What is a laminar flow hood? A laminar flow hood or cabinet maintains a contamination-free environment for sensitive and critical processes in various industries. It is a workstation designed to prevent particle contamination using consistent airflow from a HEPA filtration system. Plastic Design Inc. designs and manufactures laminar flow cabinets for various applications. We will discuss the types of hoods, their advantages and disadvantages, and the many applications that use them to help you determine the ideal laminar flow cabinet for your tasks.

Types of Laminar Flow Hood

Laminar flow cabinets or hoods are enclosed workstations designed to prevent work environment contamination and are widely used in plate pouring and aseptic distribution of specific media. Laminar flow hoods come in two types, depending on the direction of air movement: vertical and horizontal. Vertical laminar flow hoods move air from the top of the cabinet to the bottom. Horizontal laminar flow hoods move filtered air horizontally toward the user.

The best choice of cabinet depends on the user’s intended application. However, both types of laminar flow cabinets are not designed to protect the user, only the sample within the workstation. Laminar flow hoods are divided into three classes to meet the needs of various research and clinical applications: Class I, II, and III.

The basic design elements of a laminar flow cabinet include the cabinet enclosure, workstation, pre-filter or filter pad, HEPA filter, a fan or blower, and fluorescent and UV lamps. The HEPA filtration system is critical in removing microbes from the air and creating a sterile work area.

Advantages of Custom Laminar Flow Hoods

Laminar flow cabinets offer many advantages for your application. The advantages of working with a custom designed laminar flow hoods include:

  • Energy Efficiency: Laminar flow hoods lose less energy efficiency to turbulence and friction by moving fluid particles smoothly in parallel to each other.
  • Predictability: Laminar flow hoods’ uniform nature allows for accurate manipulation and control of fluid flow rates.
  • Sterile Environment: The controlled environment laminar flow hoods create minimizes contamination from particulates.
  • Flexibility and Customization: Building your own laminar flow hood allows you to customize it to your specific needs.
  • Easy Assembly and Storage: Laminar flow hoods come in designs for easy storage and assembly with convenient configurations.

Industries That Use Laminar Flow Hoods

Various industries rely on laminar flow hoods to reduce contamination in work environments:

  • Plant Science Research: Laminar flow hoods maintain a sterile environment for plant research, including tissue culture research.
  • Clinical Applications: Laminar flow hoods are ideal for maintaining sterile work environments in the clinical setting.
  • Stem Cell Therapy: Laminar flow cabinets maintain a sterile work environment for culturing and manipulating stem cells.
  • Projection Lens: Laminar flow hoods allow for the contamination-free design and manufacture of high-precision projection lenses.
  • Medical Equipment: These cabinets maintain sterility when testing and manufacturing medical equipment.
  • Electronics: Laminar flow cabinets are pivotal in producing sensitive electronic components in a dust and particle-free environment.
  • Semiconductor Manufacturing: Laminar flow cabinets maintain a sterile and controlled environment for manufacturing semiconductors.
  • Biotechnology: These hoods are ideal for maintaining sterile working conditions in various fields of biotechnology.
  • Pharmaceuticals: Laminar flow cabinets maintain a sterile environment in various pharmaceutical applications, including preparing injectable medications.

Laminar Flow Hoods From Plastic Design Inc.

Laminar flow hoods direct air vertically or horizontally using a HEPA filtration system, keeping a work environment sterile and contamination-free. They offer various benefits and customization options to meet the user’s or organization’s needs. Various industries and applications depend on laminar flow cabinets to maintain a clean work area.

Plastic Design Inc. has been delivering innovative solutions for critical biotech, life science, pharmaceutical, marine, industrial, and other processes since 1976. All equipment is designed and fabricated in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Massachusetts under an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system. Request a quote to speak with a specialist about the laminar flow hood for your application.