Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

Laminar Air Flow Cabinet- An Ultimate Buying Guide by Sunnyda.

Different environment-sensitive specimens and materials are needed to be protected from contamination while working inside science laboratories and different other applications.

Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is considered to be the best solution that is configured to provide a sterile and controlled environment.

HEPA filters and ULPA filters are featured with the cabinet that discharged all of the airborne particulates from the cabinet with 99.999% working efficiency.

Implementation of standardized compliance in its grade design A cleanliness makes it more reliable and the best option to use.

Testing of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What is Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

A Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is a highly efficient enclosed bench that is also called a tissue culture cabinet or hood, designed based on the laminar airflow principle.

The air is discharged from the cabinet in a laminar flow pattern under a defined speed over a defined workstation.

It is a unit that assists in the maintenance and stability of sensitive material or specimens from being contaminated with polluted air.

HEPA box, filter pads, pressure gauges, and blowers are the basic components that enable it to perform its sterilized working.

Sunnyda Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What are the Basic Components of a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

The main components of the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet are given below:

Main Cabinet

The cabinet is smooth and flawless with no joints to mitigate the residence area of microbes. The cabinet protects the streamlined airflow pattern.

The outer side of the cabinet is made of glass that can be opened entirely or in two openings for putting hands inside the cabinet for working.

Workstation

The working site of the cabinet is called work station. All of the required material for processing is placed on a workstation as burners and culture plates. The surface of the workstation is also made of stainless steel to resist corrosion.

Pre-Filters

Pre-filters are also called filter pads. These are integrated on the topside of the cabinet from where air enters. It traps the dust particles as well as microbes and provides a streamlined airflow pattern to air.

Blowers

Blowers or fans are integrated at the below side of the filters. These blowers take the air and spread it inside the cabinet. These also direct the air towards the HEPA filters for cleaning.

UV Lamps

Mostly UV-C lamps are used to kill the germs inside the cabinet. These lamps ensure the sterility of the cabinet.

But UV radiations are dangerous for humans. So make sure to turn on the UV Lamps 15 minutes before working so that all of the germs may kill until you get ready for work.

Fluorescent Lamps

The fluorescent Lamps are fitted inside the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet to provide the normal lighting for performing the whole process.

HEPA Filters

The incoming streamline air passes from the HEPA filters that dissipate all of the particulates from the air ensuring sterility of the whole unit.

The discharged air dissipates from the cabinet directly over the workstation towards the front side at the operators’ face.

Main Cabinet of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What are the Technical Specifications of a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Some technical specifications of the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet that make it more reliable and efficient are given below:

• Cabinet size can be 1.4 meters but can also be customized

• The intensity of the fluorescent lamp is greater than 1800Lux

• Pre-filters, HEPA filters, or ULPA filters for 99.999% working efficiency

• Noise level maintained to less than 72dbA

• Michelin gauges for monitoring

• Power supply either 120 voltages with 60Hz frequency and 444BTU/hr heat load. While 220 voltages with 50Hz frequency model have heat load 460BTU/ hr.

• Workstation made of stainless steel material with coating to attain more insulation and protection

Technical Specifications of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What are the Fundamental Features of a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

A Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is manufactured with specific features as given below:

• UV lights that are integrated inside the cabinet kill all the hazardous microbes from the cabinet.

• Pre-filters that are made of polyester provide laminar flow with 85% working efficiency.

• All of the cabinet lights as fluorescent lights fitted on the side from laminar flow.

• Night doors configured with UV lights are used as optional for the protection of cabinets from any other contamination in the case when blowers are closed.

• Durable ULPA filters with their 99.999% working efficiency for the removal of particulates range from 0.2 to 0.3 micrometer.

• Side windows for getting illumination and three sides view of the cabinet. The Laminar Air Flow Cabinet made of stainless steel does not have side windows.

• Rotor blowers, GFCI outlet, and fan speed controller.

• HEPA filters for air filtration with 99.995% working efficiency.

• Control panel for controlling the cabinet as switching on / off, fan speeds and other lights, etc.

• Workstation made of stainless steel and angled front that is designed by keeping in view ergonomics.

• The coating of the stainless steel frame of the cabinets makes the unit more resistive.

Rapid Responsive Controller of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

How to Operate a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet to Start Working?

Before starting work, the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet should be operated for best outcomes with the following procedure as given below:

• Check out the whole cabinet before turn on and ensure that there would be no material inside that can be sensitive to UV light.

• After that, carefully closed the front glass of the cabinet and turned on the UV light.

