feb 18, 2021
Ready-made components and solutions for cleanroom infrastructure subcontractors
Clean rooms of the cleanroom type seemed not so long ago to be the domain only of large hospitals and laboratories. Today, they are becoming a requirement for operations in many industries, present even in small manufacturing companies.
The requirement for high air purity is often linked to high-technology production, to high quality, or to the sheer sophistication of the products being manufactured. These reasons are characteristic of technical industries – such as electronics production and the cosmetics industry. Clean rooms are also crucial wherever the highest standards of sterility must be maintained – such as pharmaceutical production, laboratory activities and, increasingly, the food and related industries.
Cleanrooms are isolated spaces in which, through the use of appropriate filtration and ventilation systems and usage procedures, specific air purity parameters are maintained.
These factors are resulting in an increasing market demand for the construction of clean zones. These activities can be and are largely carried out by subcontractors from the construction industry – as well as by those involved themselves – but often require the use of specialised elements such as suitable airlocks, filter fans or feed windows.
However, implementers of these projects in the country are currently clashing with the lack of availability, long waiting times and poor quality of these essential elements.
The RENEX Group – one of the largest and longest-established Polish companies in the electronics industry – meets these needs with its CLEANROOM – CLEANSYS brand specialising in the creation of high cleanrooms. The company manufactures cleanroom infrastructure (e.g. serving windows according to an individual customer’s design), as well as supplying ready-to-use components – available thanks to high stock levels, mostly off-the-shelf – with delivery, within 7 days.
Below is a selection of the specialist items currently finding the most interest among subcontractors carrying out cleanroom refurbishment projects.
Airshower-type personnel locks. These are ready-to-install, actively operating devices that allow the crossing of a passageway and the separation of two zones with different levels of cleanliness. The most popular model – CR-GAS-004 – has approximate overall dimensions of 1000x1400x2200 mm and allows one person to pass through in a single cycle. This type of unit consists of two doors arranged in a line and a supply chamber between them. A person passing from one zone to another enters the airlock. When the door closes, an automatic supply of filtered air directed at him or her is activated. The air passes through a pre-filter and a HEPA filter and is blown at high pressure – at a speed of 23-25m/s – from 12 nozzles (6 on each side) towards the person being treated in the sluice. It is then partially used in a re-vacuum cycle. The cycle lasts, depending on the settings selected – from a few to a few tens of seconds – and is controlled by buttons on a control panel located inside the sluice. At the end of the cycle, the door unlocks. Naturally, however, it is only possible to open one door (the so-called door-opening cross safety). In the event of an emergency, the airlocks are equipped with 3 safety switches located outside (at each door) and inside the unit on the control panel.
Feed windows – ready-to-install devices that allow items to be transferred between areas with different levels of cleanliness. Three types of this device are available:
– passive;
– active (positive or negative pressure);
– and active with a built-in internal air purification system, filtered by an absolute HEPA filter.
The device in its basic, passive version consists of a pair of staggered doors and a chamber between them. Thanks to the cross protection, only one of the doors can be opened at a time.
Aktywna wersja (tzw. ciśnieniowa) pozwala na podłączenie urządzenia do funkcjonującego w budynku systemu nawiewno-wywiewnego. Przy wykorzystaniu przepustnic stałego wypływu, wewnątrz urządzenia uzyskuje się zwiększone albo zmniejszone ciśnienie względem sąsiadujących pomieszczeń. Właściwe ustawienie poziomu ciśnienia w rozdzielanych pomieszczeniach oraz wewnątrz okna podawczego pozwala na utrzymanie wymaganego poziomu czystości. Zależnie od potrzeb, sekwencje takie ustawia się kaskadowo, gdzie w pomieszczeniu pierwszym jest niższe ciśnienie niż wewnątrz śluzy, a w pomieszczeniu drugim (za śluzą) wyższe ciśnienie, bądź jako bufor, gdzie w śluzie jest wyższe albo niższe ciśnienie niż w sąsiadujących pomieszczeniach. Trzeci typ tych urządzeń – dzięki wbudowanemu systemowi filtracji wstępnej i HEPA – pozwala na stały (tj. wymuszony) równomierny przepływ powietrza z góry na dół. Odbiór powietrza następuje za pomocą perforacji umieszczonej na dole komory, gdzie jest zasysane ponownie, co powoduje jego obieg zamknięty. W komorze roboczej nie jest wytwarzane nadciśnienie (taka sama ilość powietrza jest wysysana co nadmuchiwana).
Filter fans – ready-to-install units combining a fan with a pre-filter and HEPA filter in a single module. The main purpose of the unit is to be installed in rooms with increased cleanliness, particularly above workstations as a laminar (non-turbulent air supply). This type of unit allows the air in a specific zone, such as a sampling area, to be properly cleaned. The module is conventionally mounted in a properly prepared ceiling frame and weighs approximately 35kg. A similar solution – for smaller applications – are laminar chambers. These allow the correct air quality to be achieved on the work surface. They consist of a work table and a filter-fan module above it. The work surface is closed off on three sides – allowing the user free access and working under the blast of filtered air. Devices of this type are particularly suitable for working on sensitive objects.
Cleanboxes – versatile and mobile cleanrooms. They make it possible to create a separate area of increased cleanliness within a building, e.g. a hall, in an easy way. They offer an alternative to the construction of entire cleanrooms by providing very similar, and often identical, results. The most popular models have approximate internal dimensions of 2000×2500 mm or 2500×2500 mm with a height of 2200 mm. The Cleanbox is equipped with an integrated air filtration system and is the most versatile and fastest solution to the problem of building cleanroom areas.
The equipment and products listed above represent only a small part of the RENEX Group – CLEANROOM range.
The group also supplies customised products and provides a comprehensive range of services for building, servicing, cleaning and conducting cleanroom inspections.
The products discussed above and other products from the RENEX Group range can be tested in action at the RENEX TECHNOLOGY AND TRAINING CENTRE in Włocławek.
If you are interested, please contact RENEX Technical and Sales Consultants – dth@renex.pl.