TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Low-Heat UV Sterilizer
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The UV sterilizer from Umwelt und Technik GmbH is effective in a range of medical applications.
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A sterilizer uses short-wave ultraviolet radiation to render microorganisms harmless by damaging their DNA or RNA. Designed to be versatile and user-friendly, the UVC–CRL 400 from Umwelt und Technik GmbH (Horb, Germany) produces high-intensity radiation in the UVC range (280 nm) that is effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Using 80 W of power, the unit can be configured to sterilize medical packaging, medical devices, and surgical materials. Generating a minimal amount of heat during operation, the system also can be used to sanitize workspaces and tools in biology laboratories and medical facilities.
A number of manufacturers have adapted components of the UVC–CRL 400 in their assembly lines to sterilize products during manufacture. Used in this way, the technology is suitable for sterilizing products such as cannulae, blister packaging, and medical devices during production or after packaging. According to Klaus Adam, managing director of Umwelt und Technik, “The underlying technology [for the UV sterilizer] has existed for a few years. But the unique configuration of the lamps that was devised in 2005 makes the unit suitable for a greater variety of applications than previous technology allowed.” A high-frequency generator is used to emit a large degree of ultraviolet light, which in turn meets a second lamp, reflecting off it and producing a high degree of UV light in a small-band spectrum.
The technology’s efficiency is enhanced further when it is used in cleanrooms. “A number of companies have adapted components of our sterilizer for manufacture under cleanroom conditions,” notes Adam. Other organizations that can benefit from the technology include “research institutes and clinics that need disinfection units that do not produce excessive heat or ozone,” explains Adam. “The unit is also suitable for organizations that need sterilization to be performed rapidly at workbenches and in laboratories and operating rooms,” he adds. The company has supplied units to the Virological Institute of the University of Mainz (Mainz, Germany), which has implemented the technology for its sterilization needs.
Eliminating the need for chemical-based disinfectants, the sterilizer is compatible with a range of UV spotlights. Two fans ventilate the system and keep the surface temperature of the lamp at approximately 70°C; the unit itself maintains an approximate temperature of 40°C.
