 99.9% of foot and wheel-borne contamination was captured and retained (Caroline Clibbon, 2002).
Summary:
• Cost Savings - due to the 3-5 year life of the polymeric floor coverings. An average of $80,000 will have been saved during one year over
purchasing peel-off mats.
• Time Saving - Custodians report a time saving of 2 hours per day due to not having to peel and dispose of peel-off mats.
• Size - takes a total of six footfalls or three full wheel rotations to remove up to 99.9% of contamination.
• Supple - conforming to shoe and wheel profiles to collect particles between 0.1 and >100 microns.
• A greener solution - significant reduction of plastic disposal - more than 1 ton of plastic per year will not be going into landfill.
Dycem has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi is focused on accelerating companies across
the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
CleanZone by Dycem LLC is a reusable, 99.9% effective, floor-level contamination control solution for every industry and controlled environment.
This post is related to:
Cleanrooms, Gloveboxes, Hoods, Isolators
