Tech blog
Read more »What is a Cleanroom Fan Filter Unit?
Vertical laminar airflow in a cleanroomA cleanroom fan filter unit (FFU) uses HEPA filtration to protect products and personnel inside the cleanroom from unwanted particles and germs. The HEPA filter (or ULPA filter) in the FFU is constructed of delicate tightly woven fibers to catch sub-micron particles. In a typical cleanroom, the fan powered hepa filter mounts on top of the ceiling grid and scrubs air clean as the motor pulls air from outside the cleanroom, pushes it through the HEPA filter and into the cleanroom.The downward top-to-bottom flow of air into the cleanroom provides laminar airflow - a single pass unidirectional flow of air--starting from the ceiling and exiting near the floor--to help flush out other contaminants that may be introduced inside the cleanroom. The clean filtered air being pushed into the cleanroom also creates a positive pressure environment to help keep unwanted contaminants from drifting inside the cleanroom.
Read more »A HEPA fan filter unit (FFU) is a crucial component of every cleanroom environment. Making the correct decision as to which type of FFU is the most appropriate for your application is not something to simply gloss over. There are two main categories of motorized fan filter units: permanent split capacitors (PSC) and electronically commutated motors (ECM). Both types of fan filter modules provide a perfunctory standard for any cleanroom, but differ by way of efficiency, durability and cost. PSC systems save you money upfront and are ideal for small, consistent projects. However, when considering longer endeavors, especially those with ever-changing circumstances, the ECM will pay for itself with energy savings. For instance, in California at an average of 14.47 cents per kilowatt hour, you would make the difference between the higher upfront costs of the ECM over the PSC bac
Read more »In addition to face masks, properly maintained air filters remain crucial in confined indoor spaces to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 virus). Both HEPA filters and ULPA filters reduce the number of microscopic particles in the air, which can keep air safe to breathe in places it’s needed most like hospitals, isolation rooms and crowded indoor areas.
COVID-19 virus spreads through the air on respiratory droplets created from talking, coughing, sneezing, and even breathing. When these activities occur in a populated space with stale air, the likelihood of transmission can significantly increase, as COVID-19 has been proven to remain viable for at least 3 hours lingering in the air or on surfaces up to four meters away from its last host.
Masks and social distancing significantly reduce the chance of the virus’s spread
Read more »Choosing the right fume hood is crucial to ensuring safety from dangerous chemicals and vapors in your lab. The process of researching and purchasing the right lab hood can seem overwhelming. We are here to help. Below are important questions and considerations to help you choose the right fume hood for your lab. Give us a call to speak with one of our product specialists or feel free to send an email, or reach out on live chat. Terra manufactures and stocks fume hoods in Fullerton, CA and distributes industry-leading models by Labconco.
Read more »How to Prevent Moisture Damage with a Desiccator Cabinet
On a grand scale, every desiccator cabinet looks similar: air-tight chambers, meant to keep components inside safe from humidity and particulate contamination during storage. It’s not until you need one that you consider what distinguishes one desiccator from the next, and how those differences will affect the material you need to preserve. So if you’re wondering what kind of desiccator cabinet is available, what problems to avoid and what features are used to achieve superior desiccation, read on.
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The last thing you need is your lab equipment rusting out on you. When considering your specific application needs for new stainless steel equipment, a recurring question in the market remains—what’s the difference between 304 and 316? When should you consider 316? In scenarios demanding the utmost vigilance, you may discover you require 316L stainless steel.
304 Stainless steel is composed of 18% chromium and 8% nickel. 316 Stainless steel is made up of chromium and nickel at 16% and 10% respectively, but also includes molybdenum—a silvery-white metal that’s highly resistant to corrosion.
316L Stainless steel contains the same corrosion-resistant materials as 316, but includes the added benefit of a lower carbon content—eliminating the opportunity for excessive metallic contamination and making cracking less likely. Both 316 and 316L are able to withstand chlorides and chlorinated solutions, such as Spor-Klenz® and Isopropyl Acetate
Read more »Pass through cabinets play a vital role in any cleanroom or controlled environment. They reduce foot traffic, improve cleanliness, safety, productivity, and much more. Terra manufactures and stocks cleanroom pass through designs for every application. Each design includes application specific features to help maximize cleanliness and safety plus lower operating costs. Below is a summary of countless benefits Terra’s cleanroom pass thrus provide. Call us or chat with a product specialist today to find the perfect solution for your unique requirements.
Read more »How to Clean and Sterilize a Laminar Flow Hood
Cleaning a laminar flow hood sounds like a self-explanatory task, but there are plenty of factors to consider when the stakes of sterilization include the integrity of your products. Even more importantly, a clean laminar flow hood helps ensure the safety of patients and consumers on the receiving end of those products.
For environments that require sterility as their primary priority, a methodical approach to cleaning will help eliminate the chances of microbial growth, corrupted test results or cross-contamination between batches of products. It’s tedious, but entirely necessary. A clean
Read more »Which Desiccator Cabinet Fits Your Application?
Terra offers desiccator and desiccator cabinet designs for every purpose - whether it be for transportation, short term or long term storage, these dry cabinets protect sensitive parts and materials of all shapes and sizes from moisture damage, particle contamination, electro-static discharge, and more. Find out which design best fits your needs!
Acrylic Desiccator Cabinet
Choose Terra’s ValuLine™ acrylic desiccator cabinet as a low-cost alternative for less stringent storage requirements. These versatile desiccator cabinets can be configured for dry Nitrogen gas purging, desiccant bead dehumidification, or simply clean storag
Read more »Why a Nitrogen Generator Belongs in Your Lab
Forget about renting nitrogen tanks — laboratory applications aren’t on the same level as buying helium for a kid’s birthday balloons. Critical operations can’t wait for resupply. What happens when production stops because the gas supply has depleted, or when valuable experiments or products are ruined because of moisture exposure? As far as the old-fashioned nitrogen delivery via tank and truck, why wait to have crucial laboratory supplies left on the cleanroom stoop like old milk bottles? How much time should personnel have to spend refilling each tank? And where in the space-starved facility should the bulky supplies wait for use?
