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OPERATOR & PRODUCT PROTECTION

Dependable filtered airflow is critical to maintaining fully combined operator and product protection, both excluding unfiltered laboratory air from the work area and preventing air from inside the work area from escaping the containment zone before being filtered and then recirculated back into the lab alternatively ducted in non-recirculating enclosures. Applications categories include:

  • Experimental Cell Culture
  • Automated sample processing, culture, and analysis

Operator and Product protection allows for a percentage recirculation of air within the work area, creating an air curtain effect at the window opening that prevents the mixture of internal and external air volumes. These Class II units can either be completely ductless, or ducted.

Particulates, aerosols and/or solvents including both chemical powders and biologicals such as viruses and bacterial and fungal spores, are removed from the airstream by High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, comprised of mats of randomly arranged synthetic fibers. This filtration media captures a wide range of particle sizes. (not applicable in a Class II enclosure as no pre-filter media installed upstream of HEPA’s)

Applicable standards for particulate filtration and containment include:

  • BS EN ISO 14644-1:2015 – ISO Class air conditions (applicable to pre filter standard however this was replaced with ISO16890 in 2017)-
  • EN 1822 - HEPA H14 filtration media standard eliminates particles 0.3 microns or larger to an efficiency of 99.995%.
  • EN 1822 - ULPA U16 Standard is available as an optional upgrade and has an efficiency of 99.999% for particle sizes of 0.1 – 0.3 microns MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size)

In all Operator and Product Protection units, a robust and professional cabinet design is important to ensure uniform laminar airflow through the filter. Filter casing design is also crucial, to prevent particulate breakthrough and resulting influx of contaminants into the workspace or laboratory environment. In addition to our superior design, Caron also offers periodic performance validation testing to protect both operators and their product in line with annual validation requirements and from the results of potential on-site component damage or filter saturation.