Tag Archives: cleanroom consumables

Uster @ 2025 China Safety Expo

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With the continuous advancement of industrial production and growing demands for occupational safety, clean manufacturing and protective measures have become key focuses for enterprises. As a leading supplier of cleanroom fabrics and consumables, Shenzhen Uster Technology Co., Ltd. (“Uster”) will be exhibiting at the 108th China International Occupational Safety & Health Goods Expo in 2025. The company will showcase a range of high-quality products and innovative solutions, demonstrating its outstanding capabilities in clean protection.

Founded several years ago, Uster specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of cleanroom fabrics, lint-free wipes, oil-absorbent cotton, and other cleaning materials. Equipped with advanced production lines and strict quality control systems, its products are widely used across electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, optical instruments, medical equipment, biopharmaceuticals, and automotive industries—meeting various cleanliness levels and protection requirements.

At this expo, Uster will highlight:

  • Ultrafine lint-free wipes series: featuring high cleanliness, low fiber shedding, excellent abrasion resistance, and liquid absorption—suitable for cleanrooms from Class 1000 down to Class 10.

  • High-performance oil absorbent cotton series: made from polypropylene microfiber, absorbing up to 10 times its own weight in oil, environmentally friendly and durable—ideal for industrial equipment and water surface oil spill cleanup.

  • Customized clean protection solutions: offering tailored materials, sizes, and special functional treatments to help customers improve production efficiency and product quality.

In addition, Uster will invite industry experts for on-site discussions, sharing the latest trends and applications in clean manufacturing and occupational safety. Through this event, Uster aims to deepen cooperation with upstream and downstream industry partners and promote sustainable development in the clean industry.

Industry professionals are warmly invited to visit Uster’s booth to experience innovative products firsthand and explore a cleaner future together, safeguarding safe and clean production environments.

Exhibition Date: 2025 (exact dates to be announced)
Venue: China International Exhibition Center (New Venue)
Uster Booth Number: Please stay tuned for official updates

Cleanroom Consumables: LPC Testing for Cleanliness

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In industries requiring extremely high cleanliness such as precision manufacturing, medical consumables, and semiconductors, the presence of tiny particles can directly impact product performance and reliability. Liquid Particle Counting (LPC) testing is an efficient cleanliness evaluation method that quantifies particle shedding from tested materials’ surfaces, providing crucial data for product quality control.

1. Core Purpose of LPC Testing

The primary goal of LPC testing is to assess the number of particles released from tested materials such as cleanroom wipes, swabs, and other cleaning tools during use. Particles entering production environments or contacting sensitive products (e.g., chips, medical devices) may cause contamination, short circuits, or failures. LPC testing precisely quantifies particle release levels, enabling selection of materials that meet cleanliness standards and reduce contamination risks.

2. Testing Method and Procedure

  • Sample Preparation:
    Samples must be kept sealed to avoid environmental particle contamination. Textile samples (wipes) require neat-cut edges to ensure consistent testing areas; swabs should remain in intact packaging to maintain sample integrity.

  • Soaking and Use Simulation:
    Samples are fully immersed in ultrapure water and mechanically stirred to simulate real usage scenarios such as wiping or agitation. This promotes thorough detachment and dispersion of particles from the material surface into the water.

  • Particle Counting and Analysis:
    A high-precision liquid particle counter quantifies particles in the water across various size ranges. Results are expressed as particle density per unit area (counts/cm² or counts/m² for textiles) or total particle count per individual swab (counts/tip).

  • Testing Efficiency:
    Each sample test takes approximately 40 minutes, supporting rapid batch testing and enabling real-time quality monitoring during production.

3. Technical Points and Standardization

  • Sample Size:
    Textile wipes require 3 independent samples; swabs require 60 individual tips to ensure data representativeness.

  • Environmental Control:
    Testing is performed entirely within cleanrooms or laminar flow hoods to avoid external particle interference.

  • Particle Size Range:
    Particles sized 0.5 μm to 25 μm are typically counted, with focus on those most impactful to downstream products.

4. Application Fields

  • Electronics and Semiconductor Industry:
    Monitors particle release from cleanroom wipes and swabs used in wafer processing to prevent microscopic dust contamination impacting chip yields.

  • Medical Consumables:
    Evaluates cleanliness of surgical swabs and medical dressings to avoid particle contamination entering the body or pharmaceuticals.

  • Precision Instrument Manufacturing:
    Verifies suitability of cleaning tools such as optical lens wipes, ensuring particulate-free assembly environments.

5. Value of LPC Testing

  • Risk Prediction:
    Identifies high particle-releasing materials in advance, preventing batch quality issues caused by contamination.

  • Process Optimization:
    Guides suppliers to improve material washing, cutting, and packaging processes to reduce particle adherence.