• The UV lights act as germicidal and hazardous for operators so don’t stay in front of the cabinet until the UV light is powered on. Keep on it for 15 minutes so that all microbes may kill insider the cabinet.

• After 15 minutes switch off the UV lights and make a relay of about 10 minutes before starting airflow.

• Make sure to turn on the airflow just 5 minutes before starting work.

• While working also turned on the fluorescent lights by just opening the glass shield.

• Make sure to keep ON these fluorescent lights until the whole work may not be completed.

• To make the cabinet more aseptic and sterilized, some disinfectants can also be used for microbial dissipation.

• After completion of the work, turned off the fluorescent lamp as well as the airflow pattern. Also, close the front glass shield after ending up with the working procedure.

Air Flow Design Scheme of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

How Does a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet Work?

A Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is used to get a contaminated free environment. It is featured with a laminar flow of air as a working principle.

The working of the cabinet is given below:

Step 1

First of all, the air enters inside the cabinet and passes from pre-filters. Pre-filters ensure the streamlined flow of incoming air.

Step 2

After that, the streamlined air move towards the HEPA filters by enforcement of blowers or cabinet fans.

Step 3

Air passes from HEPA filters to remove the contaminants. All of the airborne particulates as bacteria fungus etc. are being filtered.

Step 4

After complete filtration, some amount of effluent or discharged air is removed from the cabinet by passing from the rear side bottom perforation of the cabinet.

Step 5

Except for this, the major portion of the discharged air is dissipated from the cabinet by directly passing over the workbench towards the operators’ face.

Working Principle of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What is the Basic Purpose to Use a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is widely used for an assorted number of applications that require contaminated free environment for particulates sensitive specimens.

Except for this, the cabinets is used for different purposes as:

• For specimens and tissue culturing processing in science laboratories, this cabinet is preferred to use.

• Other different processing as the preparation of different types of culture media, agar plates, bacterial and fungal colonies, etc. safely proceed inside the cabinet.

• For some electrons devices that need to be proceeded or operated in presence of a sterile environment because of its low resistance for air-borne particulates, the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is used.

• Drug designing is the more sensitive process to contamination is made safe and protected in pharmaceutical industries just by the use of laminar cabinets to perform different steps of drug formulation.

• Different industrial sectors also use it just for the protection of material from surroundings. General laboratories and their different scientific techniques always require this cabinet to use.

Drugs Designing in Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What are the SOPs for Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Standard operating procedures are some specified and authorized guidelines that are designed to operate the instrument accordingly.

Some basic SOPs for Laminar Air Flow Cabinet are given below:

• Make sure the sterility and cleaning of the whole cabinet before start working.

• Provide the cabinet power supply with three-pin plug maintenance.

• Turn on the UV lights for 15 minutes and then turn off the unit before work startup.

• Turn on all fluorescent lights as well as the airflow of the cabinet.

• Make sure to clean all of the glassware with alcohol before working and after working.

• Also, clean your hands and make sure the transferring of bacteria.

• After working turn off all lights.

Wash Your Hands Before Operating Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What are the Advantages to Use a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

A Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is preferred to use for its various advantages as forgiven below:

Economical

The cabinet is designed in such a way that lowers the maintenance requirements of the unit. There is only a need to replace the filters annually once you install them.

Portable

The Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is easy to move from one place to another because of its no external power connections except for the power cord.

Lower Installation Costs

The unit is fully prepared at the factory and shifted on the site of Installation with full complete design lowering the installation costs.

Safety

The LED monitoring unit, control system, and different alarms are fitted with the cabinet to make it safer while working by informing operators about any emergency.

Portable Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

How is a Horizontal Laminar Flow Cabinet Different from Vertical Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

It is designed for the attainment of a sterilized environment. According to the direction of airflow, it is divided into Vertical Laminar Air Flow Cabinet and Horizontal Laminar Air Flow Cabinet as given below:

Horizontal Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

• In this cabinet, the air enters from the outside environment to the inside cabinet from the rear side of the workstation.

• After air entrance, the blowers enforced the air towards the HEPA Filters for the removal of dust and all other airborne particulates.

• The filtered air after circulation moves out from the cabinet as discharging air and dissipates in a horizontal flow pattern at a workstation.

• The horizontal laminar airflow is always parallel to the workstation that is beneficial to clean the environment at continuous and constant air velocity.

• But its drawback is that discharged air directly moves out towards the operator resulting in the mitigation in its protection rate.

Vertical Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

• In a vertical laminar flow cabinet, the direction of the air is from the top side of the cabinet to the bottom side that is vertical to the workstation.

