Stops contamination in its tracks

An Evaluation of Dycem & Peel-Off Mats

www.dycem.com

High Performance Contamination Control Zones

P 01

Introduction

Peel-off Mat

The peel-off mat is made up of multiplesheets of polyethylene film, coated withacrylic adhesive. These peel-off sheetsshould be ripped up and disposed ofwhen dirty, typically several times ashift. Particle shedding will occur whenthe sheet is ripped up.

Dycem

Dycem High Performance ContaminationControl Zones are made from a blend ofpure polymeric compounds, and have a3-5 year life cycle. When the surfacebecomes dirty it is quick and simple toclean. Just use a sponge mop/detergentand then squeegee dry.

Clean conditions are needed to prevent contamination from getting

into critical products or processes. Contamination can result in

rejected goods, manufacturing downtime and a loss of consumer

confidence. The negative impact on product yields, reworking and

operational effectiveness is significant and the effect on profitability

can be considerable.

Principles of good manufacturing practice(GMP) and quality assurance demand thatparticle and microbiological contaminationlevels within any critical area should beminimized to prevent contaminationentering the product. 80% ofcontamination entering your criticalenvironment does so on feet or wheels(Source: 3M).

Therefore it is vital that a form ofContamination Control Matting orFlooring is used in order to control footand wheel borne contamination prior toentering a critical area.

This paper evaluates the two mostwidely used systems, 'Adhesive Peel-offMats' which are disposable and 'DycemContamination Control Zones' which arewashable and re-useable.

P 02

% of foot & wheelborne particulates,(viable & non-viable)prevented fromentering a critical area

Peel-off Mats

27%

Dycem

99.9%

Particle attraction, collection and retention efficiency

Independent tests from GlaxoSmithKlineshow that Dycem is over 99.9% effective

in preventing foot and wheelbornecontamination from entering a critical area.

Recent tests from GlaxoSmithKline compared the effectiveness of

'Adhesive Peel-off Mats' and 'Dycem Contamination Control Zones'

The results are shown in the table below;

The results of this comparison demonstrate that “polymeric” flooring is a much moreeffective means of controlling foot and wheel-borne contamination, therebyeffectively reducing the number of micro-organisms entering the criticalenvironment.

The results are based on tests at GlaxoSmithKline by Dr Caroline Clibbon, SeniorMicrobiologist. Copies of the study are available from www. dycem- cc. com/ tpapers

P 03

Size Matters

1 peel-off mat 73% risk ofcontamination still entering thecritical area.

Dycem <1% risk of contaminationentering the critical area.

Please note: Dycem is available in largersizes in order to cope with your needs.

Peel-off Mats

A typical peel-off mat isonly 0.6m x 1.2m(0.72m2) or 2ft x 4ft(8ft2).

Dycem

A typical Dycem mat is2m x 3m (6m2) or 6ft 6in x 10ft (66ft2).

Effective decontamination needs at least six footfalls, three for each

foot, or three full wheel rotations.

Often only one peel-off mat is used in the attempt to control contamination. This allowsonly one footstep of one foot and possibly the heel of the second foot to come intocontact with the contamination-collecting surface. Dycem, on the other hand, allowsat least three footsteps from both feet.

The Difference

A Dycem mat covers eighttimes the surface area ofa single peel-off mat, soyou get far more contactwith the contamination-collecting surface.

Effective decontaminationneeds at least six footfalls,three for each foot, or threefull wheel rotations.

P 04

Please Note: If your total costs are loweryou may not be ganging mats togetherand/or not peeling them regularly.

Dycem

2m x 3m = 6m2

6 ft 6in x 10ft = 66ft2

$3,250.00

$3,250.00

$90.28

10

$32,500.00

$902.80

1) 1 Peel-off mat

0.6m x 1.2m = 0.72m2

2ft x 4ft = 8ft2

$1.00 (cost per peel)

2 peelings per shift2 shifts per day7 days per week50 operating weeks per year3 years (36 months)

$4,200.00

$116.66

10

$42,000.00

$1,166.66

Size

Costs

Total

Monthly

No. of areas in facility

Total cost

Total MonthlyCost

Summary

A more level playing field

In order to get a near comparable performance to Dycem, at least

eight peel-off mats need to be ganged together and peeled regularly.

The price of peel-off mats is highly elastic - two examples are highlighted in the table below:

1) shows 1 peel-off mat used in a low volume situation.

2) shows 8 peel-off mats ganged together in a high volume situation.

2) 8 Peel-off mats

0.6m x 1.2m x 8 = 5.76 m2

2ft x 4ft x 8 = 64ft2

25 cents (cost per peel)

8 mats ganged together2 peelings per shift2 shifts per day7 days per week50 operating weeks per year3 years (36 months)

$8,400.00

$233.33

10

$84,000.00

$2,333.33

Peel-off mats cost significantly more than Dycem.

P 05

Ganging peel-off mats together doesaddress the size issue. However thepractical issues, labour and materialcosts involved in peeling eight matsseveral times each shift make this anexpensive option.

