The selection and pretreatment of raw materials are the primary hurdles in controlling dust particles. Cleanroom wipes typically use polyester fibers or spunlace nonwoven fabrics as the base material, which must possess a dense fiber structure and low shedding rate. Suppliers must provide cleanliness test reports for the raw materials, ensuring they are free of visible particles. Before production, pretreatment processes such as ultrasonic cleaning and vacuum dust removal are required to further remove tiny impurities adhering to the fiber surface. For example, some high-end wipes use corona-treated base materials, which enhance the electrostatic adsorption capacity of the fiber surface, reducing fiber debris generated during use due to friction.
The purification of the production environment is a crucial foundation for controlling dust particles. Cleanroom wipes must be produced in a cleanroom that meets ISO 14644-1 standards, with the core production area typically requiring a cleanliness level of Class 100 (i.e., no more than 100 dust particles ≥0.5μm in diameter per cubic foot of air). The workshop must be equipped with a laminar flow purification system, using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters for multi-stage air filtration and maintaining a positive pressure environment to prevent external contamination. Floors, walls, and equipment surfaces must be made of anti-static, easy-to-clean materials to reduce particulate matter generated by friction or electrostatic adsorption. Furthermore, personnel must undergo dust removal in an air shower before entering the workshop and wear cleanroom suits, gloves, and masks to minimize dust particles carried by the body.
Optimizing the process flow is crucial for reducing dust particle generation. In the cutting process of wet wipes, traditional mechanical cutting may generate debris due to blade wear or fiber stretching, while laser cutting or ultrasonic cutting technologies can avoid this problem through non-contact processing. In the wetting process, solution preparation must be completed in an independent, closed system to prevent airborne dust from mixing in; solution delivery pipelines must be regularly cleaned and disinfected to prevent microbial growth and the formation of biological particles. Folding and packaging processes should utilize automated equipment to reduce the risk of contamination from manual operation, while packaging materials must have high barrier properties to prevent external dust from seeping in during storage or transportation.
Establishing a quality inspection system is the ultimate guarantee for ensuring effective dust particle control. During production, semi-finished products require online monitoring. For example, a laser particle counter is used to randomly inspect the surface of the wipes. If the detected value exceeds a preset threshold, the system will automatically alarm and suspend production. Finished products undergo a full inspection before leaving the factory, including testing for particle count, microbial indicators, and packaging seal.
Furthermore, the maintenance and calibration of production equipment are crucial. Laminar flow purification systems require regular filter replacement to ensure filtration efficiency; cutting equipment requires daily cleaning of the blades to prevent residual fiber accumulation; and automated packaging machines require weekly precision calibration to avoid packaging damage due to mechanical errors. These strict controls on details together constitute a complete system for controlling dust particles in cleanroom wipes.
