CC Matting’s Polymeric Matting is ASTM E595 Certified and Changes the game for advanced cleanrooms.
When engineering an elite-tier cleanroom environment—whether for semiconductor fabrication, cutting-edge biotechnology, or pharmaceutical compounding—the standard playbook focuses aggressively on particulate control. You calculate floor rotations, implement strict gowning policies, and run high-efficiency HEPA and ULPA filtration systems. But there is a silent, airborne threat that traditional filtration cannot catch: molecular outgassing. Many facility managers don't realize that the very materials brought in to protect the cleanroom can inadvertently pollute its atmosphere. Traditional floor mats, flexible plastics, and low-grade adhesives steadily release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chemical vapors directly into the cleanroom envelope.To eliminate this hidden risk, CC Matting has established a new benchmark for physical contamination control.
Our high-performance polymeric matting has been rigorously evaluated under ASTM E595 protocols, setting a definitive, low-outgassing standard for critical controlled environments.
What is Molecular Outgassing?
Outgassing is the physical process where trapped gases, residual manufacturing solvents, plasticizers, or moisture escape from a solid material and enter the surrounding atmosphere. This phenomenon accelerates significantly in environments with controlled airflow, varying temperatures, or low localized pressures.THE CYCLE OF OUTGASSING FAULT:
[Low-Grade Polymer] --> Releases Volatile Vapors(Outgassing) | v [Air Flow Circulation] --> Carries Vapors Past Filtration Systems | v [Critical Target] --> Residue Condenses on Lenses, Wafers, & Labs While HEPA filters are masterclasses at catching physical particles like dust or skin flakes, they are entirely porous to molecular vapors. Once a material outgasses inside a cleanroom, those volatile molecules circulate freely until they find a cool surface to settle on.- In Semiconductor & Optics Fabrication: These micro-vapors condense onto precision lenses, mirrors, and silicon wafers, causing irreversible "fogging," chemical trace degradation, and wafer defects.
- In Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Environments: Outgassed compounds compromise sterile atmospheres, cross-contaminate micro-testing samples, and introduce unapproved chemical trace profiles into ultra-pure environments.
The Hard Numbers: CC Matting’s Verified Performance
Originally developed by NASA to screen materials destined for specialized spacecraft and satellite payloads, ASTM E595 is the global benchmark for evaluating a material's volatile stability. To precisely match the operational realities of ambient microelectronic, medical device, and biopharma facilities, CC Matting Polymeric Matting underwent specialized ASTM E595 testing modified to a continuous 50°C thermal vacuum exposure.- 0.29% Total Mass Loss (TML) Measures weight lost as gases escape. (Standard Limit: ≤ 1.0%max)
- 0.08% CVCM Collected Volatile Condensable Materials onto a plate. (Standard Limit: ≤ 0.10% max)
- 0.10% Water Vapor Regained Indicates moisture re-absorption post-test. Proves zero retention.
Future-Proofing Your Cleanroom Integrity
- Complete Zonal Isolation
- Zero Atmospheric Contamination