The return on investment (ROI) oncomparable performance is about oneyear, but the far greater benefit comesfrom lower particle counts, leading toincreased product yields.

Why not go online and take the Dycemcost comparison calculator test and seehow much money you could save,please visit:

www.dycem-cc.com/calculator

8 Peel-off mats ganged together -20% risk of contamination entering acritical area,(if peeled twice a shift).Source: Mcon.

The corners of the peel-off mats canoften rise causing contamination toreside between the mats. Whenpeel-off mats are ganged togetherthey harbour contaminants in thegaps between them.

Dycem <1% risk of contaminationentering the critical area.

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

8

For a copy of the studyplease visit

www.dycem-cc.com/tpapers

Ganging Mats together

P 06

Reduce your carbon footprintwith Dycem

Did you know that a 20cm (8“) ball of consumable waste is generated each time you

rip-up a peel-off mat?

� The waste generated from this fills multipledumpsters and landfill.

� It is estimated there is enough waste to fill 29standard sized skips/dumpsters in a single yearby an average company.

� Dycem Contamination Control Flooring and Matsrequire no peeling. Disposal only occurs at theend of their 3-5 year life cycle.

� All Dycem products are washable & re-usablesystems. This means less wastage and a reducedcarbon footprint.

� Dycem products have an average lifespan of 3-5years and are 100% recyclable at no charge atthe end of their working life.

� A recent paper by Gerry Prout of KennetBioservices showed that over two years the useof Dycem flooring to replace peel-off mats:

� Uses 18 tonnes less of raw materials.

� Saves over 3 million MJ of energy in manufacture and use.

� Reduces emission of greenhouse gases by over 120 tonnes.

Every time you rip-up a peel-off mat, a 20cm (8“)ball of consumable waste isgenerated.

Consumable waste generated from apeel-off mat.

P 07

Particle shedding duringservicing of Peel-off Mats

A study commissioned by an adhesive mat manufacturer highlighted the

problems of particle shedding during the rip-up process of peel-off mats.

The tests showed that during the rip-up stage literally hundreds of thousands ofparticles are redistributed back into the atmosphere. Mat Name

A

B

C

D

E

Type ofPull

SF

SF

SF

SF

SF

AverageParticleCount

282,123197,777

150,832157,550

231,262147,823

148,515149,562

189,311152,680

StandardDeviation

22%11.3%

13%11.7%

16.6%20.9%

10.2%24.6%

9.5%10.8%

High Count

324,946216,075

165,606176,211

283,062181,225

162,085162,567

204,868168,458

Low Count

200,924171,468

126,335139,240

206,421119,541

131,763120,843

168,850135,368

Type of pull

S - Slow (The corners of the sheetare folded in toward the centreand then removed).

F - Fast (The sheet is ripped offthe mat).

During the rip-up stageliterally hundreds ofthousands of particles areredistributed back into theatmosphere.

Scanning electron microscope imageof common dust. [Mag x 205]

P 08

During the rip-up stage literally hundreds of thousands of particles areredistributed back into the atmosphere, where they are free to enterthe critical area and risk damage to products and processes.

With Dycem all contamination is kept at floor level during cleaning asit is trapped within the detergent and water solution.

Dycem’s supple surface allows contact with all particle sizes. This enables it tocollect and retain over 99.9% of particles, ranging from over 100 microns toless than 0.2 microns.

Dycem

Even on the first step Dycem is more effective than peel-off mats.

Dycem’s soft, supple surface allows contact with all particle sizes

whereas the hard surface of the peel-off mat does not allow this.

There are many manufacturers of peel-off mats which results in variable quality. Thekey concern is the thickness and hardness of the acrylic adhesive applied during thecoating process. If too thick and soft the adhesive transfers off the mat as peoplewalk on it. Some peel-off mat companies even offer adhesive residue remover asthey acknowledge the problem. If the acrylic is too thin and hard it does not allowthe effective embedding and removal of particles.

Surface hardness and particle sizes

Peel Off (1 sheet)

A typical peel-off mat has less than a 10 microncoating of acrylic adhesive. Therefore if particles are above 10 microns, theywill prevent smaller particles from making contact with the acrylic adhesivesurface.

10 micron adhesive

Even on the firststep Dycem is moreeffective

P 09

Please contact us for specialist advice on the right option for your facility:

UK: + 44 (0)117 955 9921 or email: uk@dycem.com

USA: 1-800 458 0060 or email: info@dycemusa.com

Dycem is over 3 timesmore effective atremoving particulates.

First Step

1st O

verstrike

2nd O

verstrike

3rd

Overstrike

4th

Overstrike

5th

Overstrike

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% o

f %

5µm

par

ticl

es r

emov

ed

Peel-off mat Dycem

Overstrikes

Extensive laboratory tests and practical experience haveestablished that Dycem’s unique surface chemistry consistentlyremoves more particulate than any other method of contaminationcontrol, both when Dycem is clean and partially contaminated.

The graph below shows the reduction of particles removed after a number ofoverstrikes.

Dycem is the choice for an effective Contamination Control system, for further details or to arrange a free trial please contact us.

