Contamination Control Starts with Sticky Mats
Since contamination control is the top priority in cleanroom environments, sticky mats are often considered the first line of defense. More dirt is tracked into a cleanroom by feet or the wheels of a cart than by any other object.
When you consider that each employee crosses a sticky mat approximately 8 to 10 times a day, those are a lot of opportunities for particulates to be captured and removed from circulation. At Total Source Manufacturing, we have these top tips for helping you get the most out of your sticky mats.
Proper Placement
Tacky mats should be placed vertically at each entry point. There should be a mat before employees enter the gowning station and a mat before entering the cleanroom. Before installing a sticky mat, the floor should be prepped with a mixture of deionized water and isopropyl alcohol in a 30:70 ratio.
Once the floor is cleaned, the adhesive mat can be placed in a way that will capture the most footsteps. When placing the new mat on the floor, start with the closest 2 corners and slowly flatten the mat all the way up, squeezing out air bubbles as they form. Smooth down the mat and then remove the top sheet to expose the adhesive.
Frequent Refreshing
Since adhesive mats should be replaced every 30 to 50 walk-throughs, it’s easy to see that it will be very dirty at the end of a shift with 3 employees coming and going. Training employees on how to properly remove the dirty top sheet is important since it is tempting to just pull it off quickly, which will release particulates into the air. Instead, they should carefully peel it back at an angle and fold it in on itself to capture the dirt for disposal, then take it to the proper receptacle and, finally, change gloves.
Sticky mats have 30 clean sheets per mat, allowing for frequent refreshing before the mat must be replaced. They are sold 4 to a case so your cleanroom will always have plenty on hand.
Get your sticky mats today
Order your cases of cleanroom sticky mats today by contacting us at Total Source Manufacturing. We will give you a special price for bulk orders and can rapidly ship to you nationally or globally.
