Contamination in Cleanroom Bags, Film and Tubing

NOTICEABLE GEL PARTICLES AND SMALL BLACK “PIN PRICK SIZE” EMBEDDED SPOTS IN CLEANROOM CLASS 100 BAGS AND TUBING

The following information may be helpful regarding any concerns of gel particles or black pin prick size spots embedded in class 100 cleanroom polyethylene bags, tubing, or sheeting.

Round or special shaped markings in polyethylene film are not contamination, and are intrinsic to the extrusion process. Black carbon spots, and gel spherical spots, are on occasion encapsulated within cleanroom films, and are not considered to be contamination. These spots are molten “pick off “polyethylene resin that is transferred from the extrusion die into the extruded film. Spots will normally vary from a clear to a light brown to a black in color depending upon the heat range they have been subjected to. As polyethylene resin is heated, and starts to liquify, particles may break off and become super heated, which are then picked up and extruded during the film making process. This results in slightly noticeable small black spots encapsulated within the extruded film.

Degage has done extensive research looking for materials that meet all the specifications and requirements of clean room class 100 packaging, and all our materials meet and exceed those requirements, as well as the requirements of NASA and ISO. There is not a resin manufacturer, or a clean room film manufacturer who can, in an honest statement, claim that their films are 100% gel and black spot free. Degage films are 100% inspected but we cannot guarantee that all our films, bags and tubing will be 100% gel and spot free 100% of the time.

We are offering this information to help educate you, and hopefully your packaging customer, so that you can be aware of any anomaly in any packaging received from us.