Laminar Air Flow Hoods (LAF)

Precise Airflow Control for Sterile Environments

In the development of laminar airflow systems, stable and uniform air movement is the foundation of product and operator safety. For equipment manufacturers, maintaining this stability while meeting strict international standards such as GMP, NSF/ANSI 49, and ATEX (where applicable) presents a constant design challenge. E+E Elektronik addresses these challenges with a portfolio tailored for airflow and cleanroom equipment. Covering air velocity, differential pressure, humidity, and temperature, E+E sensors are designed to combine long-term reliability, traceable accuracy, and cost-efficient integration. From compact sensors to robust high-performance probes, they provide the accuracy and durability essential for stable and compliant airflow systems.

  • Protective sensor coatings, stainless-steel housings, and contamination-resistant design
  • Compact, cost-optimised designs for easy integration into restricted cabinet spaces
  • Auto-zero differential pressure sensors  and ceramic-based air-velocity elements for stable, low-drift readings
  • Single-source convenience: sensors for laminar-flow hoods, biological safety cabinets, and chemical fume hoods
  • Traceable calibration in E+E’s EN ISO/IEC 17025-accredited in-house laboratory (NMI-traceable) supports GMP, NSF/ANSI 49, and ATEX compliance

Advantages of Laminar Air Flow Hoods (LAF) with E+E Sensors

Maintaining stable differential pressure readings is essential for reliable laminar flow and filter performance. Even slight drift from contamination, mounting stress, or ageing can undermine airflow regulation and trigger unplanned recalibration—adding downtime and risk. E+E’s EE600 integrates auto-zero calibration. With PCS10 and the USB configuration adapter, the interval is configurable to 10 minutes–7 days for the 3-wire analogue and digital versions, or 90 minutes–7 days for the 2-wire analogue version. During each auto-zero cycle (about 4 s), the device freezes its output, recalculates the zero offset, and corrects subsequent readings. The result is long-term zero-point stability, less manual calibration, and sustained measurement accuracy—keeping laminar flow reliable and reducing service needs.
 

Laminar airflow hoods, biosafety cabinets and fume cupboards expose sensors to constant mechanical and chemical stress. Regular cleaning with alcohol-based agents such as isopropanol, ethanol or methanol (including mixtures), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) sterilisation, and continuous operation under high filter loads place extreme demands on measurement components that must remain stable and accurate over years of use.

  • E+E sensors combine smart protection technologies to ensure lasting accuracy and reliability in these conditions by incorporating:
  • Protective coatings and filters that shield humidity and temperature elements from solvents and chemical residues.
  • ARC (Automatic ReCovery) to actively restore sensor performance after exposure to alcohols or cleaning vapours.
  • Catalytic H₂O₂ filters to prevent degradation during bio-decontamination cycles.
  • Ceramic-based sensing elements in air-velocity probes that offer exceptional mechanical and chemical stability.
  • Stainless-steel housings and interchangeable filter caps to provide durable protection against corrosion and contamination build-up.

Together, these design features create a robust and maintenance-friendly sensor platform that ensures reliable, drift-free measurements and long service life even under the harsh cleaning, sterilisation and operational demands of pharmaceutical airflow systems.

Manufacturers often build multiple airflow products for different containment levels, each requiring distinct measurement parameters and configurations. Managing multiple suppliers complicates design and validation. E+E delivers a comprehensive sensor portfolio covering laminar-flow hoods, biological safety cabinets and chemical fume hoods. A uniform platform design, common calibration standards and unified documentation streamline validation, shorten integration time, reduce supplier dependencies and ensure consistent measurement reliability across all product lines.

In airflow control systems, measurement credibility is vital to support compliance with GMP, NSF/ANSI 49 and, where applicable, ATEX standards. E+E sensors are calibrated in the company’s EN ISO/IEC 17025-accredited, in-house laboratory, traceable to national metrology institutes (NMI). This provides complete documentation and reproducible accuracy, giving manufacturers the traceable quality needed for validation and certification processes.

Space inside laminar-flow hoods and biosafety cabinets is extremely limited, leaving little room for additional instrumentation. E+E offers compact, cost-optimised transmitters, such as EE576 and EE660, designed for straightforward installation in tight spaces. Their small form factor and flexible configuration simplify mechanical and electrical integration.

Products for Laminar Air Flow Hoods (LAF)

AVS701 – Highly accurate air and gas velocity sensor for industrial applications | E+E Elektronik

AVS701

Highly Accurate Air and Gas Velocity Sensor for Industrial Applications

  • -40 to +140 °C (-40 °F to 284°F)
  • 0 to 40 m/s (0 to 8 000ft/min)
  • IP65 / NEMA 4X
  • for demanding industrial applications
  • high-end ceramic sensing element
  • stainless steel sensor head and probe
  • Modbus RTU

EE600

Differential Pressure Sensor

  • 0…250 / 500 / 750 / 1 000 Pa
  • 0…2 500 / 5 000 / 7 500 / 10 000 Pa
  • ±250 / ±500 / ±750 / ±1 000 Pa
  • ±2 500 / ±5 000 / ±7 500 / ±10 000 Pa
  • –20…60 °C (–4…140 °F)
  • Accuracy: ±0.5 % FS
  • Auto-zero function
  • Analogue output: 0–10 V or 4–20 mA
  • Modbus RTU (RS485)

EE660

Low Air Velocity Sensor

  • 0 to 2 m/s
  • RS485 (Modbus RTU)
  • hot-film anemometer thin-film sensor element
  • low-velocity measurement from 0.15 m/s (30 ft/min)
  • IP65 / NEMA 4X

EE576

Probe for Very Low Air Velocity

  • 0.1 / 2 m/s (200 / 400 ft/min)
  • −20 to +60 °C (−4 to +140 °F)
  • analogue outputs (0–5 V / 0–10 V)

EE680

Air Velocity and Temperature Sensor for Laminar Flow

  • 0 to 2 m/s (0 to 400 ft/min)
  • -20 to +70 °C (-4 to +158 °F)
  • analog outputs (0–5 V / 0–10 V / 0–20 mA / 4–20 mA)
  • Modbus RTU
  • resistance against H₂O₂
  • LED ring for status indication
EE072 humidity and temperature probe with digital interface

EE072

Humidity and Temperature Probe with Digital Interface

  • 0 ... 100 %RH
  • -40 ... 80 °C (-40 ... 176 °F)
  • E+E proprietary coating
  • Polycarbonate or stainless steel
  • Modbus RTU / CANopen
  • ±1.3 % / ±2.3 % RH accuracy
Sigma 05 - Modular Sensor Platform

Sigma 05

Modular Sensor Platform

  • up to 3 sensing probes
  • up to 5 measurands
  • polycarbonate or metal enclosure
  • IP65 / NEMA 4X

Questions about Laminar Air Flow Hoods (LAF)?

Tell us about your application – we’ll recommend a suitable sensor or calibration solution tailored to your needs.

Matthew Nemeth | Managing Director E+E Elektronik Corporation USA
Matthew Nemeth | Managing Director E+E Elektronik Corporation USA
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