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FROM THE EDITOR

PATRICE GALVIN

Thinking Small

In cleanroom settings, it’s often the small things that matter
most. From particles to proper procedures, just a few seem-
ingly slight deviations from the norm can result in an array of
disproportionate problems.
In this issue of Controlled Environments, there are several
thoughts on the small things — but the focus is not entirely
on the problems that small things can create, but also on the
small steps that can have big results. These ideas can include: looking at a
common product in a new way; using technology to create efficiency that
takes up less space and time; and, the real heart of the cleanroom, controlling
particles.
The first of these small ideas is one that can have a big payoff — taking a
new look at your cleanroom wipers. There’s money and efficiency that can be
found by revisiting your wiper program. In The Cleanroom Wiper Usage Audit:
A Roadmap to Cost Reduction and Improved Process Performance by Duane
Webb, the data compiled on wiper usage can lead to significant savings by
merely taking the time to look at the materials and their characteristics, wiper
packaging, and making sure the program in place is the one your facility
needs. It basically asks if you are using the right wiper for the job. The result-
ing answer may save your facility money and also improve the process.
Working in publishing, we are very much aware of the amount of space and
the weight of paper. We haul boxes and house issues and watch the stacks
grow. This does not have to be the case for a cleanroom facility. Michael
Clouse discusses an environmental sampling process using scanners, wireless
technology, and barcoding that results in the title of his article, Putting Paper
in the Past. He writes that the “paper-based method, which, for the most part,
has not varied much since its inception in the late 1970s, can be time consum-
ing for everyone involved, from the technician to the supervisor, and
additionally has the potential for multiple errors introduced inadvertently at
any step.” By reducing the paper load and replacing it with space-saving
equipment and accurate methods, environmental sampling and reporting
become a smaller issue and a more reliable process.
Molecules are small. An unwanted molecule, despite its size, can be what
Barbara Kanegsberg and Ed Kanegsberg call a “silent poisoner.” This month’s
column on Airborne Molecular Contamination urges cleanroom personnel to
“Review even seemingly non-critical process.” These wise words sum up some
of what is included in this issue with the goal of saving time, money, and
improving quality. Thinking small can add up to improvements that accomplish
more than you would think.

Controlled Environments www.cemag.us June 2009 7
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