Introduction
Cleanrooms are used to control the environment and increase the reliability of products. They are also used in medical facilities, laboratories, and manufacturing plants. If you are interested in using a cleanroom for your own project, this article will give you an overview of what you need to consider before getting one and why it might be beneficial for your business.
Cleanrooms Are Complex Systems
Cleanrooms are not just a room with white floors. They can be built in almost any shape, size, and configuration. In addition to the basics, such as air distribution systems and HEPA filters, cleanrooms also require:
- Temperature control systems
- Humidity control systems
- Lighting fixtures that meet specific standards. And sometimes special lighting for illuminating critical areas of the facility.
What is a cleanroom?
A cleanroom is a specialized environment that meets stringent standards for particle control. The goal of a cleanroom is to keep contaminants out of the space and ensure that all materials used in production are sterile.
Cleanrooms can be designed for any particular specification, including air pressure, temperature, humidity, and airflow. Cleanliness ratings range from class 1, with the lowest number of particulates, through class 9, with the highest number of particulates. As you move from higher classifications to lower classifications, you look at more stringent controls over particle contamination.
Why Do You Need a Cleanroom?
Cleanrooms are used in many different industries to prevent contamination of sensitive equipment and materials. Cleanrooms can also be used to protect the people who work in them by preventing particles from entering the room.
Cleanrooms vary in size, depending on the level of contamination they’re meant to control. But all cleanrooms have at least one thing in common: airflow. The air inside a cleanroom flows through filters that capture particulate matter before it reaches internal fixtures or equipment. This means that cleanrooms maintain very low levels of particulate matter.
In addition to particle removal, another important aspect of cleanroom design is temperature and pressure control.
Types of Cleanrooms
There are several types of cleanrooms for various industry-specific requirements. The most common classifications are Class 100,000, Class 10, Class 1,00, and Class 1000 cleanrooms. These numbers indicate the number of particles per cubic meter in the air inside a room, which is measured in “layers”. Classification of Class 1000 means there are fewer than 1000 particles per layer in 1 cubic meter of space. This level is considered to be perfectly clean by most standards.
Cleanrooms can also be classified based on their air pressure levels: low-particulate or high-particulate. In a low-particulate environment like an operating room or hospital ward, there are no more than 200 particles per cubic foot. Whereas in a high-particulate environment like an aerospace manufacturing facility or pharmaceutical laboratory, there might be 5 million particles per cubic foot.
An effective filtration system should be employed at all times to filter out any airborne contaminants.
Cleanroom Standards and Regulations
If you’re building a cleanroom and want to ensure that it meets the standards, your first step should be to consult the ISO documents. The ISO 14644 series sets forth the guidelines used by governments and industry organizations around the world to determine what constitutes a “clean” room and what doesn’t. The most basic standard is ISO 14644-1:2015, which sets forth definitions for terms like “classification,” “types of contamination,” and so on.
Selecting the Right Type of Cleanroom for Your Project
Before you start considering specific cleanroom designs, it’s important to know what type of cleanroom best suits your project. First, consider the size and scope of your project. If you’re building a new facility or renovating an existing one, how much room do you have to work with? What are its budget constraints?
Next, think about who will be working within the cleanroom environment. How many people will be using it? Will those people need training on proper cleanroom protocol before entering the space? If so, keep in mind that this training can add significantly to your overall expenses, not to mention the time spent.
Finally, take into account any time constraints associated with completing this particular type of project. For example: Do other projects come first? Are there deadlines attached specifically for this task?
If so, you’ll need to factor that into your budget and timeline.
Know What You Need for Your Project Before Deciding on a Cleanroom
According to market reports, The global cleanroom technology market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2020 to 2028. Therefore, before you can decide what kind of cleanroom is right for your project, you should know a few things.
- What will you be doing in the cleanroom? This can range from high-tech electronic manufacturing to laboratory work. If it’s heavy-duty research or highly sensitive pharmaceuticals, then a Class 10 or 11 might be appropriate. On the other hand, if it’s something like 3D printing or jewelry making, then perhaps a Class 100 would be just fine.
- How long will you need to be in the cleanroom? This will help determine how much time and money gets invested into setting up environmental controls within.
- What do you need outside of the cleanroom? Some projects require that parts are kept separate before being transferred into different environments after being manufactured, in which case, they’d need additional storage racks outside of their final destination.
Conclusion
As you can see, a cleanroom is an investment that will pay for itself many times over. If you’re considering one for your business or project, these are the things we hope will help you make the right choice. We know it can be overwhelming when there are so many options out there, but equipped with the right research and the clarity of objective, you can get the solution that best suits your needs.