How Clean is Clean
Our Solution
Deliver a portable Microbial Air Sampler along with accessories to certify clean rooms.
The Result
A Microbial Air Sampler whose design has remained unchanged for over a decade and is still in demand worldwide.
The Story
A cleanroom is a controlled environment with a very low concentration of airborne particles, such as dust and microbes. This is achieved through advanced air filtration systems (like HEPA filters) and strict protocols for personnel and equipment. They are essential in industries like semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace, where even microscopic contamination can be detrimental to products or processes.
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Portable air sampling devices are critical tools used to certify cleanrooms by measuring and counting airborne particles. These devices actively pull a specified volume of air and analyze it to determine the concentration and size of both viable (living microbes) and non-viable (dust, skin cells) particles. This data is then used to ensure the cleanroom meets strict international standards, such as ISO 14644-1, which dictate the maximum allowed particle count for a given classification.
THE CHALLENGE
Designing a Human-Centric Solution
Our process began not with technology, but with people. Honeywell had in hand, a design that looked easy to make. It was split down in the middle in the top view. One side looked clean, the other had pockets (ostensibly to be capped later).
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We were aghast at this. How could a design that was supposed to certify clean rooms have such prominent dirt pockets? And how could a company that promised seamless performance have a seam (product parting lines) bang where the user was expected to hold the product in their hands? Right from this point, we were determined to design a product: one with clean surfaces and no split lines where the user would hold it!
THE PROCESS
Design Progression
We moved through a rigorous, iterative development process:
- Ideation & Conceptualization: Our industrial design team came up with multiple form and product split options converging to a design that was IP21 and looked worthy of certifying a clean room.
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- Material Selection: We worked with suppliers to chrome up with plastics that would not leach VOCs during normal operation and were amenable to cleaning with 50/50 IPA solution. The material also had to be anti-bacterial to avoid cross contamination from the monitoring activities.
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- Mechanical & Electrical Integration: Our engineers worked with Honeywell’s team to integrate the tech guts while retaining the design approved by Honeywell’s customer, Particle Measuring Systems.
THE SOLUTION
The Breakthrough: A Clean design to Certify Clean rooms
The result is the Microbial Air Sampler, a product that set the standards for non carbonated beverage dispensing.. Its most defining features are:
Clean surfaces for a clean device
We designed the form using PTC’s Creo +ISDX software sculpting the product for optimal ergonomics. Our engineering team added details that hid every fastener recess to avoid unsightly dirt traps.
Serving a Multitude
We developed accessories which turned the product into a platform capable of serving a multitude of industries. In some cases, the sampler could be deployed remotely to measure the air quality position outside the room.
Precisely Engineered
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Our engineering team worked on designing the head to be precisely machined every single time while remaining affordable. This included the radial slit pattern for sampling which has helped eliminate false positives.We achieved this through a clever set up of dimensions and tolerances that while adhering to IS2768 delivered the precision required.
Sampling with ease
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Collaborating with Honeywell and PMI, we designed a new device to make microbial air sampling easy. A noteworthy feature that proves its ease is the large capacitive and sliding touch screen—easy to use with gloves and without the need for a stylus. Consequently, the new microbial air sampler not only saves time but also reduces operator error.
THE RESULT
A new benchmark in Portable Microbial Air Sampling
Our design and engineering efforts for the Minicapt Microbial air sampler have helped make it a long serving product delivering a full range of contamination monitoring solutions. Some of its salient features include;
- Reduction in operator errors with secure data management and an easy-to-use touchscreen
- A Filtered exhaust eliminates introduction of contamination from the unit
- Unique impaction pattern allows for false positive identification
- Antibacterial housing reduces cross-contamination from monitoring activities