Animal Change Station
- Mobile Horizontal LAF Cabinet is designed for the manipulation of lab animals in cages.

The Top Flow 3 Animal Change Station is a double fan, double side operated vertical laminar airflow cabinet, with partial recirculation. This unit is manufactured like a Class II microbiological safety cabinet with 0.40 m/s mean LAF velocity, front opening inward air velocity more than 0.40 m/s and visual/acoustic alarms in compliance to European standard EN 12469: 2000.

This Animal Change Station is specifically designed for manipulating and passing of mice or other experimental animals, from dirty cages to clean cages, in a sterile area, with protection for operator, animal and environment. An electrical driven lifting system of the whole cabinet allows the optimum ergonomic worker posture.

Warranties:

Protection of manipulated product from environmental contamination and cross-contamination, furthermore the slight front air barrier warranties a protection of operator and environment. The protection of environment is warranted also by an absolute filtration of the exhaust air. It is not a biological safety cabinet and therefore it cannot be used with classified pathogens agents.

Norms and Directives:

As far as electrical safety is concerned, the cabinet is manufactured according to EN 61010 norm and in particular: EN 292-1, EN 292-2, EN 61010-1, EN 50081-1, EN 50082-1, EN 50081-2, EN 50082-2, IEC 801-2, IEC 801-4, ENV 50140, ENV 50141

Furthermore it has been designed to fulfill the European Directives like:

• Machinery Directive 89/392/EEC, 91/368/EEC, 93/44/EEC, 93/68 EEC.
• Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 89/336/EEC, 92/31/EEC, 93/68/EEC.
• The Masini Institute of Milan tested it and copy of the certification is available on request.
• Low voltage Directive 72/23/EEC, 93/68/EEC.

IMPORTANT:

The cabinets we produce, according to the above statements, are manufactured in compliance with the laws on safety into force.
Particularly, they are manufactured in compliance with Art. 6 Dlgs 626/94 and its modification (Italian law in compliance with European Directive EEC/89/391) on the DUTY OF DESIGNERS, OF MANUFACTURERS, OF SUPPLIERS AND INSTALLATORS.
The cabinets are NOT submitted to the directive EEC 93/42 on Medical Devices, as indicated in the definition of "Medical Devices" reported in art. 1-point 2a of the Directive mentioned.
STERIL IS NOT responsible for damages to people and objects due to a non-proper use of the cabinet, and due to a fail to comply with the user instructions and maintenance that are always supplied with the cabinets.
STERIL IS NOT responsible for damages to people and objects due to a non-proper use of the cabinet, and due to a fail to comply with the user instructions and maintenance that are always supplied with the cabinets.
The cabinet is not designed for working in explosion proof laboratory or in tropical thermo-igrometric conditions.

How it works:

The main fan (1) pushes air through an HEPA filter generating a clean unidirectional vertical airflow (2) at 0.40 m/s, Class ISO 5 according to ISO EN 14644-1 (Class M3.5/100 as for FS209e).

The product is protected, by this clean laminar flow, from contaminated particles (3) coming from the room or from the staff.
Contaminated air coming from the work area (4) and make-up air from the environment (3) is sucked in the front sloping slots and passes across F5 pre filters (5). Clean air (6) is exhausted from the cabinet through a second HEPA filter (H14) by the lower fan (7) in order to create an inflow air (3) at one or both of the front openings. This "barrier" prevent any escape of contaminated aerosol from the cabinet to the environment protecting also the staff.

Part of the air (8) is sucked by the main fan (1) through the four side ducts and then ricirculated to the work area (2).

TOP FLOW 3 Mobile Horizontal LAF Cabinet Technical Specifications:

• Main and Exhaust HEPA filter: H14, 99.995% efficiency MPPS according to EN 1822 (99,999% DOP test efficiency at 0,3 mm);
• Main and Exhaust filters HEPA are fitted according to negative seal principle to avoid any escape of contaminated particles and they are testable with DOP for filter integrity).
• Pre-filter (F5) installed below the working surface, to extend filters life and to prevent blockage of motor blower
• Cleanness of air in working area is class ISO 5 @ 0.3 and 0.3 mm particles according to ISO EN 14644-1 (Class M3.5/100 according to FS209E)
• Exterior structure in carbon-steel (12/10) white coated with epoxy polyester powder RAL 9010
• Work surface and harm-rest in stainless steel AISI 304L scotch brite
• Drain basin under the aspiration part of the work surface, made in stainless steel AISI 304L with rounded edge;
• Protection grid, for main HEPA filter made by anodized aluminium.
• Side windows in 5 mm Safety Glass.
• N° 2 hinged frontal screens, one per side, in 4+4 mm double layer Laminated Safety Glass with anodised aluminium frame with aperture height in working position of 290 mm. Opening angle of 150° to obtain a free aperture section of 1160 x 530 mm (w x h).
• N° 2 soft touch control panel, one in each side in order to work with a cabinet like two independent cabinets (see description below).
• N° 2 front closure in Plexiglas.
• Fluorescent lights installed outside the contamination area (2x15Watt) to obtain 400 lux (unbother for animals).
• Easy maintenance of the motor blower and of the HEPA filters from both front side of cabinet.
• Two lateral handles for movement and positioning.
• External dimension: 1400 x 840 x 1980 mm (wxdxh).
• Working chamber dimension: 1160 x 700 x 674 mm (wxdxh).
• Base supplied with stainless steel wheels and brakes (125 mm diameter) and electrical adjustable device for regulation of work surface height from 800 mm to 1100 mm; Level of work surface is 100 mm under level of harm-rest.

