Basic elements of Cleanroom
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7 Key Components of a Modular Cleanroom
If you’re planning a new modular cleanroom, it’s important to understand what goes into it. From the cleanroom design and building’s structural components to the finishing materials and filtration system, what makes up your modular cleanroom?
Let’s take a look at 7 key components of cleanroom construction:
01. Modular Cleanroom Wall Panels
When it comes to quality cleanroom construction, your cleanroom is only as good as the environment you build. While cleanrooms rely on fan filter units and other heavy-duty filtration systems to keep them clean, your required level of cleanliness can only be achieved if your building is working to keep contaminants out. And that’s where wall panels and modular wall systems come in.
Wall panels are the fundamental building blocks of modular cleanroom construction. As part of the larger modular wall system, wall panels combine with structural posts and a ceiling system to form the foundation for your cleanroom. Modular wall panels come in a variety of sizes and finishes and are designed to suit your cleanroom requirements exactly. For a high-performance panel that delivers ultimate environmental control and durability, we always recommend the Starrco HP Panel.
02. Post & Panel Cleanroom Construction
When it comes to cleanroom construction, you’re looking to get your facility up as quickly as possible, without sacrificing quality. That’s where modular cleanrooms come in, especially those with a post & panel construction like those offered by Starrco.
Post & panel cleanroom construction relies on a series of wall panels, which are connected by heavy-duty, structural posts. These posts have a hollow interior and a removable cover where trades can install the necessary equipment and systems like wiring, communication, or even plumbing. This not only makes your installation process fast, but it helps to reduce inspection time and future maintenance needs. Professionals need only remove post covers to access internal components, saving hours of maintenance time and speeding along the inspection process.
What’s more, post & panel construction makes reconfiguring your space simple should your cleanroom needs change in the future.
03. Cleanroom Filtration Systems
Another essential component of cleanroom construction is the filtration system your cleanroom will require. Your industry and ISO requirement will dictate a certain level of cleanliness, and for most cleanrooms, that means some combination of HEPA and ULPA filters, as well as a series of fan filter units to direct airflow throughout your modular cleanroom.
If your modular cleanroom’s wall system creates a tight building envelope, then your filtration system is what keeps everything within that envelope clean.
Getting air flow and filtration right is essential to the safe operation of your new cleanroom, which is why it’s always best to consult with your modular wall system supplier to design a cleanroom that is built to support your filtration system.
04. Cleanroom Windows
Windows are essential to the visibility and observability of work in any cleanroom, regardless of application. But, because of the strict cleanliness requirements of a cleanroom, traditional windows are insufficient. Cleanroom windows are instead manufactured to provide as much light and visibility as possible, while restricting the potential for air, particulate, or contaminants to either enter or escape the cleanroom. This means smooth lines, reduced surface areas for dust and particles to collect, and no ability to open windows.
Planning where your cleanroom windows go is just as important as ensuring you choose cleanroom-specific windows for your new facility. Again, work with your cleanroom design expert to develop a cleanroom construction plan that helps you get the most out of your new cleanroom space.
05. Cleanroom Doors
Your cleanroom’s doors are paramount to its ability to maintain a clean environment. Doors are one of the most common fail points for any cleanroom. Why? Because they present ample opportunity to disrupt your carefully planned airflow pattern and allow contaminants in and out of your cleanroom.
That’s why it’s so important to first consider where to appropriately place cleanroom doors and then plan for the cleanroom doors that are best suited to your application. While cleanroom doors can be made from a variety of materials, it’s best to choose modular cleanroom door options that are easy to clean and wipe down, and that can be opened and closed in a way that minimizes disruption. For this reason, sliding doors are often preferable, though traditional and automatic doors are also very common.
06. Cleanroom Ceiling
A cleanroom ceiling differs quite a bit from a traditional building. Not only does a cleanroom ceiling need to frame up your workspace, but it also has to support the heavy filtration units that make your cleanroom clean. What’s more, many cleanrooms are built within existing facilities. This means a strong, stable, and freestanding ceiling grid is required to ensure you get exactly the space you need for your application.
07. Cleanroom Accessories
While your walls and air filtration system form the foundation of your cleanroom, there are many more components that go into making it functional. From airlocks to air showers, gowning rooms, pass-through chambers, and more, all of these accessories add functionality to your modular cleanroom. Each also presents new potential fail-points to your cleanroom, which is why it’s so important to work with a cleanroom expert when building your modular cleanroom.
All of these elements are essential to proper cleanroom construction, but it’s not always obvious how they come together. For more information, check out our blog on the cleanroom construction process, which will walk you step-by-step through how your cleanroom is designed and built.
If you’re ready to get started on your modular cleanroom, get in touch with the Starrco team or request your free quote online today.
