These extremely controlled environments are used to ensure certain products, such as medicines, food and surgical equipment, are manufactured and processed in a completely sterile location.
Controlling every aspect of a closed system isn't as easy as it sounds. All it takes is one malicious particle 200 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair to disrupt an entire environment. Once this sterility is compromised, it can lead to enormous financial damage.
Such was the case when the US was developing its $1 billion Hubble Space Telescope. A particle 0.5 microns across (a human hair is about 100 microns in diameter) was enough to cause serious setbacks.
After two and a half years, particles that were found in the clean room had collected on the machine's central lens, obscuring 2.5 per cent of aperture area.
Stainless steel is one of the most common materials used in cleanrooms, as its ability to withstand rusting, pitting and corrosion makes it difficult for contaminants to cling to the surface.
Just as medical professionals and pharmacologists use stainless steel desktops and furniture in their laboratories, manufacturing that takes place in clean rooms should use only machinery built to support the controlled environment.
Spacepac Industries developed its Spacepac XL-H400-Clean Room electric tug to give clean room workers a helping hand without compromising the environment. The product was built with a full stainless steel frame, which is then treated with oil for ultimate protection.
The tug can pull up to 1500kg and is still sleek in design, making it ideal for moving heavy items in a small area. The Spacepac XL-H400-Clean Room has already been used in controlled environments at several major companies, including Unilever, Audio, General Electric and Linde Gas.
