Prefabricated Hard-Wall Cleanrooms Offer Flexibility

Originally Published MPMN March 2006

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Prefabricated Hard-Wall Cleanrooms Offer Flexibility

Shana Leonard

From fast food to drive-through banking, consumers crave quick solutions that don’t compromise quality. And the manufacturing industry is no different. Clean Air Products (Minneapolis) has heeded this call with its 560 vertical-flow modular hard-wall cleanrooms.

Prefabricated and preengineered, the cleanrooms are easy to assemble and offer a less costly alternative to conventional cleanroom construction, according to the company. Modules are comprised of heavy-gauge steel panels that are welded together and feature reinforcement bracing. The cleanrooms require a solid, level floor for support.

Available in a range of sizes, the cleanrooms offer flexibility. Because of the ability to add panels or disassemble the modules, the freestanding rooms can be reconfigured for expansion or relocation.

“With a prefabricated room, there is reduced engineering time, reduced engineering cost, and the rate of manufacture can be faster,” says Kevin Weist, president of Clean Air Products. “It comes into a facility and just requires assembly; there is less on-site construction time, less on-site construction mess. It has the ability to be disassembled and moved or relocated, so one does not lose the capital investment within a space.”

Designed with a high concentration of ceiling filters, the cleanrooms are suited for Class 100 or better conditions. The units feature HEPA-filter ceiling banks in addition to a HEPA-N-SEAL double-gasket seal to prevent leaks. The final filter is close to 100% effective on particles as small as 0.3 µm; some competing cleanrooms start at only 50% coverage, says Weist. The cleanrooms provide high air change per hour and good uniformity of flow, he adds.

Additional cleanroom features include humidity control to ±2% relative humidity, as well as temperature control ranging from comfort cooling to precise settings at ±0.5°F. The firm also offers customized features.

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