  • Compliance Assurance:
    Ensures adherence to international cleanliness standards such as ISO 14644 and GMP.

Special Note:
Some cleanroom wipe manufacturers lack in-house testing capabilities; purchasers are advised to choose suppliers like USTER, which have professional testing laboratories and perform rigorous pre-shipment inspections.

6. Conclusion

As industrial cleanliness standards continue to rise, LPC testing has become an essential step in material selection and process control for cleanroom consumables. USTER, as a professional manufacturer with advanced testing equipment and scientific protocols, provides a reliable quality safeguard for highly sensitive industries, supporting a leap from “clean” to “ultra-clean” standards.

Cleanroom Consumables: IC/EI Testing & Clean Defense

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In modern precision manufacturing, semiconductor processing, and healthcare industries, cleanroom consumables play a critical role in cleaning procedures. The ionic cleanliness of these materials directly impacts product quality and safety. Ion Chromatography (IC) and Extractable/Leachable Ions (EI) testing technologies serve as essential tools to characterize ionic contamination in cleanroom consumables and safeguard clean environments. This article provides a systematic overview of IC and EI testing systems based on ion chromatography, explaining their principles, workflows, industry applications, and technological innovations, helping industries enhance quality control.

1. Testing Principles and Technical Framework

The detection system follows a three-step procedure: extraction, separation, and quantification. Samples are immersed in ultrapure water (18.2 MΩ·cm) at 37°C to simulate actual usage conditions, allowing electrolytes in material surfaces and pores to dissolve fully. The ion chromatograph features dual systems: a cation system with carboxylic acid stationary phase and suppressed conductivity detection, and an anion system using a high-capacity hydroxide-selective column to separate 13 target ions precisely. Coupling with mass spectrometry (IC-MS) achieves ppt-level detection limits, significantly enhancing trace contaminant identification.

2. Standardized Testing Procedure

  • Sample Preparation:

    • For cleanroom wipes: weigh 60–70 g for cleanroom fabric or 30–35 g for nonwoven fabric to ensure representativeness.

    • For swabs: select 50 intact swabs, using specialized holders to submerge swab tips completely in solvent.

  • Extraction Process:

    • In a Class 100 clean bench, samples are placed in PTFE containers with 50 mL ultrapure water, agitated at 37°C for 2 hours.

  • Pre-Treatment:

    • Filter through triple 0.22 μm nylon membranes to remove particulates, ensuring purity of the test solution.

  • Chromatographic Analysis:

    • Gradient elution is applied with 20 mM methane sulfonic acid as the mobile phase for cations and KOH gradient elution for anions, achieving precise quantification.

3. Multi-Dimensional Quality Evaluation

The system detects six cations (including lithium Li⁺, sodium Na⁺) and seven anions (such as fluoride F⁻, chloride Cl⁻), with three evaluation metrics:

  • Residue per unit mass (μg/g): for fabric-based consumables.

  • Load per single item (μg/tip): for discrete products like swabs.

  • Release per unit area (μg/cm²): to standardize evaluation for materials with special morphologies.

4. Industry Applications

  • Semiconductor Manufacturing: Controls sodium ion contamination in photoresist coating steps to prevent wafer defects.

  • Biopharmaceuticals: Monitors endotoxin and ionic risks in cleanroom wipes to ensure sterile production environments.

  • Display Panel Manufacturing: Mitigates calcium and magnesium ion-induced film crystallization during wiping, improving product quality.

5. Technological Innovations

  • Online Dilution Technology: Enables detection across a wide concentration range from 0.1 to 1000 ppm in a single injection, catering to diverse testing needs.

  • Cation Compensation Algorithm: Effectively eliminates interference from ammonium ions (NH₄⁺) co-eluting with sodium ions, enhancing analytical accuracy.

  • Material-Solution Partition Coefficient Model: Maps laboratory test data to real-world conditions accurately, increasing practical relevance.

6. Quality Control Development Trends

With the implementation of the new ISO 14644-9:2022 cleanroom standards, IC/EI detection technology is evolving towards:

  • Intelligent Analysis: AI-assisted chromatogram interpretation systems to automatically identify unknown peaks.

  • Micro-scale Extraction: Development of micro-extraction devices reducing sample consumption to one-fifth of current standards.

  • Real-Time Monitoring: Portable ion chromatography instruments for rapid on-site screening and quality control.

Conclusion

IC and EI testing technologies for cleanroom consumables act as a “microscope” to detect ionic contamination in materials, forming a critical defense line in manufacturing quality control. As nanotechnology manufacturing and precision medicine advance, these technologies will continuously innovate, driving upgrades in ultra-clean materials and processes, and providing robust technical support to industries.