• The air is also drawn towards the HEPA Filters by blowers or through the fans for filtration.

• The workbench in vertical cabinets does not require more space, not depth. This makes an easiness in vertical airflow without making any hurdle in downstream airflow.

• The discharged air does not pass over the workbench as in horizontal cabinets but it vertically moves downward.

• One of its benefits is that it does not dissipate the air directly towards the workers’ face limiting its side effects on human health.

Horizontal Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

How is a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet Different from Biosafety Cabinet?

Biosafety Cabinet

• A biosafety cabinet is designed to protect the specimens and other material from contamination by outside air.

• Recirculation of the airflow pattern is configured inside the cabinet to deal with airborne particulates.

• Discharged air is dissipated from the cabinet through the exhaust hood present on the top side of the cabinet.

• Both the material and the operator remain safe while working in the biological safety cabinet.

Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

• It is also used for material protection and aseptic specimen distribution under controlled conditions as compared to outside contaminated environments.

• A laminar airflow pattern is followed inside the cabinet that is directed to dissipate instead of recirculation as in safety cabinet class 2.

• There is no biological safety hood to discharge the air from the laminar cabinet but instead, some of the air discharged out from rare perforation but a high amount of air discharged out directly contacting with operators face.

• Only specimen is remained protected inside the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet, not operator as compared to the biosafety cabinet.

Biosafety Cabinet

How to Choose a Best Laminar Air Flow Cabinet for your Application?

A Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is an enclosed workstation that enables the protection of different tissue cultures and other specimens from contamination.

To choose the best cabinet for your application always consider some key points as:

• Inspect the requirements of your application and the type of clean room or laboratory for which you required the cabinet. Different cabinets are designed according to ISO classification for clean rooms.

• Measure the location or side where you have to install the cabinet. Vertical cabinets are the best option to choose for lower space because it requires less floor.

• Always consider your budget while choosing the cabinet. Select that would be under your affordable budget.

Vertical Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

How is a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet Helpful in Tissue Culturing Technique?

Tissue culturing is one of the biological methods in which cells are excised from plants or animals and grow into an artificial medium.

This method requires a highly sterilized and contaminated-free environment for normal cellular growth.

So Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is used as the best unit that provides a controlled environment for tissue culture.

Except for this it also assists in plate pouring material distribution.

The cabinet designed for tissue culturing is configured with advanced energy-efficient technology to reduce power consumption.

Smooth surfaces to lower the requirements of cleaning and high-efficiency filters are used that helps greatly in the development and high-quality production of tissue culture.

Tissue Culturing in Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

What is the Containment Performance of a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is designed to meet the specified and credible containment level for different applications. To maintain the containment performance of the laminar cabinet, it is featured with:

• HEPA filters and ULPA filters integrated with fans to dissipate the particulates according to acceptance criteria.

• Positive pressure is maintained to prevent the entrance of outside polluted air as well as the compounding of nontoxic drugs.

• The cabinet is formulated for ISO 5 clean room or class 100 clean room under ISO 14644 standard.

ISO 5 Clean Room

For Which Applications Does a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet Used?

The Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is a highly efficient unit that is designed to combat airborne particulates in different applications as:

• Science Laboratories

• Pharmaceutical Industry

• Industrial Sectors

• Electronics

• Medical Institutes

• Plant Tissue Culturing

• Clinical Pharmacies

• Animal Cell Culturing

• Mycology

• Semiconductor Assemblage

• Food Microbiology

• Medical Devices

• Clean Rooms

• Hospitals

Applications of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

How to Install your Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

A Laminar Flow Cabinet is completely factory designed to reduce the installation costs of the customers.

It can be installed after shipment in the following. Way:

• Remove the packing carton and other protective material that is present around the cabinet.

• Separate the different parts of the cabinet.

• Align the base rails or stand components according to the fixed dimensions of the cabinet by using bolts and screws.

• Place the cabinet over the supporting table.

• Then clean the work surface by using a soaked cloth with alcohol and placed the workstation inside the cabinet

• Also, attach the UV light and other fluorescent lights inside the cabinet.

• Attach the power supply by switching the unit to the nearby power circuit. A blue light will turn on.

• Then close the front glass window and turn on the UV lamp for germicidal activity.

• Now the unit is ready to install for working.

UV Lamp in a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

In Which Areas of Microbiology Can you Use a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Microbiology is the field of biology that deals with the study and evaluation of microbes.

Different processes related to microbes are performed in a sterilized environment by the use of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet in 3 different fields:

Product Protection

For different processes as tissue culturing, sterilized tests, and aseptic plate pouring, a horizontal laminar flow cabinet is used where there is no need for personnel protection.

