Are igus® products compatible with ISO cleanroom standards?
There are so many industries that igus® products go into and that means we have to ensure we have specific ranges to suit industries and applications that have specific requirements. Cleanrooms are one of those industries. They require ISO cleanroom standards for their products, so we adapted and designed specific products to fulfil these requirements.
The products span across both sides of the business, with cleanroom energy chains and cables and also linear rails and bearings. This product range is ever growing in line with the demands for ISO cleanroom standard products in many areas.
To read more about cleanroom products and why we need them visit https://blog.igus.co.uk/why-do-we-need-cleanroom-products/
What is ISO cleanroom standard?
The ISO cleanroom standard is a highly regarded specification of environmental requirements. The room requires less than 2 particles greater than 0.3 microns and no particles greater than 1.0 microns per cubic meter to be present in the atmosphere.
This is especially applicable for moving machine parts such as energy chains and cables. To generate as few particles as possible requires high abrasion resistance and this therefore ensures a long service life. This is important in machines and applications with such strict criteria, customers do not want to be changing components regularly as this can mean contamination and downtime, both causing disruption and expense.
What products to igus® offer with ISO cleanroom standards?
Ensuring that the full range of cleanroom products conform to the ISO cleanroom standard has become a development goal for all igus® products that fall under the cleanroom category.
We have dedicated test facilities that all igus® products are tested in to ensure that the high standards are met and maintained. Only products that meet the ISO cleanroom standards within our laboratory are selected for the Fraunhofer IPA tests.
The evidence is supplied by a new expert report from IPA, the Fraunhofer Institute, by which numerous igus® products are certified with the best classification possible, ISO class 1:
e-skin® energy chain
The e-skin® energy chain has been specifically designed for the cleanroom industry. The abrasion-resistant chain protects machines from particle contamination within the pharmaceutical, medical and semi-conductor industries. We offer a range of e-skin® chain options: e-skin® flat for fast moving applications or applications with space restrictions, e-skin® soft for flexible filling requirements and e-skin® hybrid which combines the advantages of the original e-skin® energy chain with the e-skin® soft.
ISO cleanroom standard cables
To ensure we can offer a complete system, we offer the chainflex® cables with ISO cleanroom standards to ensure the entire system is compatible for cleanrooms. With a variety of options, such as bus cables and control cables, we can help you keep your cleanroom contamination free.
How does igus® ensure the ISO cleanroom standards apply?
With all igus® products, the lack of lubrication required ensures the cleanroom standards are easily upheld. No grease or lubrication means they are less likely to contaminate. We also have designated test labs for cleanroom products to be thoroughly tested to ensure this high standard is guaranteed. These extensive tests have been running since 1997 and have allowed us to develop further products and improve existing products based on the data received from the test lab. Working with Fraunhofer IPA has allowed us to design the purpose-built cleanroom laboratory and receive the ISO Class 1 cleanroom system. Not only can we test our products in this facility, we are able to facilitate customers products and applications in a realistic condition.
So, if you have an application you want us to test, or a product you would like to have put through its paces in our cleanroom test lab, please give us a call.
