What Is a Clean Locker?
A Clean Locker is a locker used to maintain a clean room environment.
Clean rooms are special spaces where particulates and microorganisms are strictly controlled, and are mainly used in semiconductor manufacturing, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, aerospace industry, and optical equipment manufacturing.
Uses of Clean Locker
When entering and exiting clean rooms, there are usually special procedures and strict clothing regulations to prevent outside contaminants. Reasons include the need to control microscopic particles and microorganisms in clean rooms in order to maintain the quality of products and materials.
In addition, workers wear special gowns (clean suits), masks, and gloves and use a special “clean room entry” to remove particles and microorganisms before entering the work area. Clean Lockers are installed in the Clean Room Entry and are responsible for removing sweat and secretions from the clean suits used in the clean room and keeping them clean.
Basically, workers change into the clean suits stored in the Clean Locker before entering the clean room, and upon completing their work, they return the clean suits to the Clean Locker. This minimizes the impact of contaminants emitted by workers. The main applications by industry are as follows:
1. Clean Rooms in Laboratories and Factories
Used to protect people and goods from contamination when working in clean rooms.
2. Pharmaceutical Plants and Medical Institutions
Used to maintain cleanliness when manufacturing, handling, or adjusting drugs or medical devices.
3. Food Processing Industry
Clean Lockers are used in food production processes to meet hygiene standards.
4. Laboratories in Research Facilities and Hospitals
Clean Lockers are used to store laboratory materials and equipment to prevent infection and increase the reliability of test results.
5. Semiconductor Manufacturing
In the manufacturing process of fine semiconductors, workers are placed in clean rooms to prevent the ingress of particulate matter, and Clean Lockers are used to control clothing and equipment.
Principle of Clean Locker
The main principles of Clean Lockers used in clean rooms are:
1. Physical Isolation
Clean Lockers are hermetically sealed and constructed to exclude external contamination.
2. Hygiene Control
Clean Locker provides a sanitary space for workers to store their clothing and the belongings they bring in. In Clean Locker, ozone decomposition, ammonia decomposition, and ultraviolet decomposition are used to decompose secretions on clean suits.
3. Pressure Control
The air pressure inside a clean room is generally kept higher than that outside. Clean Lockers, as part of this pressure control, are also built with a higher pressure than the air pressure inside the clean room. This keeps outside contaminants from entering the clean room as workers pass through clean room entries.
4. Air Filtering
Clean Lockers filter the air inside to keep it clean. Typically, HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) or ULPA (Ultra High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filters are used, capturing more than 99.97% of particulates.
Types of Clean Lockers
The main types of Clean Lockers used in clean rooms are as follows:
1. Garment Storage Lockers
This Clean Locker is mainly used for storing clean suits. It has ozone decomposition and other functions to decompose secretions attached to clean suits.
2. Lockers for Storing Personal Belongings
These lockers are used to store personal belongings (e.g., cell phones, wallets, etc.) that workers bring into the Clean Locker.
3. Lockers for Storing Equipment and Parts
These lockers are used to store equipment, parts, tools, etc. used in the Clean Locker.
4. Lockers for Storing Contaminated Materials
These lockers are used to store gowns, masks, used equipment, etc. that have been used in the Clean Locker but can no longer be kept clean.