Pass-Thru Window Selection Guide
Designed to protect manufacturing operations from the constant threat of air particulate contamination, modular cleanrooms utilize pass-thru windows to ensure cleanliness standards as products or materials move in or out of the room. With several options available, it is essential to evaluate different pass-thru designs to find a solution that meets your specific requirements.
Step 1: Identify Cleanroom Application Requirements
Cleanroom pass-thrus allow products and materials to move from a controlled environment into uncontrolled, surrounding areas. Used across various industries, they prevent cleanroom air from depressurizing, and keep untreated air from flowing into the cleanroom, improving operating efficiency. The first step in selecting a pass-thru is understanding its application and requirements. Pass-thrus can support a wide range of applications, including:
- Pharmacies
- Compounding Pharmacies
- Semiconductor Manufacturing
- Chemo Drug Pharmacies & Manufacturing
- Aseptic Manufacturing Environments
- Terminal Sterilization Processing
- Consumer Electronics
- Food Processing
- Automotive Manufacturing
- Aerospace
- Biotechnology & Nanotechnology Processes
Step 2: Select the Correct Pass-Thru Type
Depending on your application requirements, either a standard, fully-welded, or bio-design pass-thru will provide the necessary capabilities to meet manufacturing standards:Stainless Steel Pass-Thrus: Suitable for most manufacturing and laboratory processes, offering a smooth, stainless steel interior that wipes down easily. This design can be used for operations for pharmacies and semiconductor manufacturing.
Full Welded Body Pass-Thrus: Features smooth, formed radius corners to prevent particulate from collecting in the corners and edges. This design is ideal for aseptic manufacturing, compounding pharmacies, chemo drug pharmacies, and manufacturing processes that require sterile, but simple cleaning.
Bio-Design Pass-Thrus: Designed to support specialized bio-contaminant or “germ-free” processes, including terminal sterilization processing, nanotechnology, and other production facilities with strict isolation procedures requiring aseptic cleaning of cleanroom equipment surfaces. This design has the same solid, fully welded body, but also features coved radii, seamless interiors, and knife-edge hatch openings. It is even less likely to harbor particles and is easier to clean.
All of our pass-thrus are made of rugged, durable stainless steel to withstand constant use and offer an easy-to-clean solution for sterile environments.
Step 3: Choose Cabinet Construction and Interlock Style
Pass-thru windows include a range of cabinet constructions and interlock styles, providing solutions to prevent additional contamination when transferring products or materials. These are specific to the chosen pass-thru style, with all designs featuring 304 stainless steel double-wall construction, a #4 finish, and lipless interior floors. Most options will feature a mechanical interlock with 90° stainless steel T-handles, while bio-design pass-thrus will feature a one-step, automatic mechanical interlock.![1775672336995-ad249006-22a5-41e9-855c-4e29160e956a_1[1]](images/CAP18%20Images/CAP18F/1775672336995-ad249006-22a5-41e9-855c-4e29160e956a_1%5B1%5D.jpg)
Step 4: Review Door Features and Contamination Control Guidelines
Wall- and floor-mounted pass-thru windows offer different options for door features, which are further determined by the design option that best meets your application requirements. Compared to wall-mounted designs, floor-mounted pass-thrus also offer options for urethane gaskets, adjustable PVC floor sweeps, and silicone bulb gasket that seals to integrated floor designs.
Step 5: Determine Mounting and HVAC Integration Requirements
The mounting style determines how the pass-thru is installed and utilized between the cleanroom and uncontrolled environments. Wall-mounted pass-thrus are installed on or within a wall, providing a range of sizes to suit different applications and products. Alternatively, floor-mounted pass-thrus are supported by the floor, typically in larger sizes to allow a cart of products to move through one environment to the other. 18F pass-thrus are floor-mounted, while 18W designs are wall-mounted. We also provide fire-rated pass-thrus to provide fire protection in critical environments.
Step 6: Compare Models Using the Provided Charts
To quickly compare 18W and 18F pass-thru designs, these charts include recommended applications, cabinet features, door features, and electrical requirements to showcase the capabilities of each design. In addition to the standard, fully welded body, and bio-design options, these charts also include features of standard designs with HEPA filters and fully welded body designs with HEPA filters.
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