The family business Geiger Textil GmbH from Bad Säckingen is expanding its range of services with a new Cleanroom + service. The medium-sized company has invested in its own Cleanroom and is offering a full-service rental system for cleanroom garments for the first time. The cleanroom textiles are collected directly from the customer after use, inspected in the new cleanroom facility, repaired, refurbished and safely repackaged for further cleanroom use.
Not just clean but pure
Cleanroom operators from the pharmaceutical, microelectronics and medical industries are probably the most demanding customers you can find in the field of workwear. The well-known advertising slogan “not just clean but pure” certainly fits nowhere better than in the cleaning of cleanroom textiles. This is because there are major differences between a cleanroom laundry and an industrial laundry. Very strict guidelines apply to cleanroom garments in terms of control, quality and hygiene standards. The number of particles and germs must be strictly monitored at all times.
Patrick Wenger, who is responsible for the new cleanroom division at Geiger Textil, explains the difference between cleaning normal workwear and decontaminating cleanroom garments:
“The sensitive production processes within a cleanroom can be jeopardized by the release of even the smallest microparticles. People are the greatest source of danger here. Special cleanroom clothing prevents the release of particles that are released through the employee’s skin, for example. After use, this clothing must be carefully cleaned of particles and germs that are visually invisible before the next use. Even during drying and packaging, no new particles should be allowed to get onto the clothing. To prevent contamination during cleaning, the cleanroom garments are processed in a Cleanroom that corresponds to at least the same cleanroom class in which they will later be used by the customer. In our case, this is an Cleanroom of ISO class 5 in operation”
Modular Cleanroom of ISO class 5
The Cleanroom was integrated into Geiger Textil’s newly built production hall and is designed for a capacity of 20,000 items per week. The cleanroom company SCHILLING ENGINEERING, also based in the Upper Rhine region, was commissioned to plan the 66 square meter cleanroom system. Certified to ISO Class 5 in operation, Cleanroom CleanCell4.0®is equipped with the latest technology and was designed to meet the special requirements of the laundry. The cleanrooms are designed with recesses for the installation of washing machines and drying units. Personnel are safely guided into the Cleanroom via an actively rinsed personnel airlock. A self-closing gravity flap built into the cleanroom wall ensures contamination-free output of the cleaned and packaged laundry. Two washing machines, which are operated with specially treated water, are connected to the rear of the cleanroom. The washing machines have a through-loading function for the safe loading of textiles. They are filled outside the cleanroom and unloaded at Cleanroom after cleaning. The sensitive textiles are then dried, checked and packaged inside the cleanroom. A random sample is taken from each washing process, during which the remaining particle density is determined and documented using a Helmke drum test.
The laying tables and other furniture are made of cleanroom-compatible stainless steel. Large windows and dimmable LED lighting create balanced lighting and good visibility from outside. An intercom system supports communication between the individual areas.
The head of the new cleanroom team explains the special features of the facility:
“We have installed an ISO class 5 Cleanroom in operation within our newly built hall. We are therefore able to meet even the highest requirements of our customers from the pharmaceutical industry or microelectronics, for example. As we are completely new to the cleanroom textiles market, we have attached great importance to designing the Cleanroom for possible expansion. The Cleanroom has a modular design and fully met our requirements. We worked closely with the engineers at SCHILLING ENGINEERING to plan a Cleanroom that meets our requirements exactly.”
State-of-the-art technology, satisfied users
The newly developed CleanCell4.0®cleanroom system is equipped with the latest technology and can be operated more energy-efficiently than comparable systems. Sensor data is used to set and monitor components such as the number of particles, temperature, humidity and air pressure in the rooms. The data flows into the CRControl® control system, which is easily operated via a monitor installed next to the cleanroom door.
Seamless compliance with the clean areas in accordance with cleanroom class ISO 5 is ensured by a low-turbulence displacement flow. Laminar flow units integrated flush into the ceiling, which are operated with U15 ULPA high-performance filters, direct ultra-clean air into the work area. The already cooled and filtered air is then reintroduced into the air exchange cycle via a recirculation process within the cleanroom walls. Filter performance and air conditioning technology can thus be operated much more economically.
A special feature of the cleanroom systems from SCHILLING ENGINEERING is the modular, expandable design. The wall elements are connected with a patented silicone-free GMP sealing clip system and can therefore be flexibly dismantled or extended.
Geiger Textil GmbH is very satisfied with the system:
“The Cleanroom has been running for a few weeks now and is working flawlessly. We can monitor and control the Cleanroom, including the air conditioning technology, via the simple touchscreen control system. For example, filter contamination is displayed so that we can identify problems early on or arrange for maintenance. However, this has not yet been necessary. We particularly like the dimmable LED lighting, which ensures very good lighting conditions at the workstations and also saves energy.”
By investing in a high-tech cleanroom system, the third-generation family-run company Geiger Textil has invested in the future and raised the bar even further in terms of quality and hygiene standards. The choice of the CleanCell4.0®modular cleanroom increases the investment security for the newly established service.
