Planning Your Cleanroom Project

What happens when we buy a piece of land? Don’t we instantly start visualising its final look? In fact, the mental visual becomes the vision upon which we begin to go about things. With that in mind, we kickstart our journey with layout, design, and construction to finally place the furniture and other essential articles in proper order. All in all, we make the best use of the allotted space.

However, when it comes to building a cleanroom, the journey is inclusive like any other but comprehensive like none other. With more stringent levels of precision than conventional construction, cleanroom development calls for the highest degree of cleanliness and safety of personnel, with critical equipment playing an equally integral role.

Let us understand the whole process of a cleanroom coming into being, along with the core elements that are taken into account for its successful operation.

Planning the Layout:

Layout is the pre-determinant that leads to the cleanroom’s structural set-up. Cleanrooms, for their specific construction, work on an optimal layout plan. Its enclosed space needs to be environmentally controlled; hence, a good understanding of the environmental factors is greatly helpful in the subsequent design and building. Reliable ventilation through regular air handling units should be critically incorporated to maintain operational integrity. Likewise, an industry-tested lighting system in proper locations and easy accessibility for service are a few fundamentals to enable more efficiency.

Designing:

The walls, panels, doors and corridors form the key designing structure of a cleanroom. All these constituents must be easy to integrate and have a lasting impression. They also must meet the highest safety requirements. Given below are some of the key considerations for these essentials:

• The panels must be tightly sealed.
• The wall needs to have well-installed coving to prevent the accumulation of dust and other particles in the corners.
• The cleanroom doors should promise air tightness with a flat surface from both sides.
• The corridors must be positively or negatively pressurised as per the substances being manufactured inside the cleanroom.

Architecture:

Architecture, when done optimally, promises unrestricted and consistent airflow throughout the cleanroom. As a result, the turbulence that can invite the movement of particles is controlled. The architecture is also made to be flexible, leaving enough room for any possible future expansion.

Construction:

Cleanroom construction requires a multitude of systems in place to meet the specific demands of the business and pharma industry.

Mentioned below are some of the key elements to be considered:

Cleanliness Classification – The contamination rates and regulatory requirements must be carefully studied and evaluated. For its high degree of sensitivity, the pharma industry requires a more stringent classification classified from ISO 1 to ISO 9. Accordingly, the permitted particle concentration is considered.

Pressurisation and Supply Flow – Cleanrooms are positively or negatively pressurised to achieve cleanroom classification standards and safeguard the people and equipment. In this regard, HEPA filters and HVAC systems are put in place for continuous air and removal of contaminants in the air. These filters have the ability to filter particles of 0.3 microns or larger. In addition, adjacent spaces are maintained at a lower or higher pressure than that of the cleanroom to maintain positive or negative pressure in the cleanroom, respectively. Airlocks are also used as a means to prevent or minimise the changes in pressure in the environment.

Temperature – Temperature helps in the smooth functioning of the cleanroom and the personnel working in it. The temperature in the cleanroom needs to be moderately controlled to ensure effectiveness in operations. The heat-generating equipment and materials should also be able to withstand temperature fluctuations and provide a non-shedding, low-off-gassing surface. It is advised to keep the internal temperature at 21 degrees C, i.e. in the range of 65 degrees F to 75 degrees F.

Humidity – An inappropriate humidity level can invite a host of problems that can interfere with the movement of particles in the cleanroom. Thus, it is crucial to understand the specification of humidity control and maintain a stable humidity level (between 30% to 50%) to prevent problems such as corrosion, condensation of internal surfaces, static electricity and product degradation.

Flooring – Flooring is prone to attracting many pollutants unless the material is mindfully selected and does not shed particles and contaminate the air. Among the many flooring available, below are a few types of flooring that remain a popular choice. Let us briefly understand each of them and its key benefits.

Certification:

The real test of a cleanroom is when they are duly validated and certified, regularly monitored and examined on the parameters viz. static electricity, airborne particles, relative humidity, temperature and differential pressure. A cleanroom, thus, ought to be in due conformity with the classifications, standards and permissible regulations laid down by the ISO.

Operation:

To be successful, a cleanroom must operate in an uncompromised environment. Therefore, practices like regular cleaning, prevention of contamination risk, and continuous monitoring must become an inevitable routine for a cleanroom. The personnel must also be trained in safe working practices.

Fabtech, as an experienced cleanroom solution expert, has been giving start-to-finish solutions…and everything in between to its clients far and wide. Our expertise and our hands-on approach have brought many cleanroom projects across the world come to life sustainably. With scientific reasoning and outlook, we can answer even the most complex needs of companies and do not relax until we are assured that we have delivered a more than satisfactory output you expect and deserve. 

Reach out to our life engineers, who understand all your needs and offer you solutions that promise efficiency, productivity, safety, and sustainability.