Detailed Analysis of Applications for Microfiber Cleanroom Wipes

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Among the various types of cleanroom wipes, polyester and microfiber wipes are the most commonly used. The key difference lies in their material structure—polyester wipes are suitable for general cleanroom cleaning, while microfiber cleanroom wipes, due to their superior structure and performance, have become the top choice for cleaning high-sensitivity surfaces. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the core advantages of microfiber wipes and their recommended applications.

I. Core Advantages of Microfiber Cleanroom Wipes

1. Microfiber Structure
Microfiber typically has a diameter less than 0.2 dtex—hundreds of times finer than a human hair. This creates a dense fiber network with a large surface area that effectively captures submicron and even nanometer-sized dust, oil, particles, and liquids through physical adsorption and capillary action.

2. Ultra-low Particle Shedding and Linting
Advanced edge sealing methods such as laser cutting and ultrasonic sealing minimize fiber shedding and particle generation, helping prevent secondary contamination.

3. Outstanding Cleaning and Absorption Performance
The capillary effect of microfiber provides excellent hydrophilicity and absorption, allowing it to rapidly capture and retain cleaning solvents or contaminants.

4. Broad Chemical Compatibility
High-quality microfiber wipes are compatible with common cleaning solvents such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol), ethanol, acetone, and deionized water.

5. High Cleanroom Compatibility
Microfiber wipes are generally suitable for ISO Class 1000 cleanrooms and are commonly used in ISO Class 100 and higher environments.

II. Application Scenarios for Microfiber Cleanroom Wipes

1. Semiconductor & Microelectronics Manufacturing

  • Wafer Cleaning: Used before and after processes such as photolithography, etching, and deposition to clean wafer backs, trays, and carriers. Even the smallest particles can cause circuit defects or shorts.

  • Photomasks & Reticles: Delicate master patterns require ultra-gentle cleaning in high-grade cleanrooms to avoid contamination or damage.

  • Chip Packaging & Testing: Clean lead frames, substrates, sockets, and probe cards to prevent poor contact or failed tests.

  • Equipment Maintenance: Clean internal non-critical surfaces of equipment like track systems, etching chambers, ion implanters, robotic arms, and sensors.

2. Flat Panel Display (FPD) Manufacturing (LCD, OLED, Micro LED)

  • Glass Substrate Cleaning: In array, cell, and module processes, microfiber wipes remove particles and residues to avoid Mura or dead pixels.

  • Optical Films (Polarizers, Diffusers, Light Guides): Clean fingerprints and light smudges with no scratches or residue.

  • Mold & Roller Cleaning: Used to clean precision molds used for microstructure imprinting.

3. Optical Instruments & Precision Equipment

  • Optical Lenses & Glass: Clean camera lenses, microscope eyepieces/objectives, telescopic optics, projector lenses, etc. Microfibers safely remove oils, fingerprints, and dust.

  • Laser Optics & Components: Ensure clean mirrors, prisms, and filters to maintain laser transmission efficiency.

  • Precision Measuring Instruments: Wipe components of interferometers, spectrometers, microscopes, coordinate measuring machines, etc.

  • Medical Optical Devices: Clean endoscope lenses, surgical microscope optics, and various sensor windows.

4. Medical & Biotech Environments

  • High-value Surgical Instruments: Clean laparoscopic tools, implants, IVD equipment with minimal residue.

  • Laboratories & Clean Benches: Wipe petri dishes, reagent bottles, PCR equipment, centrifuge rotors inside biosafety cabinets.

  • Cell Culture & Genetic Workstations: Wipe microscope stages and biosafety cabinets to avoid particulate contamination.

5. Data Storage Devices

  • HDD Heads & Platters: Used in manufacturing and repair to clean delicate disk heads and surfaces, where any particle can cause read/write errors or crashes.

6. Aerospace & High-end Manufacturing

  • Gyroscopes & Inertial Navigation Systems: Clean precision mechanical or optical components.

  • Satellite Optics & Communication Modules: Wipe sensitive components during cleanroom assembly or maintenance.

  • Precision Mechanical Parts: Clean bearings, gears, hydraulic valve cores before assembly.

7. Cleanroom Facility Maintenance

Used as a regular wiping material for surfaces such as workstations, FFU/laminar flow units, equipment enclosures, chairs, and tools. Their low particle generation is essential for maintaining the overall cleanliness of the room.

Conclusion

Microfiber cleanroom wipes stand out for their high cleanliness level, excellent absorption capacity, low shedding, and broad solvent compatibility. They are indispensable in industries such as semiconductors, optics, biotechnology, and medical equipment manufacturing, where contamination control is mission-critical.

UST (优斯特) is a professional manufacturer of microfiber cleanroom wipes in China, offering sample testing services to help clients validate product performance and ensure risk-free procurement.