CLEANING VALIDATION COUPONS
WHAT ARE THEY FOR?
A cleaning validation coupon is used in the laboratory to validate a proposed swabbing method
Example: if your proposed method for swabbing involves a solvent, say methanol, how do you know if that solvent and the swabbing technique you are going to use will actually recover the residue from the surface? In order to determine the efficiency of your swabbing method in recovering the residue, a cleaning validation coupon, matching the material of construction and the finish of the subject surface, is spiked with known amount of a solution of the residue of known concentration, dried, and swabbed with your proposed swabbing method and the swab analyzed for the residue. If the recovery of the residue is within acceptable limits, then you can proceed to do the swabbing on the subject surface.
COUPON TYPES
GlobePharma offers coupons made of several different materials with different finishes, such as 316 stainless steel, 304 stainless steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, a variety of plastics and rubbers, etc.
Standard dimensions of the coupons are 1/8” x 2” x 2” and 1/8” x 4” x 4”. However, custom-made cleaning validation coupon sizes are available.
We look forward to sourcing new materials. Request our priceless below.
Cleaning Validation Coupon Finishes
Customers commonly request various metal coupons. In order to provide the most accurate material, the surface finish is essential. Please see the nomenclature below for the finishes.
Coupon Finishes:
- #4 Finish-Ra value of 20-35 micro inches
- #7 Finish-Ra value of 0-10 micro inches
- #7 Finish, Electropolished RA value of 0-10 micro inches
- Mill Finish, the existing finish without any sanding or polishing.
The difference between the #4 finish and the #7 finish is the polish.
- The #4 finish is a satin finish, slight striations
- The #7 finish is a mirror finish because of the reflective and highly polished surface
- Electropolishing is an additional step in the finishing process and uses electrochemical polishing to remove an excess material in the tiny crevices.