The transfer of product or equipment from one area to another presents a prime opportunity for a contamination event to occur. Doors and pass-throughs specifically designed for clean processing environments can help maintain necessary cleanliness levels.
Compiled by Angela Godwin
Pass-throughs and trolley hatches
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The PBSC pass-through chamber is used for passing product, equipment or even paperwork between sterile/clean areas and nonsterile/dirty areas. PBSC’s use of innovative materials and construction techniques makes these transfer hatches cost-effective for all manner of contamination-sensitive environments. Transfer hatches come in both stainless-steel and phenolic resin construction. The design includes a flush interior to the hatch and the company’s unique mechanical interlock system, which aids in the reduction of cross-contamination between clean and dirty areas. The absence of internal protruding or recessed areas helps eliminate possible bacterial growth and ensures complete sterilization during clean-down. The toughened plate-glass doors ensure minimal pressure is lost when passing product between sterile and nonsterile areas. PBSC trolley hatches are suitable for applications where the ground transfer by trolley of heavy, sensitive or fragile product or equipment is an absolute necessity in terms of convenience and satisfaction of even the most stringent health and safety regulations. The hatches are floor-mounted to allow transfer of heavy or dangerous substances in an efficient and easy manner, without having to load and unload trolleys. PBSC also offers a tested and certified 1-hour fire-rated transfer hatch, made of stainless-steel construction, complete with stainless-steel door and vision panel. The hatches are also available in PVC, phenolic resin or 304/316 grade stainless-steel construction.
PBSC Ltd.
West Yorkshire, U.K.
www.pbsc.co.uk
Stainless-steel pass-throughs
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Pass-throughs from Laminar Flow, Inc. (LFI) feature all-stainless-steel construction of either 304 or 316L. The company’s Posi-Lok interlock system is available in a mechanical or electronic version with a battery back-up system. Several configurations are available, including two- or three-door versions, floor-mounted, wall-mounted, or walk-through types. Solid or framed laminated safety-glass doors are standard, as is interior all-welded construction, which ensures quality and durability. Available in any size or configuration, options include: UV lighting, Class 10 or Class 100 (ISO 4 or 5) compliance, and once-through or recirculating flow. In addition, each pass-through contains a hermetically sealed gasket on the door to ensure a leak-free door seal.
Laminar Flow, Inc.
Ivyland, PA
www.laminarflowinc.com
Pass-through air locks
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Clean Air Products introduces Series 18 Pass Thru Air Locks. Designed to transfer parts and equipment into and out of cleanrooms, they significantly reduce potential contamination by decreasing the number of people entering and exiting the cleanroom. The new units are available in white polypropylene or optional stainless steel. Standard models are constructed of half-inch sheets of solid polypropylene welded together, providing a solid-plastic air lock entry system that resists deterioration. Stainless-steel versions also come welded together for a strong, durable, easily cleanable, and pleasing appearance. The air lock doors are made with a heavy-duty stainless-steel frame, stainless-steel continuous hinges, a plexiglass viewing window, closed-cell PVC door gasket and a 90-degree turn-knob latch. Larger units have a cam-action chrome-plated latch. The stainless-steel door frame adds strength, prevents long-term warping, and prevents cracks in the plexiglass door. Mechanical door interlocks are available to prevent both doors from being opened at the same time, thus avoiding depressurization and contamination infiltration. Additional options include include: wall or floor mount; perimeter frame; special sizes; fixed or adjustable shelves; viewing windows made of amber plex, lexan, safety glass or conducive PVC; UV light; HEPA filters; and air shower parts cleaning.
Clean Air Products
Minneapolis, MN
www.cleanairproducts.com
Stainless-steel pharmaceutical doors
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Rytec’s line of Pharma-Doors™ are designed, with input from pharmaceutical engineers in the U.S. and Europe, to meet cGMP guidelines and to be tight-sealing, reliable, high-performance pharmaceutical doors. The Pharma-Seal™ high-speed roll door is suitable for cleanroom applications or wherever an affordable stainless-steel package is desired. This door provides effective environmental control plus all the benefits of a high-speed door. Removable stainless-steel side-column covers allow for easy and thorough cleaning. The Pharma-Seal is for non-wash-down applications, or where hygienic needs are less stringent. The door opens at 42 inches per second, increasing productivity while providing a fast-closing, tight barrier. The door is extremely durable and designed for heavy traffic. Like all Rytec doors, Pharma-Seal doors feature the Break-Away™ bottom bar that allows the door to withstand the impact of a forklift and be quickly reset without tools. Anodized aluminum ribs provide resistance to negative pressure while allowing easy replacement of panels, including the standard 31-inch-high, full-width vision window.
Rytec Corporation
Jackson, WI
www.rytecdoors.com
High-speed, roll-up door
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The DYNACO M2 Cleanroom Door has been rated for inside environments from Class 10,000 to 100,000 (ISO 7 and 8), specifying a limitation of the leak flow at a difference in pressure up to 0.82 pounds per square foot. The door provides a full-parameter seal to minimize manufacturers’ concerns about contamination. M2 Cleanroom doors can be built to standard dimensions of up to 18 x 18 feet, and are gear-driven without ballast. They open at 4 feet per second, with faster speeds available upon request. The door is made of an upgraded, reinforced, PVC vinyl, and comes in colors and vision to fit custom needs. It is also available with an optional FDA-approved curtain material. Like all DYNACO doors, the M2 boasts a safety system with infrared side-guide sensors that stop the door instantly, and a bottom-edge detector that instantly reverses the door if it comes in contact with any object. The door features the company’s proprietary technology that allows the door to dislodge from the side guides when it is accidentally impacted, and then to instantly reinsert itself with the unique DYNACO re-inserting mechanism. Suitable for pharmaceutical, electronic, hospital, laboratory or other contamination-sensitive applications.
DYNACO USA Inc.
Northbrook, IL
www.dynacodoor.us
Cleanroom pass-through chambers
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Terra Universal’s BioSafe™ Pass-Through Chambers meet requirements for clean, aseptic processing in biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, and other critical applications. Like Terra’s other BioSafe environments, these 304/316 stainless-steel chambers feature continuous-seam welded, ultrasmooth interior surfaces, eliminating cracks and seams that can harbor microbes and other contaminants. Rounded corners simplify disinfection, and electropolishing and antimicrobial surface treatments are available for optimal cleanliness. All hardware is designed to support clean, aseptic operation. High-reliability mechanical interlocks, which prevent the chance of cross-contamination when a “dirty”-side access door is opened, are isolated in a separate housing external to the pass-through chamber. Cam-style LiftLatches™ eliminate rotary stress on hinges and ensure an effective seal. One-piece molded gaskets are mechanically attached to door frames without adhesives to eliminate the chance of slipping or chemical outgassing. These ultraclean chambers are available in many standard sizes or can be specified in custom sizes and configurations. Options include an ULPA-filtered ventilation module for contaminant removal, UV-C lighting for sterilization, a refrigeration module for temperature conditioning, and several mounting packages that accommodate a variety of cleanroom or laboratory walls, including Terra’s BioSafe Modular Cleanroom.
Terra Universal
Fullerton, CA
www.TerraUniversal.com