When being a partner, then you share (common) thoughts, you are interested in each other, you listen to each other and take advice/comments from each other or at least into consideration. By listening to suppliers, end-users, and learning by market research you can grow jointly, help each other, be faster in operations, innovate, become better in job execution, and many more advantages…
In product development working on existing products is a never ending story as time evolves, products need to change in favor of this. For some years now the cleanroom industry is seeking for a ‘’zipper between the legs’’ coverall, because of:
- Faster gowning
- Cost-effective
- 1-piece better than 2-piece from various aspects like,
- Storage: less space needed as the hood is integrated to the coverall
- Contamination control: no opening around the neck
However, over the years with several ‘’zipper between the legs’’ coveralls feedback was gained and the main points were:
- Hairnet is coming off at donning and de-gowning
- Zipper between the legs is hard to close
- Legs are sometimes touching the floor and this is a no-go area especially now that it is mentioned in the new Annex 1
Existing Alaska coverall benefits
- Zipper between legs
- Faster gowning: about 30 seconds and you are suited up with hood and coverall.
- Easier gowning: throw garment over the head, no flexibility needed.
- Contamination control: not touching the outside, nor the floor – see new Annex 1
- Cost-effective: 1 piece garment which in production is faster and therefore a better price than a two piece model
- Storage control: less space needed for your items
- Laces on side of hood to attach goggle
- Goggle always fits your face and leave no space for skin exposure. This happens a lot when using the traditional hoods with silicone band goggle – there is often space at the cheeks or on the forehead.
- Lace around neck
- Due to this lace the garment is fully inside-out. This means no contamination possible on the outside of the coverall. Real strong asset.
- For less critical grades, when using the garment more than once, the lace can function as hang-system onto a hook in the gowning area
- Stabilize the coverall in front of you to start gowning
- Thumb loops
- To maintain the cuffs in place, as the plastic gloves need to be fully over the cuffs in cleanrooms. Customers love these.
- Stud buttons
- On legs and on boots: to clip onto the boot in order to prevent that boots slide down (potential contamination issue)
- On hip: to attach the leg to the hip that the garment is not touching the floor while gowning
- On legs: three stud buttons to attach the legs and to adjust the leg length
Alaska CTRL Coverall – NEW added elements to the existing Alaska coverall
- Lip on top of hood to grab at one point which prevents the hairnet coming off during de-gowning
- A slide effect at the neck which prevents the hairnet coming off during donning
- Zipper starts at calf instead of at the bottom, with the last part being only a textile flap to adjust the leg length
- It is all about controlling contamination. You probably recognize that often the legs still touch the floor while gowning. Why? People with different body shapes, need to have a larger size and thus legs will touch the floor instantly. Now there is an option that people can adjust the leg length themselves accordingly (see pictures).
- Flexibility: Operators do not need to bend that far to close the zipper
- Contamination control: operators do not reach all the way close to the floor with their hands, where most contamination is present, and forms a risk.
- Zipper was hard to close, therefore the zipper is placed slightly to the front of the coverall to foster gowning.
- More textile around neck area and lower back
- Neck: operator can more easily move their head round without having stress onto the garment which gives discomfort.
- Lower back: when bending or sitting there is more textile available which gives more space and thus comfort
