Nitrogen can be used for a wide variety of applications. One of the more specific uses of this gas is as a cleaning option for surfaces in a cleanroom. As nitrogen is an inert gas, it is highly effective in these types of applications as it does not contain the potential contaminants and reactive materials found in air.
The choice of a nitrogen spray gun for these types of applications is important. In most cleanrooms in the semiconductor industry or for similar applications, these spray guns are essential and used throughout the day to remove small pieces of debris that are produced during the cleanroom manufacturing and assembly processes.
PTFE
The most commonly selected option in a nitrogen spray gun is a PTFE spray gun. The use of polytetrafluoroethylene in the construction of the gun means that the surface of the gun, both inside and out, is fully non-stick and it is also non-reactive to any chemicals or other materials in the environment.
In addition to being non-reactive, it is also non-corrosive. In many applications, this ability to be in high humidity applications is essential, even though direct contact with water or liquids may not be a major consideration. Any corrosion in the gun could result in debris being introduced into a cleanroom environment, and this does become a significant factor.
Performance Considerations
While large debris in a cleanroom can be picked up by hand, with tweezers or even with specific cleaning cloths or solutions, for very fine materials in areas where wet or damp cleaning options cannot be used, the nitrogen spray gun can easily blow fine debris away.
The nozzle of the gun and the gun itself should provide constant pressure with a pull of the trigger. The spray pattern should be focused on the area to be cleaned, with too wide of a dispersion of the nitrogen gas limiting the cleaning efficiency of the system.