Fabrics of cleanroom garments

Cleanliness, hygiene and quality are terms that are used more and more frequently in modern production, most often in the pharmaceutical and microelectronics industry. The main target is to obtain and to maintain a high level of cleanliness during production processes so that production will be optimized and defects in quality will be minimized. Personnel and their activities are one of the major sources of contamination. Cleanroom garments are used to minimise the number of contaminants dispersed by personnel - more specifically, skin scales and fibres from personal clothing. The use of protective garments in cleanrooms will set high demands for the fabric. Significant elements are fibres, yarns, weaving and finishing in the manufacturing process. Fabric should prevent particles passing through it into the surrounding atmosphere as well as prevent particles attaching fibre surface. Designer of the fabrics and clothes should be aware that although the best properties for contamination control would be at virtually 100% efficiency in filtration at a specified particle size, the resultant clothing could be highly uncomfortable and impractical for wear by personnel.