You can see various wipers in the world to control contamination at cleanroom. You need to know what makes an ideal wipe for its specific purpose. Examining two essential wiper attributes (material and construction) is 1st step in determining if wiper is proper for specific situation and application.
Material: Synthetics, Cotton and Blend
Synthetics like polyester and nylon are cleaner than cotton and also possess a wider range of chemical resistances. They are hydrophobic meaning that they do not naturally absorb and hold water or aqueous-based liquid. That said washing treatment of synthetics can significantly increase absorbency capabilities.
Cotton and Blend are hydrophilic, naturally absorbent, strong, and can withstand high temperatures. However making cotton absorbent may increase fiber shading during wiping applications. Also typically polyester and cellulose are paired to offer the cleanliness of a synthetic with hydrophilic properties of a natural material. However, blends are open limited to general cleaning or maintenance usage in supporting areas for more critical environments.
Construction of Substrates: Non-woven, Knit and Composite
Non-woven substrate can be made of natural, synthetic fiber and filaments that are turned into a homogeneous sheet with chemical, thermal, mechanical or solvent treatment. Non-woven is a great choice for you to trim consumables costs for less critical environment.
Knitted substrates are made of interlaced loops of yarn. Polyester is the predominant base material for knitted wipers. They can be combined into multiple layers through a variety of method which further increase absorbency and durability.
Composite wipers are multiple substrate layers fused into one sheet, for wipers, cellulose is typically sandwiched between layers of polypropylene. Although composite offer a potentially broad range of use than a wiper of either individual substrate, their overall applicability to environments and process will always be limited by the least compatible material.
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Wiper Attributes |
Primary Concerns |
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Material |
Synthetics |
Wipes Chemicals; High Abrasion Resistance; Durability |
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Cotton |
High Temperature; Large Aqueous Spills |
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Blends |
Cost Effective, Cleaning and Maintenance |
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Construction |
Non-woven |
Less critical environments and applications with no abrasion and shedding |
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Knit |
Critical environments and applications for mitigating particle release and fiber shedding |
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Composite |
Tolerating high level of particle, fiber counts, NVRS and Ions |
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