REINER! 2023 – the Fraunhofer Purity Technology Award

The awardees from left to right: Carl Zeiss IQS Deutschland GmbH: Dr. Robert Zarnetta, Dr. Jati Kastanja; Altmann GmbH: Achim Altmann, Robert Altmann; Dastex Reinraumzubehör GmbH and Co.KG: Carsten Moschner, Alina Kopp, Friederike Thumel. © Jansen, Schreier GbR – Shout Media

© Zeiss

Cleanroom clothing system made from recycled material. © Dastex Cleanroom Equipment GmbH & Co. KG

Cleanroom crane with pendulum damping. © Altmann GmbH

At the lounges, the top three innovations of 2023 were once again awarded, showcasing the diversity of the purity industry with innovations that could not be more different. They come from the companies Zeiss, Dastex, and Altmann.

Welcome back, live on stage: The Fraunhofer Purity Technology Award, which examines submitted developments, innovations, and optimizations in the purity world with a high-caliber five-member expert jury from science, industry, and associations, was awarded live again for the first time since a pandemic-related interruption, at the lounges in Karlsruhe. The jurors faced a challenging task selecting the winners from the multitude of applications. Once again this year, many innovations with the potential to advance the economy and the purity industry were submitted. Ultimately, the following three entries took the top spots:

1st Prize: Significantly increased productivity through optimized particle analysis

The first place goes to Zeiss. Their innovation convinced the expert jury with new machine learning algorithms for optimizing particle classification in technical cleanliness processes, providing significant added value. To optimize the classification of process-critical particles, Zeiss has been offering a module called Technical Cleanliness Analysis with pre-trained, machine-learning-based object classification models since January 2022. This automatically verifies the type classification of particles based on traditional gray value determination. The results from the traditional analysis, including size, shape, intensity, and type classification, are combined into a variety of uncorrelated decision trees. The module, developed with correctly classified particles, applies these classifications, which Zeiss has developed or the user has trained individually, to these decision trees. When particles previously misclassified as non-metallic are detected, the machine learning-based object classification overwrites the results of the traditional gray value determination. According to Dr. Jati Kastanja, Product Manager, Senior Expert at Zeiss Research Microscopy Solutions, the use of the new object classification pays off multiple times. The results are not only more decisive without manual inspection but also help companies reduce operator workload and increase result comparability. Additionally, microscope inspections are no longer blocked by the otherwise necessary rework, meaning device utilization increases.

2nd Prize: Cleanroom clothing system made from recycled material hits the zeitgeist

With CleanGreenCycle™ (CGC), the cleanroom clothing system made from recycled material, Dastex responds to the long-overdue demand for waste reduction in purity technology and thus secured second place. With their new private label, Dastex emphasizes resource conservation and sustainability, offering one of the first globally available, fully reusable cleanroom-compatible clothing systems made from recycled PET, maintaining high product quality. The newly developed product range currently includes cleanroom fabric for outerwear and two textiles for intermediate clothing. Tests by independent, internationally recognized textile research institutes confirm that the fabric fully meets the requirements of critical processes in cleanrooms. It is also awarded the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100. All materials are certified according to the Global Recycled Standard. Currently, a study is underway in the in-house Body-Box, comparing CGC clothing with the current standard clothing. Two clothing systems are compared, typical for ISO air cleanliness classes 5 and 7–8 and GMP areas C and D, each made from standard cleanroom fabrics and cleanroom-compatible CGC fabrics. The results clearly show that clothing made from recycled material differs insignificantly from clothing made from non-recycled material.

3rd Prize: Precisely transport loads with cleanroom crane featuring semi-automatic operation and pendulum damping

Altmann Fördertechnik has addressed challenges in the cleanroom sector, such as workflows and machinery used. For their development of a new cleanroom crane with semi-automatic operation and pendulum damping, the engineers combined the already advanced technology of pendulum damping with a highly complex semi-automatic crane control. Their innovation, achieved through recombination, was awarded third place at the Fraunhofer Purity Technology Award. It is an innovation for precise load transport within a cleanroom. "Even at a speed of 60 meters per minute, the load can be positioned with millimeter accuracy," says Managing Director Achim Altmann with pride. The semi-automatic crane maintains continuous dialogue with the crane operator and requires approval for each process step. The operator retains control at all times but receives significant support from the pendulum damping. This prevents the load from swinging and oscillating. As a result, the crane operator can guide the load more quickly to the target position without constantly braking or accelerating.

By 2025, the REINER! Purity Technology Award is expected to be awarded again. Because this year as well, it has been demonstrated once more: there is no shortage of innovations in purity technology.