Airlocks are specific anterooms or transition chambers that serve to minimize contamination at the transitions between different clean-air-controlled areas or at the entrance to cleanrooms. They are an important part of cleanroom systems in laboratories, hospitals, pharmaceutical and food processing plants as well as other facilities where strict environmental control is required.

The most important functions of airlocks (German translation: Luftschleusen):

• Contamination control: Preventing the transfer of microorganisms, dust and other contaminants from one area to another.
• Pressure control: Maintaining the pressure difference between different areas in order to prevent contaminated air from flowing into clean zones.

There are different types of airlocks:

• Personnel airlocks: They are used to disinfect and prepare staff before entering clean or sterile areas. Staff must change their clothes, put on special protective clothing, face masks and gloves, and pass through disinfection barriers.
• Material airlocks: Material airlocks are used to bring instruments, equipment and materials into or out of sterile areas. The materials must be disinfected before being introduced, e.g. using systems for gas sterilization or UV irradiation.
• Shower airlocks: They are used to clean staff with air or water showers before they enter particularly clean areas.

Airlocks are used in many industries where it is important to prevent the contamination of cleanrooms (translation into German: Reinräume) and other areas, e.g:

• The pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industry
• Biotechnological and microbiological laboratories
• Chip manufacturing and other types of high-tech industries
• Hospitals and operating rooms (German translation: Operationssäle), especially for surgical procedures
• Food processing, especially in the manufacture of products that require a high degree of purity

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