Thinking outside the box

Many years ago, in response to a growing industry and by a complete coincidence, the concept of laminar airflow was conceived.

Contrary to popular belief, laminar flow was not a design breakthrough that enabled thriving technologies to improve the cleanliness of their operations and thus spark the technological revolution of the last 30 years. It was, instead, a by-product of the filter design that encouraged air to flow through the filter in a straight line, which seemed equally as marketable as the fact that the air itself was clean which, let's face it, was the more relevant fact. Whatever its coincidental beginnings, the humble laminar flow canopy has seen many evolutions over the last 30 or so years while in many cases still retaining the same basic principle. However, the purpose of this article is not to dwell in the past glories of this stalwart product but to try to see how it has changed and more importantly, how it will change over the coming years.

In the beginning The basic design in the beginning was for a laminated wooden box with a fan, air intake and an outlet through a HEPA filter. This provided class 100 or better conditions at the working area, which is the whole purpose of using these boxes. The basic design now is for a laminated wooden box with a fan, air intake and an outlet through a HEPA filter. See the differences? There is a phrase often used by recruitment consultants and other such spin doctors which is "thinking outside the box". This is where the future of laminar flow canopies lies, outside the box. Although the "box" in this case is generally adequate for 80% of applications, the nature of our ever-changing industry can inflict certain operational difficulties which cannot be solved in the box. The pharmaceutical and food industries have always been slightly different as they have relied on stainless steel for their boxes, but this is essentially the same thing in a different cover. It does the same job, has the same dimensions, the same weight and basically is as big and cumbersome as ever. Again, this is fine for most applications, but there are some that will struggle with these limitations. What about the client that wants a portable unit on wheels that your granny could push around? This problem gets even worse when you want to push it through doors so the canopy has to come off. What about the client who wants something to match his existing lab or to fit in with an existing piece of equipment? The difference is not in technology but in functionality and aesthetics. If the standard box is too big and bulky or looks as natural as a camel at the North Pole then you have to think outside the box. A major breakthrough in design and functionality which allows aesthetics to take a front seat is the use of aluminium. It is lightweight, strong, easy to work with and can be powder coated to a finish to match any area. This does not make it a panacea, as there are of course certain limitations and drawbacks, but it can fill the gap that the standard unit can't. Taken to its extremes, the humble laminar flow canopy can be as stylish or practical as you wish. Coherent (Scotland) Ltd wanted horizontal flow, clean air benches in their new "state-of-the art" facility in Glasgow, but they wanted total visibility across the area in which their lasers were developed outside of their existing cleanroom. The plan was to give the entire laboratory an open feeling with plentiful natural light that would lessen the operatives feeling of isolation and banish the typical claustrophobic atmosphere of similar environments.

Futuristic design Several development sessions later, a futuristic design more reminiscent of George Jetson was developed that gave a substantial working area, ample storage space and more importantly a completely transparent upper section. Incorporating the unique "Millibore" system to generate horizontal flow at the necessary velocities to achieve class 100 or better across the whole working areas, these distinct cabinets are unlike anything the industry has ever seen and are truly a feat of engineering. Taking a new concept and actually producing a working design from it is an ability held by few in the cleanroom world. In an industry where very little separates the suppliers, the ability to get away from the box entirely, let alone think outside it, could soon be a pre-requisite.