Cleanroom technology has experienced an enormous boom worldwide in the last 20 years. This cross-sectional technology is seen almost everywhere as a component of a modern and forward-looking manufacturing and research environment. Cleanroom technology has established itself as an important industry.
This is also reflected in the variety of products and services offered by the industry. Workplace solutions, minienvironments, fan-filter-modules, qualification measurements, cleanroom clothing, cleanliness suitability tests belong to cleanroom technology and even more. And a complete cleanroom is not always the solution to the puzzle, as many people think. There are many ways and opportunities to realise a clean environment:
An example is about the concept of a minienvironment that should be created according to the already existing machine. A special attention should be paid to the air flow. The filtered air should flow around or through the product and the process area.
A concept for a minienvironment was developed that uses the conditions of the process machine for optimal air guidance. It was possible to realise an optimal airflow through a horizontal low-turbulence displacement flow. This resulted in a relatively unobstructed free cross-section through which the air from a fan-filter module could flow over the process location and the particles emitted by the process were discharged into non-critical areas.
Vertical flow was considered unfavourable due to the installation of the process-specific components, as the obstruction of the air flow was so severe that there was not enough clean air available at the process location to protect the product area.
Together with the project team, we found the optimal realisable solution with the realistic goal of achieving "at least an ISO 5 cleanliness class" at the process location. The project team had agreed but the managing director of this company rejected it "because in the cleanroom the air always has to come from above". Horizontal airflow was not yet considered there. What result was then achieved cannot be said because the realisation was assigned to another service provider who fulfilled the client's "wishes" without asking any questions.
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This article was published in "microPRODUCTION", issue 2021