Manufactures cleanroom wipes, cleanroom paper, special gloves and purity testing systems for the hi-tech industry
Clear & Clean – Werk für Reintechnik GmbH
Lübeck (Baltic Sea Plant) · DENew on Amplifa
About Clear & Clean
Clear & Clean – Werk für Reintechnik GmbH is an exclusively German company with headquarters and production at its Baltic Sea plant in Lübeck. Since 1979, the company has manufactured hi-tech cleanroom wipes knitted from multifilament yarn made of polyester and polyamide, breathable flat-knit gloves made of polyurethane nonwoven, as well as double-sided coated cleanroom paper, note and log books and disc separators. Production covers 1800 m² of enclosed floor space with two ISO Class 5 cleanrooms, where product packaging also takes place. Knitted roll material is cut into wipe formats using laser cutters and decontaminated in one or more stages depending on purity requirements (aqueous, organic, supercritical). A research and quality laboratory founded in 1990 with more than 50 analytical methods supports users with wiping cleaning procedures, material qualification and product development. Customers include the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries, biotechnology, optics, medical research, the aerospace industry and medical technology, as well as distributors in the German-speaking region.
- Site
- Lübeck
- Processes
- Knitting of cleanroom wipes from multifilament yarn (knitted fabrics), Laser cutting of knitted roll material into wipe formats (laser cutter), Decontamination of cleanroom wipes (single or multi-stage: aqueous, organic, supercritical), Production of breathable flat-knit gloves from polyurethane nonwoven (glove stretching line), Manufacture of cleanroom wipes from nonwovens (almost fully automated, Interfalz folding,, Specialty paper production with electronically controlled cutting machines and edge decontamination,, Product packaging in the ISO Class 5 cleanroom, Purity testing system: visual capture of particulate surface cleanliness and particle release
- Materials
- Polyester (PES), Polyamide (PA), Polyurethane (stretchbond nonwoven), Synthetic fiber nonwoven (Duro PA), Cellulose-based cleaning nonwovens, Cleanroom specialty paper (double-sided coated), Polyester (multifilament knit), Polyamide (multifilament knit)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015
- Founded
- 1979
- Industries
- Semiconductor industry, Pharmaceutical industry, Biotechnology, Optics, Medical research, Aerospace industry
- 01
Knitting of cleanroom wipes from multifilament yarn (PES/PA)
- 02
Laser cutting of roll material into wipe formats
- 03
Decontamination (aqueous, organic, supercritical)
- 04
Quality inspection (particles, TOC, wettability)
- 05
Packaging in the ISO Class 5 cleanroom
- 06
Sales
Materials & Processes
Polyester (multifilament knit)
Basis of the hi-tech cleanroom wipes for precision and fine cleaning in cleanrooms.
Polyamide (multifilament knit)
Knitted material for heavier precision cleaning wipes and Duro PA nonwovens.
Polyurethane (stretchbond nonwoven)
Material of the breathable flat-knit gloves with elevated wearing comfort.
Cleanroom specialty paper (double-sided coated)
For cleanroom paper, note and log books as well as disc separators with edge decontamination.
Cellulose-based cleaning nonwovens
Used in less critical production areas; biodegradability has been engineered.
Sites
Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck
DEHeadquarters, production, research and quality laboratory, two ISO Class 5 cleanrooms
- Materials
- Polyester (PES), polyamide (PA), polyurethane, cleanroom specialty paper
- Laser cutter for wipe formats
- Electronically controlled cutting machines with stacker lift (paper production)
- Glove stretching line (flat-knit production)
- System for surfactant-free organic decontamination
- Ultra-pure water system 18.2 megaohm
- 2× ISO Class 5 cleanroom
- Liquid particle counter
- Automated light microscope
- Scanning electron microscope with EDX
- Scanning force microscope (AFM)
- 2× GC-MS
- TOC system
- Plasma generator
- Contact angle measuring station
- High-speed camera
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knitting of cleanroom wipes from multifilament yarn (knitted fabrics)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polyester (PES), Polyamide (PA) |
| Laser cutting of knitted roll material into wipe formats (laser cutter)Machining | – | – | – | – | Polyester (PES), Polyamide (PA) |
| Decontamination of cleanroom wipes (single or multi-stage: aqueous, organic, supercritical)Surface | – | – | – | – | Polyester (PES), Polyamide (PA) |
| Production of breathable flat-knit gloves from polyurethane nonwoven (glove stretching line)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polyurethane |
| Manufacture of cleanroom wipes from nonwovens (almost fully automated, Interfalz folding,Plastics | – | – | – | – | Synthetic fiber (PA/nonwoven) |
| Specialty paper production with electronically controlled cutting machines and edge decontamination,Plastics | – | – | – | – | Paper (cellulose, double-sided coated) |
