Consistency as the True Measure of Cleanroom Wiper Quality

Abstract

Cleanroom wipers have long played an indispensable role in managing contamination in controlled environments. From wiping residues on hard surfaces to applying cleaning solutions, wipers perform a variety of tasks that help maintain the cleanliness levels desired in a given cleanroom environment. This makes the selection of cleanroom wipers a critical decision in any controlled environment. One common way to distinguish between cleanroom wipers of similar structural design is to compare test results across a variety of criteria, according to recommended practices by organizations such as the IEST. However, these results are typically listed as single data points for a given test and are meant to indicate either “typical values,” or even target specifications, in some instances. This approach is inherently limited and ineffective in assessing the true levels of cleanliness of a given wiper product. In this study, we review the test methods that are used to evaluate cleanroom wipers and present a new and improved approach by which users can evaluate their cleanliness. We provide a framework by which the consistency of the cleanliness of cleanroom wipers can be assessed in a statistically relevant manner. Finally, we demonstrate the value of using consistency of test results rather than a singular test result as the true measure of wiper quality.