What is a Cleanroom? Cleanroom Classifications, Class 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, ISO Standard 14644, Cleanroom Definition
Depending on the room classification or function, personnel gowning may be as limited as lab coats and hairnets, or as extensive as fully enveloped in multiple layered bunny suits with self contained breathing apparatus.
Cleanroom clothing is used to prevent substances from being released off the wearer's body and contaminating the environment. The cleanroom clothing itself must not release particles or fibers to prevent contamination of the environment by personnel. This type of personnel contamination can degrade product performance in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries and it can cause cross-infection between medical staff and patients in the healthcare industry for example.
Cleanroom garments include boots, shoes, aprons, beard covers, bouffant caps, coveralls, face masks, frocks/lab coats, gowns, glove and finger cots, hairnets, hoods, sleeves and shoe covers. The type of cleanroom garments used should reflect the cleanroom and product specifications. Low-level cleanrooms may only require special shoes having completely smooth soles that do not track in dust or dirt. However, shoe bottoms must not create slipping hazards since safety always takes precedence. A cleanroom suit is usually required for entering a cleanroom. Class 10,000 cleanrooms may use simple smocks, head covers, and booties. For Class 10 cleanrooms, careful gown wearing procedures with a zipped cover all, boots, gloves and complete respirator enclosure are required.
Cleanroom Air Flow Principles
Cleanrooms maintain particulate-free air through the use of either HEPA or ULPA filters employing laminar or turbulent air flow principles. Laminar, or unidirectional, air flow systems direct filtered air downward in a constant stream. Laminar air flow systems are typically employed across 100% of the ceiling to maintain constant, unidirectional flow. Laminar flow criteria is generally stated in portable work stations (LF hoods), and is mandated in ISO-1 through ISO-4 classified cleanrooms.
Proper cleanroom design encompasses the entire air distribution system, including provisions for adequate, downstream air returns. In vertical flow rooms, this means the use of low wall air returns around the perimeter of the zone. In horizontal flow applications, it requires the use of air returns at the downstream boundary of the process. The use of ceiling mounted air returns is contradictory to proper cleanroom system design.
Cleanroom Classifications
Cleanrooms are classified by how clean the air is. In Federal Standard 209 (A to D) of the USA, the number of particles equal to and greater than 0.5µm is measured in one cubic foot of air, and this count is used to classify the cleanroom. This metric nomenclature is also accepted in the most recent 209E version of the Standard. Federal Standard 209E is used domestically. The newer standard is TC 209 from the International Standards Organization. Both standards classify a cleanroom by the number of particles found in the laboratory's air. The cleanroom classification standards FS 209E and ISO 14644-1 require specific particle count measurements and calculations to classify the cleanliness level of a cleanroom or clean area. In the UK, British Standard 5295 is used to classify cleanrooms. This standard is about to be superseded by BS EN ISO 14644-1.
Cleanrooms are classified according to the number and size of particles permitted per volume of air. Large numbers like "class 100" or "class 1000" refer to FED_STD-209E, and denote the number of particles of size 0.5 µm or larger permitted per cubic foot of air. The standard also allows interpolation, so it is possible to describe e.g. "class 2000."
Small numbers refer to ISO 14644-1 standards, which specify the decimal logarithm of the number of particles 0.1 µm or larger permitted per cubic metre of air. So, for example, an ISO class 5 cleanroom has at most 105 = 100,000 particles per m³.
Both FS 209E and ISO 14644-1 assume log-log relationships between particle size and particle concentration. For that reason, there is no such thing as zero particle concentration. Ordinary room air is approximately class 1,000,000 or ISO 9.
ISO 14644-1 Cleanroom Standards
Class maximum particles/m3 FED STD 209E
equivalent >=0.1 µm >=0.2 µm >=0.3 µm >=0.5 µm >=1 µm >=5 µm ISO 1 10 2 ISO 2 100 24 10 4 ISO 3 1,000 237 102 35 8 Class 1 ISO 4 10,000 2,370 1,020 352 83 Class 10 ISO 5 100,000 23,700 10,200 3,520 832 29 Class 100 ISO 6 1,000,000 237,000 102,000 35,200 8,320 293 Class 1,000 ISO 7 352,000 83,200 2,930 Class 10,000 ISO 8 3,520,000 832,000 29,300 Class 100,000 ISO 9 35,200,000 8,320,000 293,000 Room Air
BS 5295 Cleanroom Standards
maximum particles/m3 Class >=0.5 µm >=1 µm >=5 µm >=10 µm >=25 µm Class 1 3,000 0 0 0 Class 2 300,000 2,000 30 Class 3 1,000,000 20,000 4,000 300 Class 4 20,000 40,000 4,000
