The special requirements of clean rooms put extra emphasis on your choice of casters for use in those rooms. The construction style of clean rooms, and the cleaning and sterilization techniques used, will begin to limit the range of caster options. Components of the casters themselves will also affect whether they help to keep the room clean – or do the opposite, and degrade its integrity.
We will give a brief overview of the types of clean rooms; then describe techniques used to keep equipment clean; and finish with discussing features to look for when you choose casters for use in a clean room.
Two Main Types of Clean Rooms
Over the last few decades, many of the most sophisticated and important developments in science and technology have depended upon clean rooms – a controlled environment where microscopic contaminants are removed from the space, and prohibited from reentering.
These contaminants can be inanimate (non-biological) particles of fiber, metal, or dust that are shed from objects, or are present in the air. In industries such as electronics, semiconductors or satellite communications, clean rooms were developed to keep contaminants from causing the electronics to work improperly, or not at all.
In biological industries, such as pharmaceutical or biochemistry laboratories, the contaminants of concern are most often living, biological pathogens. Bacteria, viruses and any animate matter must be tightly controlled and eliminated. Otherwise, drugs that are being produced may be contaminated, experimental results may be compromised, and worker’s safety may be in danger. Biological clean rooms have been developed to eliminate these living contaminants.
These two types of controlled environments – biology clean rooms, and technology clean rooms – employ different techniques to accomplish their tasks. Clean rooms in technology industries rely heavily on filtration to remove contaminants from the air. Biological clean rooms also rely on filtration, but add extra sterilization steps to eliminate biological contaminants.
How to Clean a Clean Room – and the Equipment in It
Any piece of equipment entering a biological clean room must have all contaminants removed from it, so that the contaminants are not brought into the controlled environment. Many cleaning techniques have been developed, from quick and simple, to elaborate and complex.
- Sticky Mats – These are often placed at the entrance of clean rooms. As the caster wheels on equipment such as carts roll over the mats, many of the contaminants stick to the mats, and are removed from the wheels.
- Antibiotic Wipes – To remove contaminants from wheel hubs and mounting hardware that sticky mats can’t reach, workers may use antibiotic wipes. The staff will thoroughly clean the hardware, and any other part of the equipment that might harbor contaminants.
- Chemical Wash-downs – The entire piece of equipment may be sprayed down with a chemical cleaning solution. These solutions can be harsh and caustic, and can destroy hardware such as casters that are not specifically chosen to stand up to these conditions.
- Antibiotic Mopping Solutions – Floors are periodically mopped with cleaning solutions that can kill contaminants. This means that floors may be wet and slick – casters that come into contact with the solution must withstand the moisture and cleaning chemicals.
- High Temperature Cleaning: Steam – This is a reliable way to remove living contaminants from. The equipment is sprayed with a jet of steam, or placed in a steam chamber. Casters and their wheels must hold up well under these conditions.
- High Temperature Cleaning: Heat – A high temperature oven called an autoclave is designed to sterilize equipment. An item such as a cart is placed in the autoclave, and then heated to several hundred degrees for a specified period of time.
Your casters will face one or more of these cleaning techniques. Let’s look at some features that will help them survive.
Caster Features for Clean Rooms
The casters you choose for equipment in clean rooms will be sterilized over and over again. Consider the features listed below when you make your choice.
- Smooth profile designs – If the caster will be wiped down, pick a design with a minimum of projections or indentations. These are places that contaminants can accumulate. By choosing a caster with a smooth profile, you will ensure that antibiotic wipes will remove most of the contaminants.
- Stem casters – As an example of a smooth profile, stem casters can be chosen that mount inside the vertical posts on carts. There are no overhanging ledges or sharp angles to trap contaminants.
- Antimicrobial wheels – These are formulated with an antimicrobial compound mixed in with the wheel material. The compound neutralizes the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew and other microbes. This helps keep contaminants from accumulating on the casters between cleanings.
- Chrome casters – By choosing a caster material that is very cleanable, such as chrome, you will improve the anti-contaminant performance of your equipment.
- High temperatures – Verify the type of high temperature cleaning your casters may encounter. Whether wet or dry, casters and wheels are available that have been designed to function under high temperature conditions.
And finally, don’t forget about floor protection. Clean rooms are designed with pristine floors. Make sure that once you’ve found a caster that meets the requirements listed above, it is also non-marking.
To Zero in on the Right Choice – Call Douglas Equipment!
If your equipment must be sterilized for use in a clean room, you are in luck! At Douglas Equipment, we are authorized distributors for the best caster manufacturers in the nation. Several of our manufacturers have designed casters specifically for use in clean rooms.
To find out which casters can stand up to harsh chemical wash-downs, high temperatures, and the moisture from antibiotic solutions, call the caster experts at Douglas Equipment today. To reach our team by phone call us toll free at 800-451-0030 (or 305-888-3700 in the Miami area). We are also available online through our contact form.
