Devices for the Decontamination of Sensitive Equipment
K1-05, manufactured commercially in the U.S. by Applied Surface Technologies, is designed to clean sensitive equipment. The K1-05 employs mechanical technology (high-pressure carbon dioxide), which uses carbon dioxide to remove micron and submicron particles from surfaces at high efficiencies and also removes hydrocarbon-based contamination. The CO2 snow cleaning is nondestructive and nonabrasive. The K1-05 unit addresses both the general and critical cleaning problems. The unit comes with either a 5 ft or 10 ft flexible stainless steel PTFE lined hose, a CGA320 cylindrical fitting, an on/off gun, an optional 0.5 m stainless steel filter, a 0 psi to 2000 psi pressure gauge, and two nozzles. One nozzle is an FEP polymer, the other nozzle is stainless steel, and both have 16 mm diameter orifices. A brass nozzle can also be substituted for the stainless steel nozzle. A 24 V dc or a 120 V ac solenoid control valve can be supplied in place of the on/off gun. The standard units can also be equipped with the narrow 1/16 in outer diameter by using either a 0.010, 0.020, or 0.030 thousandth of an inch inner diameter tube.
K4-05 high purity unit is also designed to clean sensitive equipment. This system employs mechanical technology (highpressure carbon dioxide), which uses carbon dioxide to remove micron and sub-micron particles from surfaces at high efficiencies and also removes hydrocarbon-based contamination. The carbon dioxide snow cleaning is nondestructive and nonabrasive. The process leaves no residue on the surface of the item nor does it produce any chemical waste. The K4-05 unit addresses both the general and critical cleaning problems. These units come with either a 5 ft or 10 ft flexible stainless steel PTFE lined hose, a CGA320 cylindrical fitting, two nozzles, and a 0.01 m filter. All fittings for this unit are compression fittings as opposed to NPT fittings. An electro-polished 24 V dc or 120 V ac solenoid valve (with compression fittings) can be substituted for the 90� on/off valve.
Snow Motion is a fully automated carbon dioxide snow cleaning workstation used to clean sensitive and interior equipment. It is commercially available in the U.S. Snow Motion is used to clean laser filters, visible lenses, mirrors, wire bond pads, ceramics, metals, and wafers. Contamination is lifted off the surface and partially absorbed into the carbon dioxide stream. The Snow Motion, if used for decontamination, would only remove the contamination. An additional procedure would be necessary to neutralize the agent. The station features four axis motion (x, y, z rotary) with a user friendly programming interface. Cleaning procedures can be saved as programs, which can be saved, recalled, and later edited with a keyboard and display interface located on front panel. The nozzle is made of stainless steel, which produces a near sonic stream of carbon dioxide with a coaxial flow of nitrogen to reduce moisture. Moisture will inhibit the cleaning process. The system is also equipped with inline gas filters, which are fitted just prior to the nozzles.
HAL Series is used to clean hospital instruments completely before they are subjected to disinfection and sterilization. The HAL Series is available commercially in the U.S. and is manufactured by Crest Ultrasonics. The consoles are available in 11 gal, 15 gal, and 20 gal sizes. The systems are easily operated with a push of one button. The systems can be used in conjunction with cleaning solutions in order to obtain optimal cleaning efficiencies.
Optimum Console is a versatile precision cleaning system. It is commercially available in the U.S. and is manufactured by Crest Ultrasonics. The system employs mechanical technology (ultrasonic) and is available in aqueous or semi-aqueous process versions. The system is made from rugged, stainless steel and is available in 3, 4, or 5 stage wash station designs. Stand tank sizes range from 10 L x 14 W x 10 D to 24 L x 36 W x 20 D (in) deep. The three-station Optimum Console is a wash-rinse-dry system designed for most general cleaning applications. The four-station wash-rinse-rinse-dry system is ideal for precision cleaning applications at the microscopic level. The five-station wash-washrinse- rinse-dry is configured for semi-aqueous cleaning applications. The Ultrasonic Wash provides high intensity heated ultrasonic wash. Filtered recirculation with overflow aids in removing oil and particulate contaminants. The wash is followed by a Heated Ultrasonic Rinse, which provides a two-stage reverse flow cascade rinse with spray-over immersion, conserving space and water usage. The last stage, the High Efficiency Recirculating Hot Air Dryer, quickly dries parts using compressed air.
Ice Gun is designed to decontaminate sensitive and interior equipment. The Ice Gun is commercially available in the U.S. and is manufactured by Cryogenesis. The gun employs mechanical technology (high-pressure carbon dioxide) with controlled air speed allowing the dry ice to be accelerated to subsonic or supersonic speeds (in excess of 1300 ft/s). The gun's operating range is between 40 psi and 350 psi and is able to be elevated 50 ft to 60 ft. The ice pellets range from 100 m to � in diameter.
Cryogenesis Booth is a fully automated cleaning system that is commercially available in the U.S. The system employs mechanical technology (high-pressure carbon dioxide) to clean equipment. The booth is equipped with an "x-y" translation and rotation table coupled with a stationary ice gun. Contaminated equipment is placed inside the booth on a table that rotates the equipment around as the ice gun disperses ice pellets to clean the equipment. Contaminated equipment is cleaned in one step. The cleaning system is housed in a soundproof booth.
Delta V-1 Dry Ice Surface Cleaning System employs mechanical technology and is designed as an environmentally safe alternative to the many surface cleaning methods currently available. The system is commercially available in the United States and is manufactured by Cryokinetics. The Delta V-1 is a portable, easy to operate system requiring no electrical power. This system employs small particles of dry ice in conjunction with high air pressure as the primary cleaning method. The dry ice particles convert from a solid to a gas upon impacting the surface being cleaned. This system is a nonwaste generating unit. Rice, plastic beads, glass beads, etc., can be used for more aggressive surface preparation requirements.