| Product packaging in the ISO Class 5 cleanroomAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Purity testing system: visual capture of particulate surface cleanliness and particle releaseTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Particle determination according to IEST-RP-CC004.4 with liquid particle counterTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Particle determination (immersion method) with automated light microscope (incident, transmitted,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Drop sink time measurement (water wettability/hydrophilization) with high-speed cameraTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Electrical purity testing (discharge behavior of textile wiping materials)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| TOC determination (total organic carbon) by catalytic oxidationTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| GC/MS trace analysis (gas chromatography with mass spectrometer)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Scanning electron microscopy with EDX (elemental analysis of contaminations)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Scanning force microscopy (AFM) in the nanometer range, CO2 plasma cleaning of samplesTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| DIC microscopy (differential interference contrast according to Nomarski) for layeredTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Centrifugal adhesion force measurement for determining film-type contaminationTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Measurement of airborne nanoparticles (Feret diameter from 5 nm)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Color analysis for purity determination by spectral analysisTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Plasma cleaning (plasma generator for ultra-cleaning of functional surfaces)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
21 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser cutter (wipe cutting) | – | – | – | – | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
| Electronically controlled cutting machines with stacker lift (paper production) | – | – | – | – | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
| Glove stretching line (flat-knit glove production) | – | – | – | – | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
| System for surfactant-free organic decontamination of hi-tech cleaning wipes | – | – | – | 2019 | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
| Ultra-pure water system (18.2 megaohm) | – | – | – | 2015 | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
| Liquid particle counter | – | – | – | – | Test laboratory Lübeck |
| Automated light microscope (incident, transmitted, oblique light, polarization, fluorescence) | – | – | – | – | Test laboratory Lübeck |
| Scanning electron microscope with EDX | – | – | – | 2017 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Scanning force microscope (AFM) | – | – | – | – | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| DIC microscope (according to Nomarski) | – | – | – | – | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer (GC-MS) | – | 2 | – | – | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| TOC system (catalytic oxidation) | – | – | – | 2020 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Measuring device for airborne nanoparticles (from 5 nm Feret diameter) | – | – | – | 2020 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Plasma generator for ultra-cleaning of functional surfaces | – | – | – | 2017 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Measuring station for contact angle determination | – | – | – | 2017 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Microwave extraction device | – | – | – | 2017 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Electronic surface particle counter | – | – | – | 2017 | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| Auto sputter coater (coating with gold, gold/palladium, silver) | – | – | – | – | Research laboratory Lübeck |
| High-speed camera (drop sink time) | – | – | – | – | Test laboratory Lübeck |
| ISO Class 5 cleanroom (production/packaging) | – | 2 | 1800 m² total enclosed production area | 2016 moder | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
| Purity testing system (compact device for visual capture of particulate surface cleanliness) | – | – | – | – | Baltic Sea Plant Lübeck |
Additional services
Quality
Incoming goods and final inspections according to test plans, continuous monitoring of particulate air purity and DI water quality, as well as weekly publication of the quality control charts of the batches of the SONIT-MDM wipe. Test methods include particle determination according to IEST-RP-CC004.4, immersion method with light microscope, drop sink time, electrical purity testing, and TOC and GC-MS trace analysis.
| Evidence | Lübeck |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 |
History
- 1979
Company founded (22 August) by Win Labuda in Lübeck
- 1985
Start of technical publications on surface cleanliness; since then over 40 technical papers and 10 patents
- 1990
Founding of the research laboratory
- 2006
First certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001
- 2015
Research award to Dr. Udo Riss; commissioning of an 18.2 megaohm ultra-pure water system
- 2016
Modernization and enlargement of the cleanroom (shell and filter ceiling); used for product packaging
- 2017
Expansion of the laboratory instrumentation (surface particle counter, SEM with EDX, contact angle measuring station, microwave extraction, plasma generator)
- 2018
New test method: centrifugal adhesion force measurement for the wiping cleaning procedure
- 2019
40 years of Clear & Clean; second GC-MS for trace analysis; system for surfactant-free organic decontamination
- 2020
Commissioning of a TOC system; measuring station for particle release analysis; measuring device for airborne nanoparticles (from 5 nm)
- 2021
New homepage www.cleanboss.de with weekly publication of the quality control charts of the SONIT-MDM wipe
- 2023
Win Labuda turns 85 and publishes 'On the Cleanliness of Functional Surfaces – Collected Technical Papers' (ISBN 978-3-9825567-0-3)
- 2024
Certification of environmental management according to ISO 14001:2015; color analysis (spectral analysis) for purity determination