Initially driven by the semiconductor industry, the cleanroom technology is now witnessing developments for various other industries. The standards for cleanroom technology products and processes are constantly evolving. Technological advancement leads to ever-shorter developments that make individual cleanroom solutions possible. Today, more and more businesses and industries are benefiting from development under clean-room conditions. Technological solutions for cleanroom technology must be often tailored to new processes.
What is cleanroom technology?
Cleanroom technology requires both technological and operational measures to avoid the potential risk of contamination of products. A cleanroom is a controlled space of small amounts of contaminants such as dust, airborne bacteria, aerosol spores, and chemical vapours.
The cleanroom has a controlled level of contamination that is determined by the number of particles per cubic meter at the defined particle scale. Outdoor indoor air in a normal city setting produces 35,000,000 particles per cubic meter, 0.5 microns, and wider in diameter, equivalent to the cleanroom ISO 9 at the lowest point of cleanroom quality.
Cleanroom technology equipment:
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (HVAC)
Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) is a general term for indoor environmental comfort that produces indoor air quality (air change per hour, CFM, temperature, and humidity). HVAC means a lot more than convenience when it comes to clean rooms. The HVAC cleanroom monitors the temperature and humidity at an acceptable degree of accuracy, similar to the normal HVAC.
In addition to comfort, cleanroom HVACs differ from conventional systems by their increased air supply, airflow patterns, the use of high-efficiency filters and room pressurization. The increased air supply brings more air changes per hour with new HEPA filtered air flowing through the cleanroom many times per hour. Cleanroom HVAC projects shall include knowledge of laws, instructions on the degree of cleanliness, ventilation, room pressurization, temperature control, humidity control, and internal accounting.
Air shower and diffuser
A cleanroom air shower is designed to operate as a kind of portal device between a cleanroom and the rest of the world. When properly used, air showers can reduce the vast majority of possible toxins and help ensure that the product stays clean and uncontaminated. Today, air showers have become fairly widespread due to their benefits and relatively low costs.
A cleanroom air shower offers an additional layer of protection for the product and employees from any dangerous chemicals or pollutants that may find their way into your cleanroom. One case of too much particulate matter will result in a contaminated batch of pharmaceuticals or a malfunctioning piece of electrical equipment. Air shower functions to avoid these major issues from occurring. They are also a reminder to employees of the value of being free of particulate matter. And if the employee is not as careful as they would have been when contributing a suit, an air rinse will help ensure that all excess particulates are scrubbed away until they reach a pollutant-free room.
Laminar airflow unit
Clean rooms use chemical hoods and biological safety cabinets to maintain environmental requirements for laboratory environments. These systems are also part of the overall HVAC network located in the cleanroom area. Although proven to be very effective, fume hoods and safety cabinets can be expensive for installation and maintenance. The ductless laminar airflow hood is an affordable alternative to the hoods and cabinets equipped with costly exhaust systems.
Laminar airflow units do not have external connections outside the power cable, making it convenient to switch from room to room in a house. Portable flow hoods can be relocated in minutes where the HVAC ducted hood system may be inoperative for weeks due to relocation procedures. Freestanding space enclosures are vertical laminar structures designed to shield installations from air pollution in the space. These units saturate HEPA clean air tests, making them suitable for pipettes, equipment needing a clean environment, and clean rooms for product sampling in warehouses.
Cleanroom technology for various industries:
Cleanrooms are used in almost every industry where small particles can adversely impact the production process. They vary in size and complexity and are widely used in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices, and life sciences, as well as in critical process manufacturing common to aerospace, optics, military and energy departments.
Cleanroom technology for the medical device industry
Cleanroom technology design and performance play a significant role in the reliability and safety of the manufacture of medical devices. Medical device suppliers are under pressure to achieve both performance and high-quality specifications. Medical device producers must get their product into the market as soon as possible but cannot skimp on quality, as products must be completely compliant and licensed by the FDA before they can be put on the market. New inventions and more complex products — including nanotechnologies and system miniaturization — will pose new obstacles for manufacturers in the near future.
Cleanroom technology for the biotechnology industry
Biotechnology is growing as an industry and is of crucial significance to our ever-changing world. It is also an area where quality management is a key. Biotechnology Cleanrooms are tightly regulated, usually in compliance with ISO Class 5 or better regulations.
Biotechnology includes clean rooms and regulated environments that can precisely monitor the concentration of airborne contaminants as well as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. There are several biological Cleanroom applications in this field, including but not limited to: laboratories, production facilities, bio-exclusion zones, and animal breeding amenities.
Cleanroom technology for the pharmaceutical industry
There are several developments worth covering in the field of pharmaceutical cleanroom technology: both technological and regulatory developments. They are supported by a continuing trend towards universal international standards, not only on pollution and bio-contamination techniques but also on relevant issues such as air filtration.
The attempts to control micro-organisms, so competently handled by the pharmaceutical industry and clean-room equipment, are beginning to expand – and this is again a trend – to other fields of human efforts, such as hospital hygiene. Cleanroom technology is crucial to the manufacturing of sterile pharmaceutical products, as it guarantees not only the avoidance of medication contamination but also the health of operators when handling highly potent drugs.
The big picture
The cleanroom technology market is witnessing a rapid prominence due to a wide range of factors. These include technological innovations, strict regulatory standards, and growing demand for quality products by pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Cleanroom technology and superior image go hand in hand.
Free Valuable Insights: Global Cleanroom Technology Market to reach a market size of USD 4.5 billion by 2025
The advanced mode of operation in cleanrooms makes for extremely profitable business opportunities, which eventually contribute to long-term customer loyalty. The fact that all big players in the medical, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor sectors are using cleanroom technologies is a testament to this. As innovation and development continue to increase, the cleanroom technology market will continue to expand, making it a must across all types of industries.
Comments