The pass through and the antechamber are two essential Clean Room equipment for the environmental contamination control.
This is because they are responsible for preventing the outside air from mixing with the filtered air inside a Clean room, thus ensuring the safe transfer of materials in clean rooms.
But how does that actually work?!
Antechamber
The antechamber prevents air from neighboring environments that do not have contamination control from entering the Clean Room.
When the antechamber doors are closed, the air blown into it not only dilutes the contamination that entered when the outer door was opened.
This air also acts on the contamination dispersed by people inside the antechamber.
The interlocking mechanism ensures that one door is not opened until the other is completely closed.
In this way, it avoids contamination by accident.
The antechambers usually have special mats to avoid contamination of the environment through the soles of shoes and cart wheels.
Despite all these points, the antechamber alone does not prevent contamination of the equipment that passes through it.
That's why these objects must always be clean and decontaminated.
When it is necessary to transfer very large materials from an uncontrolled contamination environment to a cleanroom , there are several options:
1) Ensure that the antechamber is large enough;
2) Provide a door that makes a direct connection between the external corridor and the Clean Room;
3) Install a previously removable panel between the external corridor and the Clean Room (this need must be verified during the project phase).
Pass through or pass box
The pass through is widely used to transfer smaller objects to the Clean Room and that do not require as much space as an antechamber.
The size of the pass through depends on the size of the objects that will pass through it.
Therefore, when designing a Clean Room , it is important to know what activity will be carried out in that room and what materials will pass through it.
That way, you can design it in the ideal size for your need.
Installation of the pass through usually takes place at a convenient height for all heights.
In the case of transferring heavier items, for ergonomic reasons the ideal is that the pass through is installed at a height very close to the floor.
The pass through is used in a similar way to antechambers, following the following method of transferring material from outside to inside the cleanroom:
- whoever is outside the clean room opens the door and sanitizes the pass through;
- a layer of packaging is removed and the object is placed inside the pass through;
- the hatch is closed;
- whoever is on the other side of the pass through opens the inner door and holds the object, which is sanitized.
As with antechambers, it is common for the pass through to have an interlock.
This prevents one hatch from being opened if the other is not closed, preventing contamination.
Pass through and antechamber to Asmontec Clean Room
Asmontec Cleanrooms has over 22 years of experience in the construction of cleanrooms.
Offering complete solutions for your segment, the work starts right from the project, ensuring that all factors such as size and flow of equipment are observed.
This ensures the successful installation of your pass-through or antechamber, with the safe transfer of cleanroom materials to your environment.
Get in touch by filling out the form and speak with one of our professionals.
