Comprehensive Guide To Pass Box

What is a Pass Box?

  In cleanroom operations, the need to transfer products between personnel inside and outside the cleanroom is common. Frequent entry and exit increase the risk of contamination. To reduce the number of times cleanroom doors are opened and minimize contamination, a Pass Box or pass through is often used.
  A Pass Box is an auxiliary device used for transferring small items between clean areas, or between clean and non-clean areas. It blocks airflow to prevent contaminated air from entering cleaner zones and avoids cross-contamination.
  Pass through is designed to block airflow and prevent contaminated air from entering cleaner areas. It is usually installed at cleanroom entrances or between rooms with different cleanliness levels. The doors have specialized sealing strips to ensure airtightness. Additionally, the Pass Box is equipped with electronic or mechanical interlocks and UV sterilization lamps to further reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

Airflow and Contamination Control in Pass Box:
  Pressure control in cleanrooms is a critical method for maintaining cleanliness and preventing air pollution. The pass box, due to its air flow, will inevitably affect the pressure difference in the clean room when transferring materials between indoors and outdoors.

Ways to Minimize the Impact of Pass Box on Cleanroom Differential Pressure:
â–º Rational layout: When designing the layout, it is essential to consider the airflow between the cleanroom interior and exterior. A well-thought-out layout minimizes the disruption caused by air movement.
â–º Equipment interlocking: Within the clean room, all ventilation systems must be coordinated. Interlocking mechanisms should be established between pass boxes and other ventilation equipment to ensure the stability of the indoor air pressure differential.
â–º Material Control: Control the materials being transferred through the pass box to avoid any impact on indoor airflow caused by the movement or storage of these materials.
â–º Sealing of the Pass Box: The sealing quality of the pass box itself is crucial. It is essential to enhance the sealing of pass boxes to reduce the impact of airflow between the interior and exterior.
â–º Pressure Differential Monitoring: Install pressure differential monitoring devices within the cleanroom to keep track of changes in pressure. This allows for timely adjustments to maintain the desired cleanroom environment.

Advantages of a Pass Through Box:
  A Pass Box is installed at cleanroom entrances or between rooms of different cleanliness levels. By blocking airflow between the interior and exterior, it ensures that outside air doesn't affect the cleanliness of the cleanroom. Here are the key advantages of a Pass Box:
â–ºClean and Durable Design:
The exterior of the Pass Through Box can be made of high-quality powder coated steel or stainless steel. The interior work surface is made of stainless steel, which is smooth, wear-resistant, aesthetically pleasing, and durable.
â–ºEfficient Item Transfer:
The Pass Through Box shortens the distance required for transferring items, reducing foot traffic, lowering the risk of contamination, and improving work efficiency. For longer-distance transfer or heavy transfer, the work surface can be equipped with non-powered rollers.
â–ºHigh Sealing and Safety:
ThePass Through Box features mechanical or electronic interlocks on both doors, ensuring that the doors cannot be opened simultaneously. High-quality sealing materials are used to maintain airtightness during the transfer of items, thus preventing cross-contamination between different environments.
â–ºFlexibility and Adaptability:
Pass Through Boxes can be designed in various sizes, shapes, and functionalities to meet different usage scenarios and requirements.
â–ºMaintaining Cleanroom Pressure Stability:
By incorporating high-efficiency filters and pressure balance devices, the Pass Box maintains stable pressure differences between different areas, preventing the flow of contaminated air.
â–ºCustomizable with Appropriate Accessories:
Pass Through Boxes can be customized in non-standard sizes and floor-mounted designs as needed. Additional features such as intercoms and UV sterilization lamps can be added based on specific requirements.

Types and Selection of Pass Boxes:
  Different industries have varying requirements for pass boxes, so it's important to consider the usage scenario and specific needs when selecting a pass box.
Based on the installation method, pass though is generally classified into:
â–ºWall-Mounted Pass Box:
Wall-mounted pass boxes are typically smaller in size, making them easy to install and move. They are usually mounted on walls and are ideal for clean areas with limited space or specific layouts.
â–ºFloor-Mounted Pass Box:
In contrast to the wall-mounted type, floor-mounted pass boxes are placed directly on the ground. They usually feature larger dimensions and greater load-bearing capacity, making them suitable for situations that require a larger work surface or more storage space.

