“Trim” vacuums are designed to quickly and safely remove excess lateral trim and scraps during the packaging process. Integrated with a packaging/blister machine, the vacuum cleaner can continuously collect waste and improve production time. Some models include a turbine on the bottom that produces high vacuum pressure to compress collected debris to  optimize the collection capacity. A viewing window at the top of the machine will help the operator determine when the collection container should be emptied.

Your industrial vacuum supplier should be able to recommend the right solution (power and capacity) for your facility by the size and nature of the trimmings you’re collecting. Other features to look for:

• Coarse trimmings can be collected into nylon bag filters but polyester bag filters (such as those that have an efficiency of 99.7% at 1.5 microns) should be used  for the general collection of fine dusts.
• Stainless steel construction for easy sterilization and prevention of cross contamination.
• Motor protection switch (overload) and pressure relief valve to provide secondary cooling air source to prevent motor burnout, making the vacuum reliable for continuous duty applications.
• For general clean-up, the vacuum cleaner should be mounted on wheels for easy maneuverability but your supplier should also offer models for fixed installation and process integrated applications.
• Quiet operation for user comfort.

Products to consider: R Series

For more information on industry- and application-specific vacuum cleaners, visit www.nilfiskindustrialvacuums.com.

Written by Rob Decker, Application Engineer, Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums, a division of Nilfisk-Advance, Inc.

Contamination control is vital for maintaining cleanroom environments. Pharmaceutical and semiconductor companies require especially stringent maintenance and sanitation programs to meet demanding standards for air quality, room design, and operation, such as those set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 14644-1, which defines guidelines for the classification of air cleanliness determined by the permissible particle size and levels of concentration, forces manufacturing facilities to maintain high standards for a contaminant-free facility to protect their equipment, products, and employees. Operational costs, long-standing cleaning procedures, and lack of proper equipment can stymie a company’s efforts to build a comprehensive maintenance program.

Ultimately, this can create opportunities for contaminants to enter cleanrooms and negatively impact operational efficiency, employee health and safety, and the company’s bottom line. Facilities can significantly reduce the risk of contamination, however, by utilizing HEPA-filtered, portable industrial vacuums for general maintenance and hazardous material spills. These vacuums are integral tools for ensuring a cleanroom is free of contaminants and for reclaiming active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

As part of a regular maintenance program, vacuums keep particles safely contained and ensure optimal air quality.

Portable industrial vacuums are effective tools for cleanroom applications that require personnel to safely remove contaminants from controlled environments. Any foreign matter, typically particulate, that detracts from a product’s performance is considered a contaminant, and traditional processes for cleanroom facilities focus on preventing one of three categories: airborne, fluid, or transfer particulates. While wipe-down methods and dusting systems are common practice, vacuuming is an efficient and effective method to thoroughly clean these environments.

Read the entire article, here.

For more information on vacuums for cleanrooms and the pharmaceutical industry, visit www.pharmaceuticalvacuum.com.

Last month, Nilfisk team members from our sales, marketing, product and engineering departments traveled to New York to introduce our new White Line machines at Interphex 2013. These  industrial vacuums designed specifically for the pharmaceutical and OEM markets are ideal for facility maintenance and continuous-duty process integration within applications where hygiene is essential. The new White Line is tailored to meet manufacturer’s requests for vacuums with advanced safety solutions, easy-to-clean design and new application-special features. Check out the video below:

To request a free copy of the new Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums Full Line brochure, please call (800) 645-3475 or email us at questions@nilfisk.com.

Even six months after Sandy hit the east coast, homeowners are displaced by horrific mold build-up. “Unfortunately, once the floodwaters recede and TV cameras are gone, secondary damage from mold and other microorganisms becomes a potential health concern for homeowners and cleanup workers alike,” explains Daniel Bernazzani, PhD, in a recent article on mold clean-up in Alternative Medicine.

Cleaning up mold is a hefty task, but there are resources to help.

• “Keeping Mold at Bay” – an article by Lee Ann Billings, coauthor of the Amazon best-selling book Mold: The War Within, offers tips for clean-up
• Local Non-Profit Organizations – there are many local organizations dedicated to helping residence with remediation. For example, this article in the Staten Island Advance reminds residences about Neighborhood Revitalization NYC.
• EPA Guidelines – the EPA website offers some helpful guidelines for clean-up

As far as vacuum clean-up is concerned, Lee Ann Billings states in her article, “The easiest and most effective way to initially clean mold from structural building materials is with the use of a commercial wet/dry HEPA vacuum, such as a Nilfisk, followed by wiping, scrubbing, scraping, or sanding for complete removal.”

The EPA also recommends only vacuums with HEPA filters for mold remediation to collect dangerous mold spores stirred up during the mold removal process. Surfaces where the mold was growing should also be HEPA vacuumed, if practical, to remove any residual mold particles. The HEPA filter ensures that no mold spores pass through the exhaust and back into the atmosphere.

If you’re not sure which vacuum is right for the job, visit nilfiskindustrialvacuums.com or contact us at 1-800-NILFISK.