Protecting the Air, Shielding the Core

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 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

Placed at your critical "Grey-to-White" cleanroom airlocks, CC Matting functions as a heavy-duty physical barrier. The supple, high-density polymeric matrix contours completely around shoe treads and trolley wheels, pulling away 99.9% of foot- and wheel-borne particulates through a simple 6-step walk path.

• Zero Atmospheric Contamination

Because the compound is engineered for absolute molecular stability, it does not degrade, off-gas, or shed microscopic chemical fragments under the constant pull of high-velocity cleanroom air currents. Your air purity remains uncompromised, your sensor readings stay accurate, and your production yields are fully shielded. Ready to audit your cleanroom's environmental defenses? Contact CC Matting Ireland (ccmatting.ie) today.