Pass boxes can be categorized based on their operating principles as follows:
â–ºAir Shower Pass Box:
The air shower pass box is equipped with an air shower system that uses high-velocity air to clean the surface of items during transfer, ensuring that no external contaminants are introduced. It is suitable for environments with high cleanliness requirements, such as laboratories and pharmaceutical facilities,pass box in pharma particularly in scenarios where preventing cross-contamination is crucial.
â–ºStatic Pass Box:
The static pass box is typically used for general item transfer without providing additional cleaning functions. Items transferred through it may carry external contaminants. It is suitable for environments with lower cleanliness requirements, such as general laboratories and hospital operating rooms.
â–ºDynamic Pass Box:
The dynamic pass box utilizes a laminar flow design, creating a positive pressure environment with vertical laminar airflow to prevent external air from entering the pass box, thereby avoiding contamination of the items. It is usually equipped with high-efficiency filtration systems to further remove dust and microorganisms from the air, ensuring the cleanliness of transferred items. The dynamic pass box is ideal for environments with high cleanliness requirements, such as laboratories and clean workshops.

Usage and Precautions for Pass Boxes:
As an essential piece of equipment in cleanrooms, pass through chambers offer isolation, cleanliness, sterility, and safety. Understanding the correct usage and precautions for operating pass boxes is crucial for improving work efficiency and ensuring production safety.

Pass Box Operating Instructions:
â–ºPre-Use Inspection: Before use, check that the interior of the pass box is clean and that both doors are properly closed.
â–ºPlacing Items: Open the outer door of the pass box (the inner door will remain locked due to the interlock system). Carefully place the items inside, ensuring they do not touch the walls or ceiling of the pass box.
â–ºClosing and Processing: After placing the items, promptly close the outer door to prevent air exchange. The pass box will then carry out any necessary processes, such as air showers or disinfection.
â–ºNotification and Retrieval: Once processing is complete, notify the personnel on the opposite side. They will open the inner door (while the outer door remains locked) to retrieve the items and then close the door immediately.
Recording and Cleaning: Record the time, item name, and quantity for future reference. After each use, clean both the interior and exterior of the pass box to maintain proper hygiene.

Precautions for Using Pass Boxes:
â–ºPass boxes typically feature mechanical or electronic interlocks, ensuring that both doors cannot be opened simultaneously.
â–ºDo not overfill the pass box. Maintain adequate space between items to ensure proper air circulation.
â–ºThe UV lamp should be turned on for at least 15 minutes before being turned off. Ensure that the UV intensity meets the required standards. Note that UV lamps have a limited lifespan and should be replaced when necessary.
â–ºThe pass box should be cleaned after each production day or before use. The cleaning steps are as follows:
♦ Moisten a non-woven cloth with purified water and wring it out.
♦ Begin with one side, wiping down the inner walls of the pass box (including the air supply and return outlet), outer frame, and handle.
♦ After washing the cloth with purified water, wring it out, soak it in disinfectant for at least 3 minutes, wring it out again, and then wipe down the previously cleaned areas.
♦ Finally, clean and disinfect the outer door and handles on the lower-grade side of the pass box, repeating the above steps.

Applications of Pass Boxes:
  A pass box is a device used to transfer items or documents between two isolated spaces. It facilitates the transfer of materials while minimizing the need for personnel movement, thus maintaining safety and isolation. Pass boxes are widely used across various fields and environments, including hospitals, banks, laboratories, factories, and offices. They play a critical role in improving work efficiency, ensuring safety, and maintaining the cleanliness of items.

Common Application Scenarios for Pass Boxes:
â–ºOperating Rooms, Sterile Rooms, and Laboratories: Pass boxes ensure that items remain uncontaminated during transfer. They are used to pass medications, surgical tools, and lab samples to personnel in operating rooms or laboratories, ensuring cleanliness and safety throughout the transfer process.
â–ºBiotech cleanroom, pharmaceutical cleanroom and Laboratory Environments: In environments with strict cleanliness requirements, pass boxes maintain the cleanliness and safety of production or experimental processes. They are used to transfer lab samples, reagents, and documents, ensuring the accuracy of experimental results and the reliability of the production environment.
â–ºElectronics clranroom and Microelectronics Manufacturing: Tiny dust particles and static electricity can seriously impact product quality and performance. Clean pass boxes use air filtration and control systems to isolate dust and other impurities, ensuring that products remain clean and dust-free during transfer, thus maintaining the quality and reliability of products during manufacturing.
â–ºFood Processing Cleanroom: Pass boxes are used to transfer ingredients, seasonings, packaging materials, and other items, ensuring the cleanliness and hygiene of food during processing.
Pass boxes provide a convenient, safe, and efficient solution for item transfer across various industries, improving work efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring safety and privacy.

  Airkey Envirotech Co., Ltd is rated as national high-tech enterprise that is dedicated to solving airborne particle problems for global high-tech customers by providing cleanroom solutions and products that are dust-free, sterile, and pollution-free. With nearly 20 years of development, Airkey covers high-end equipment manufacturing（such as be a  pass box manufacturer） and project installation for such industries as medical, pharmaceutical, semiconductor in over 40 countries and regions around the world.

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