Exhaust Air:

Exhaust flow rate is automatically adjusted by the microprocessor when one or two operator/aperture are in service (with one aperture exhaust flow rate is about 550 m3/h equal to 0.43 m/s air front barrier velocity, with two aperture exhaust flow rate increases automatically to 1100 m3/h in order to maintain the same air front barrier velocity).

Without other notice the cabinet discharge in the laboratory about 30% of the air, after absolute filtration by an exhaust HEPA filter, when one aperture is in service, about 50% of the air when two aperture are in service.

Main and exhaust HEPA filter are protected by metallic grids to prevent damages of filter.

Alarm device optical (red signal light visible from working position and display message) and acoustic (buzzer) type, activated, at real time, by the microprocessor, with indication of type of alarm activate showing on a wide alphanumeric display (see drawing below).

Management system:

Air ventilation control by means of automatic regulation of the revolution velocity of the motor blower. Two high-resolution flow rate volumetric devices, directly interfaced to microprocessor, achieve the automatic regulation.

The microprocessor guarantees the activity of the motor blowers and controls the optimal function even in presence of effects caused by progressive clogging of the HEPA filters.

Alarm device optical (red signal light visible from working position and display message) and acoustic (buzzer) type, activated, at real time, by the microprocessor, with indication of type of alarm activate showing on a wide alphanumeric display (see next page).

Monitoring with alarms of the following parameters:

• Exhaust flow rate out of the pre-set range;
  
• Laminar air flow velocity out of the pre-set range;
  
• Front window in wrong position;

Alphanumeric display showing:

• Laminar air flow speed in m/s
  
• Exhaust flow rate in m3/h
  
• Date and time
  
• Hours counters
  
• UV lamp run hours
  
• HEPA filter run hours
  
• Date of last filters change
  
• Date of last service
  
• Date of last power failure
  
• Change language
  
• Change password
  
• Setting UV program cycle
  
• Setting decontamination cycle

TOP FLOW 3 Animal Change Station Characteristics:

Animal Change Station	TOP FLOW 3
Technical Characteristics:
Overall dimension (WxDxH)	1400 x 820 x 1990 mm
Safe working area dimension (WxDxH)	1160 x 700 x 670 mm
Package dimension (WxDxH)	2100 x 980 x 1760 mm
Front opening dimension	290 mm
Max front opening height	530 mm
Net weight	300 Kg
System Ventilation Data:
Recirculated flow rate	1055 m3/h
Exhaust flow rate with 1 screen open	650 m3/h
Exhaust flow rate with 2 screens open	1300 m3/h
Heat emission at 25 °C (1)	650 Kcal/h
Noise level	<58 dB (A)
Lighting	500 Lux
Electrical Data:
Voltage	230V AC F+N+P.E. V
Frequency	50 Hz
Power	1300 W
Absorption (2)	3 A10 A
Electrical classification (with feeding cable)	1
Protection category IP	20
Power socket (protected by a single fuse 4A)	2P+t 250V 10/16A IP55
Fluorescent lamps	2x15 W

Detail of soft touch control panel

1. Digital display of the cabinet parameters
2. Green LED for Power Voltage ON
   
3. Esc key to silence alarm or to cancel operation in progress
   
4. ENTER button to input data
   
5. Mode O (Cabinet OFF)
   
6. Mode I (Ventilation ON)
   
7. Mode II (UV + Service)
   
8. Lighting ON/OFF push-button
   
9. UV lamp ON/OFF push-button
   
10. Socket Outlet ON/OFF push-button
    
11. Fuel gas solenoid valve ON/OFF push-button
    
12. RIGHT/LEFT arrow keys to scroll data
    
13. UP and DOWN arrow keys to increase or decrease data (e.g. time) and for the activation of the lifting system
    
14. Red luminous indicator for alarm.