Personnel Protection

To deal with infectious microbes and process with pathogenic microbes, a vertical Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is used to ensure personnel protection.

Personnel and Product Protection

For some Microbiology fields that require the protection of both, as operator and material, a Vertical Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is preferred to use.

What are the Design Standards of a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Laminar Air Flow Cabinets are not restricted to specific design implementation with specified standards.

Some reference standards are used for the designing of this flow cabinet according to the different clean room requirements as:

BS EN 14644-1:1999

This standard is based on cleanliness grades for different clean rooms. Particle sizes ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 micrometer are measured to classify different clean room classes accordingly.

 ISO 14644

According to ISO 14644 standard, the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is most probably designed for ISO 5 clean room that should have particulates less than 0.5 micrometers. In other cases, the particulates are set up not to be more than 3520 particulates.

This ISO clean room class is considered to be equivalent to class 100 clean rooms according to the 209E standard.

EU GMP

EU GMP compliance is followed while designing cabinets for the pharmaceutical clean rooms of the European state.

The cabinet designed under European GMP guidelines is considered to get grade A of cleanliness when the outer environment would be with grade B of cleanliness.

EU EN 1822

This European standard is implemented for designing different grade HEPA filters.H14 HEPA filter is an example of this standard implementation.

While the ULPA filter U15   is considered to be a ULPA filter designed under standard grading.

Design Standards of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

Which Tests are Performed for the Qualification of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

A Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is designed to provide a sterilized and controlled environment for the workout.

In case of any disturbance in results, or any failure you may inspect in routine monitoring, the following tests can be performed to ensure the qualification of the cabinet:

Particulate Count Test

• By using a particulate counter, ensure the total count of particulates inside the cabinet. Then take up 1 cubic meter of air from each filter as a sample and check out the particulates.

• The acceptance criteria are about 0.5microns or 3500 particles should be in one cubic meter. The variation from this criteria will confirm the failure of the unit.

Air Velocity Test

• Check out the airflow velocity of the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet by using an anemometer.

• According to the acceptance criteria, the rate of the airflow should not exceed 90+ 20% feet/minute.

HEPA Filtration Integrity Test

• PAO is used for performing this integrity test. PAO is intermixed with the coming air towards the filter.

• A photometer is used to check the penetration rate and according to acceptance criteria, it should not be more than 0.01%.

• Silicone sealant can be used in case of leakage in the filter to refill it again for integrity in performance.

HEPA Filtration Integrity Test

What is the Regulatory Compliance for the Components of Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is a specified unit that provides high cleaning grade for the protection of material with enhancement in quality.

The USP 797 compliance is implemented to design both horizontal and vertical cabinets suitable for ISO 5 clean room.

Specific location and cabinet size guidelines are also available in USP 797 to design a variety of cabinets for different classes. ISO 7 clean room is located as a buffer area as per compliance guidelines.

For compounding of nontoxic drugs, USP standard is followed for ensuring sterile accommodation of:

• Injections

• Allergens

• Irrigating Solutions

• Ointments

• Ophthalmic Solutions

ISO 7 Clean Room

Which Precautions Should Keep in Consideration While Operating a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet?

For durability and increase the working efficiency of your Laminar Air Flow Cabinet, there is a need to follow some precautions while working as given below:

• Make sure to sterilize the whole cabinet before starting the working procedure by the use of UV lights that acts as germicidal. Also, turn on the UV light for germ-killing when the process going to end up.

• Always make into consideration that the UV lights integrated with the cabinet and the airflows should never be turned on together. But there should be a gap of almost 15 minutes in between both steps.

• Don’t start any working while the UV light is ON because UV rays are dangerous for specimens and operators.

• The SOPs should be followed and PPE should wear by operators.

• All of the basic components of the cabinet as the workstation and glass shields be sterilized and cleaned before and after the completion of working.

Wear Proper PPE Before Using Laminar Air Flow Cabinet

Conclusion.

So a Laminar Air Flow Cabinet is a specific workbench that is designed to meet the safety standards of a cleanliness laboratory. ISO, EU GMP, and USP 797 regulatory compliance are implemented to make the unit credible and reliable.

Factory mounted design makes the Laminar Air Flow Cabinet easy to use and maintain with low power consumption under advanced technology.

Customization services with the integration of different accessories are also available to use for different applications.

Different quality standards also ensure the validity of the cabinet for different applications as tissue culturing and pour plating etc.

ISO Approved Prime Quality Laminar Air Flow Cabinet