May 2019

Most people have seen a cleanroom on television or in science fiction movies, often depicted as an all-white, sterile environment that men in alien-like jumpsuits filter in and out of for one nefarious reason or the other. But what is a cleanroom in terms of real-world applications? By definition, a cleanroom is any given, contained space where provisions are made to reduce particulate contamination and control other environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity and pressure.

Effective air filtration is an absolute necessity for maintaining the cleanroom environment. Cleanrooms maintain particulate-free air through the use of either High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) or Ultra Low Particulate Air (ULPA) filters that all air going into the room must pass through. Ironically, the single greatest threat to cleanroom contamination comes from the users themselves.

People who work in a cleanroom undergo comprehensive education and training in the theory of contamination control. Cleanroom personnel often enter and exit through airlocks, sometimes bathe in air showers, and always have to wear special clothing designed to trap contaminants and other particulate matter that the body and skin generate naturally. Contaminants in the air can be generated by people, manufacturing processes, facilities and equipment.

An often unforeseen or unexpected source of contamination is the actual cleanroom facility itself. Over time, particles are released into the air as paint and protective coatings begin to deteriorate, leaks or spills in the air conditioning system, or when sheetrock and sawdust get old and begin to break down. Every precaution taken in a clean room is done with the goal of preventing contamination to the environment.

Types of Cleanrooms

Cleanrooms are designed and constructed with a specific purpose in mind. From the materials used in construction, to the airflow patterns produced by room layout and ventilation system configurations, everything must be considered in order to make the environment as easy to maintain as possible.

There are two main types of cleanrooms. The first is a facility where the entire place is a cleanroom, the other are modular cleanrooms located inside a facility that also have “dirty” rooms. Cleanroom facilities are used in many industries where even the tiniest amount of contamination can affect the outcome of the end product, such as with microelectronics, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor production.

In fact, semiconductor manufacturing, solar panels, LED/LCD/OLED displays, and rechargeable batteries are so sensitive in their manufacturing that their entire production facility must maintain its cleanroom status.

In addition, modular cleanrooms can be built to custom specifications and even shipped to your business for easy installation, no office conversion required. Equipment used in clean rooms must meet certain minimal air contamination standards as they will produce their own unique contaminants that can ruin the cleanroom environment.

Cleaning a Cleanroom

Regular cleaning procedures must be implemented that will effectively clean the area while also minimizing the amount of new contaminants released into the air through the cleaning process itself. Cleanrooms are cleaned using 70% isopropyl alcohol as it is the most effective concentration for disinfection, surprisingly beating out 99% isopropyl. Low-lint cleanroom wipes are used in combination with isopropyl alcohol to clean special materials are used on furniture inside the cleanroom which are for optimal sterilization.

Aseptic grade stainless steel compounding tables are ideal for cleanrooms as they foster safe, clean, and consistent outcomes during sterile product production. A clean stainless-steel table for aseptic processing requires a surface free of bacteria, microorganisms, oil, grease, embedded iron, impurities, and particulate. But how is that cleanliness maintained through shipping, handling, fabrication, and installation?

Safe deployment of a cleanroom table requires delivery with zero transfer of contaminants, residues, or microbes from external environments. Before transit, a cleanroom table is wiped down with 70% isopropyl alcohol and packaged within a cleanroom.

Principles of Airflow

To fully understand what industrial air filter is best for your business, you need to understand how airflow works in an air filtration system. There are two principles for airflow, the “Turbulent Cleanroom” and the “Laminar Flow Cleanroom.” Turbulent, or non-unidirectional, airflow uses air flow hoods and nonspecific velocity filters to keep air in a cleanroom constantly moving around, albeit not in the same direction, hence the name “Turbulent.”

The more common and popular choice for air flow is the “Laminar Flow.” This system is unidirectional and sends air in a horizontally downward motion in a constant stream aimed at filters located on walls or near the cleanroom floor. Often times a Laminar Flow system can cover up to 80% of the cleanroom’s ceiling in order to operate optimally.

Advanced Filtration Concepts Products Make a Difference

In cleanrooms where extremely sensitive production processes require the best air filters, look at EFS F5 and F6 Rigid Pocket Filters as they are first in class amongst competitors. Filters like these are designed with efficiency in mind and provide exceptionally low drops in pressure, something that is critical to the optimal performance of your air filtration system.

These filters also feature what is known as “spacer channels” in order to maintain energy efficiency and provide optimum levels of air flow. These filters are self-supported so they stay rigid in the airstream and are constructed to withstand extreme humidity, high velocities and high turbulence. This makes the filter an excellent choice for almost all air filtration systems.

The F5 and F6 Rigid Pocket Filters work to remove more than 99.7 percent of all airborne particles 0.3 microns or larger. In order to maintain the required low levels of contaminants in the air, these microscopic particles must be constantly removed through a process of air circulation and filtration.

These filters are made of a non-shedding media and are anti-microbial, a feature that will save you money on replacement filters in the long run. They are also designed without metal elements so there is no risk of punctures or corrosion to the filter. EFS products are designed to achieve maximum filtration results, reduce energy consumption, and provide an extremely low total cost of ownership.

Call us for more information about our EFS F5 and F6 Rigid Pocket Filters today at 800 796-4337.