APRIL 12–ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.–The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released ISO/FDIS 14644-7, Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments – Part 7: Separative devices (clean air hoods, gloveboxes, isolators and minienvironments), according to the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST).
IEST serves as Secretariat for ISO Technical Committee 209, which developed the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) as part of a series of documents to serve the needs of the global contamination control community.
In developing this ground-breaking standard, the ISO/TC 209 Working Group considered the needs of various industries and introduced the term “separative devices” to encompass the wide continuum of configurations from open unrestricted air overspill to wholly contained systems. Working group members represent 10 member countries: Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The result of their effort is “an overarching unifying document for all industries using separative devices,” said David Ensor, a United States convenor. “A common set of terminology resulting from this effort will greatly improve communications within the industry.”
Common terms-of-trade such as clean air hoods, gloveboxes, isolators, and minienvironments have different meanings depending on the industry in which they are used. In that light, this part of the ISO 14644 series provides a generic overview and specifies the minimum requirements for the design, construction, installation, testing, and approval of separative devices ranging from open to closed systems.
Annex A presents a nomenclature of separation approaches to describe various configurations. Annex D provides examples of transfer devices by configuration. Other Annexes cover systems for air handling and gas, access devices, and leak detection and testing.
ISO/FDIS 14644-7 may be used as a trade reference per agreement between a customer and supplier. The document is in balloting by voting nations, and if approved will be issued as a formal ISO Standard later this year.
Copies of the ISO 14644 Standards are available from IEST, an international professional organization serving members and industries through education and the development of recommended practices and standards. Industries served are contamination control in electronics manufacturing and pharmaceutical processes; design, test, and evaluation of commercial and military equipment; and product reliability issues associated with commercial and military systems. IEST was founded in 1953.
To order ISO documents or any other IEST publications, or for more information, visit the IEST website at www.iest.org. You may also e-mail the IEST Publication Sales Coordinator at [email protected], fax to the attention of the Publication Sales Coordinator at (847) 255-1699, or call (847) 255-1561.