P 10

TRW : Wyeth Pharmaceutical : Seiko Epson : Agilent Technology: GlaxoSmithKline : Sony : Toshiba :British Airways : Infineon : Addenbrokes Hospital : BMW Group : Samtel Electronics : Bristol MyersSquibb : Lexmark : Novartis : Aventis : Sanofi-Synthelabo : HP Invent : Amcor Technologies : BookhamTechnology : Lilly : Orchid Chemicals : Pioneer Electronics : Pfizer : Rolls Royce : Honeywell : Omron :Kodak : Astra Zeneca : BAE Systems : G E Healthcare : University of Cambridge : Abbott Laboratories: Ethicon : Baxter Healthcare : Moser Baer : Fujitsu : Hitachi Display : Boots plc : Atmel Semiconductors: Intel : Boston Scientific : Tyco Healthcare : Millipore : Schering Plough : Elan : Transitions Optical :Alcon Laboratories : Skyworks : Zyco : University of London : St Bartholomews Hospital : InternationalRectifier : Papworth Hospital : Charm Sciences : Mitsubishi : Ford Motor Company : Closure Medical :National Blood Services : B Braun : Oxford University : Parker Hannifin : Boehringer Ingelheim : CarlZeiss : Bio Products Limited : QMC Biomedical Services : Epcos : Bosch : Haupt Pharma : BectonDickinson (BD) : Merck Sharp & Dohme : Akzo Nobel : Schwarz Pharma : Fresenius : Wilson Cook : Q.E.Hospital Welwyn : Osram : National Semiconductors : Williams Formula 1 : St Gobain : Hoffman LaRoche : Merck Electronic : Matsushita (Panasonic) : CTS Microelectronics : Meddimune : BPAS : TycoElectronics : Micronclean : Wellcome Trust : Cambridge Antibodies Technology : CharteredSemiconductors : Behring : Roxanne Laboratories : HondaST Microelectronics : Hoya : Plastic Omnium: Hutchinson Technology : Clariant : Oxoid : Fisher Scientific : Nypro : Ortho Clinical Diagnostic : DePuy : Tutogen Medical US Inc. : Applied Materials : Astrium : Sanmina : Honda Valeant : Coopervision: Bausch & Lomb : Freescale : Red Bull Racing : Hynix : Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corporation : TSMC :Rentschier Biotechnology : AEA Technologies : Atmel Smartcard : University of Wales : SingletonHospital : St Georges Hospital Tooting : SSL International : Ipsen Biopharm : Wokhardt : AMD :Biomerieux : Cisco Systems : Ericsson : Stryker Howmedica : Covance Laboratories : Leo Laboratories: Fujisawa : Seagate : Allergan : Organon : Macfarlane Smith : AMI Semiconductor : Analog Devices :Hella Manufacturing Ltd : ISRO : Biomet Merck : University of Glasgow : Southern General Hospital :IBM : Timex Philippines : Reckitt & Benckiser : Dow Corning : Velindre Hospital : University of Bath :Moog Controls : G & M Procter : Aston Martin : Dominik Hunter : Patheon : Western General Hospital :Zarlink Semiconductors : Autotype International Ltd : Photronics : Saad Specialist Hospital (SaudiArabia) : Philips Semiconductor : Guardline Technology : X Fab : Smiths Industries : Cardinal Health :Hammersmith Hospital : University of Bristol : Serum Institute (India) : West Pharmaceuticals : Smith& Nephew : AIS/Countdown Ltd : University of Edinburgh : Merial Animal Health Ltd : Alpharma : Procter& Gamble : Chiron Vaccines : Jaguar Cars Ltd : Vikram Space Centre : JCT Electronics : Ecovert FM :Johnson & Johnson : Rohm & Dass : E Merck : Vetter-Pharma : Heinz : Stoke Mandeville Hospital :Orange : H M Government : National Space Laboratories UK : NASA : Nokia : Bayer : Sigma Aldrich :Lockheed : Dowty Aerospace : Johnson Matthey : Mercedes : Wacker Semiconductors : Canon : Racal: Nestle : Medtronic : Dumex (Indonesia) : Tower Semiconductors : Raytheon Systems : FairchildSemiconductors : 3M Healthcare : Genzyme : Marconi : NEC : Samsung : Texas Instruments : RPLContainers : Komag : Genetech : Kabi Pharma : Abbott Murex : Thomson : Maxell Europe : Du Pont :Remel : Leica Microsystems : Vistacom : Excel Logistics : Astra Zeneca : BAE Systems :

Dycem Ltd, Ashley TradingEstate, Bristol, BS2 9BB, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 117 955 9921 Fax: +44 (0) 117 954 1194 Email: uk@dycem.com

Dycem Ltd USA, 83 GilbaneStreet, Warwick, RI 02886,USA

Tel: 1-800 458 0060 Fax: 401 739 9634 Email: info@dycemusa.com

Distributed by:

www.dycem.com

Certificate No. FM23716ISO 9001:2008

Patent Pending 0508 448.8