Teknek adds Twitter Feed to new Website

On the face of it the concept of contact cleaning is simple as there are only two key components. An elastomer roller gently lifts unattached dry particles from a substrate and the contamination is then transferred to a roll of adhesive film for disposal. However, as the website reveals, considerable scientific research has gone into the technology.

Teknek invented contact cleaning 25 years ago. Since then the company has devoted considerable research and development resources into perfecting the technology and is regarded as the global market leader in this field. The exact chemical composition of the cleaning core is a closely guarded secret and Teknek is the only contact cleaning company to manufacture its rollers and adhesive rolls in-house to ensure quality and consistency standards.

Using interactive animations the site demonstrates how contact cleaning works and the scientific principles, which come into play. The roller needs to be powerful enough to lift the particles from the surface yet at the same time be gentle enough not to harm the substrate when it makes contact. There are a multitude of factors, which affect the adhesion force between a small particle and a surface. It is commonly assumed that gravity holds a particle to a surface. Whilst this is true of heavier particles when one gets down to the micron level other factors come into play such as capillary force, van der Waals force, electrostatic image force and electric double layer force. As the particles get smaller such forces have a greater or lesser impact. Another misconception is that it is a static charge that makes the elastomer roller pick up the particle from the substrate. To some extent this is true, however this is only one of a number of factors affecting particle transfer. The composition of the adhesive film has also been carefully formulated to ensure there is no leeching of adhesive on to the substrate.

Teknek’s sales and marketing manager Ruaridh Nicolson commented: “The key to Teknek’s success has been our cleaning core which offers customers cleaning without compromise. The composition of the cleaning roller offers optimal cleaning performance whilst leaving the substrate completely unaltered. It is this superior cleaning performance which has made our equipment the first choice of manufacturers worldwide who want to protect their critical processes from the impact of contamination, cut waste and increase yields.”

He added: “ We are continually looking at ways of improving and adding value to our clean machines. In the past year alone we have launched four new products and also chalked up a number of world firsts for our sector including the first oxydegradable contact cleaning adhesive roll.”