In some industries, even a single speck of dust can damage products or ruin work processes. When companies need maximum control over their work environment, they turn to cleanrooms and specialized cleanroom equipment to ensure hygiene and sterility.
What Is a Cleanroom?
First and foremost, what is a cleanroom, and why are they so important? The first cleanroom was developed in the 1960s by American physicist Willis Whitfield to answer the issue of particulates interfering with manufacturing and scientific processes. As technology grew more and more precise, it also became more vulnerable to interference by microscopic particles. Even a single speck of dirt could foul up a complex component or ruin experiment results.
To counter this issue, Whitfield developed a process called laminar flow, which involves using air flow to push particles to the floor and eventually filtering them out of the room entirely. Combined with rigorous cleaning and specialized equipment, a cleanroom can reduce the average number of particles in the air from one million per cubic foot of air to just 750 per cubic foot.
Modern cleanrooms are tightly controlled environments built to minimize contamination. They are designed to control temperature, humidity, airflow, pressure, and other factors that could affect the operations taking place inside the room. They will also use specialized cleanroom equipment explicitly designed for such an environment.
ISO 14644-1 and ISO 14698
Modern standards for cleanrooms are defined by ISO 14644-1 and ISO 14698. Written and managed by the International Standards Organization, ISO 14644-1 covers air cleanliness in cleanrooms in terms of how many airborne particles are present. Meanwhile, ISO 14698 covers biocontamination control, such as microbes or bacteria entering the environment. These standards have different standards for different degrees of cleanliness; for example, ISO 14644-1 uses nine different classes, with different requirements for the number of particles permitted and their size for each. An ISO 9 level cleanroom is not much different from a regular room or outside area, while an ISO 1 level cleanroom requires fewer than 12 particles equal to or smaller than 0.3 microns for every cubic meter of air.
Cleanroom Applications
Given the high standards for developing and maintaining them, what is a cleanroom’s purpose? The sectors that make the most use of cleanrooms are:
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Manufacturing pharmaceutical drugs or developing new ones is an extremely sensitive process, one that can be easily disrupted by contamination. Similarly, tests for new strains of agricultural products and experiments on cellular processes can be ruined by the introduction of foreign biological matter. For these reasons, pharmaceutical manufacturers and biotech researchers frequently use cleanrooms to preserve the integrity of their work.
Electronics Manufacturing
During their manufacturing and development, electronic components like semiconductors and transistors are highly vulnerable to interference from particles in the air. Even a difference of nanometers can ruin the circuits of a CPU, making it essential that airborne particles not interfere with their manufacturing. This extreme requirement means that the electronics industry typically uses cleanrooms on the higher end of the spectrum, such as ISO class levels 1 to 6. They must also include measures to protect against electrostatic discharge (ESD), which can easily damage or destroy electronic circuits. These measures take the form of anti-static coveralls and lab coats, specialized floor and bench mats, and more.
Vehicle Manufacturing
While most may picture vehicle manufacturing as taking place on the assembly line, modern cars and aircraft rely heavily on intricate electronic systems that can easily be damaged or compromised by static, moisture, or air pressure. For this reason, parts of the manufacturing process now take place inside cleanrooms that ensure a safe environment for their installation and testing.
Food and Beverages
Modern food industry technology implements extremely high standards for cleanliness to ensure bacteria, fungi, mold, or allergens don’t contaminate its products. Cleanrooms provide the controlled environment necessary for preventing spoilage by managing humidity, air moisture, and temperature. These requirements are especially high for food such as meat and cheese, as these are more vulnerable to becoming disease vectors.
Essential Cleanroom Equipment List
Given their stringent requirements, cleanrooms require specialized equipment to support their operations. If you’re putting together a cleanroom equipment list, these assets should be considered your top priority:
- Air Filters and HVAC: All cleanrooms, no matter their level, require filters that stop contaminants from entering the room. Different filters exist for various roles; activated charcoal filters are good for absorbing fumes, while HEPA and ULPA filters are designed to capture particles that are smaller than a micron in diameter. These filters must be replaced every few years, depending on their type and use case. Specialized HVAC systems are also built into the cleanroom to better control the climate and airflow within.
- Apparel: Employees working in cleanrooms must change into specialized coveralls, coats, and shoes to ensure they don’t bring particles into the room with them. Depending on the cleanroom’s ISO level, they may also require goggles, facemasks, headcovers, and more to ensure the cleanroom’s integrity.
- Cleaning Supplies: Unsurprisingly, cleaning is a significant component of maintaining a cleanroom. Everything from mops and brushes to vacuums and sterile alcohol is necessary for maintaining the cleanroom’s sanitary conditions. Many of these supplies will be specifically designed and optimized for use in cleanrooms, such as filters built into a vacuum that capture more particles than a typical consumer-grade model.
- Mats: Many of the particles and pollutants that people can bring into a cleanroom start on their shoes and feet. To counter this, many cleanrooms will use sticky mats placed outside the cleanroom’s entrance that pick up contaminants from shoe soles and cart wheels.
- Cleanroom Computers: Given how digital the modern workspace has become, even cleanrooms require computer support for their workflows. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology cleanrooms need dedicated medical computers to support their research and development. In cleanrooms dedicated to manufacturing, industrial computers provide both processing power and reliability. In both cases, design features like fanless cooling and a waterproof case are essential. Fanless cooling ensures that the computer doesn’t disrupt the cleanroom’s airflow or introduce unwanted particles, while a waterproof case simplifies cleaning and sterilization.
- ESD-Safe Equipment: Some cleanrooms, such as those used in electronics manufacturing, must take extra precautions against ESD. This usually takes the form of grounding cords, wrist straps, and even specialized office supplies like binders and trash cans that reduce the chance of a discharge happening.
Cleanroom-Ready Computers from Cybernet Manufacturing
Given the requirements of modern industries, implementing cleanrooms effectively will continue to be a necessary skill. Understanding their requirements and supporting them with a fleshed-out cleanroom equipment list will only become more critical.
If your company is looking for computers that are ready for cleanroom use, contact the team at Cybernet Manufacturing. Our medical and industrial computers are manufactured to the highest standards and certifications possible, boasting a 0.05% failure rate and multiple customization options.