The Most Common Questions About Cleanrooms

What is a cleanroom and why do I need one?

A cleanroom is a special type of room that has a highly regulated environment that will allow you to manufacture and research things to a high specification free from any dust particles or bacteria, under specific temperature, humidity and air flow controls.

How does a cleanroom work?

Air circulation is one of the main factors keeping your cleanroom clean at all times. Depending upon the classification your cleanroom needs, maintaining air circulation through HEPA/ULPA filters (rate of air exchanges per hour) may vary. In conjunction to recirculating air, positive pressure through make up air with multi-stage filtration keeps your cleanroom positive to avoid particle infiltration to your cleanroom, additionally providing make up air exhaust that may be required in the cleanroom while keeping positive pressure.

Through using HEPA or ULPA air filters to clean outside air as well as recycling inside air through air filters a cleanroom can control the amount and size of particulates that are inside the cleanroom which helps keep the room clean of dust as well as limit the contamination of items in the room.

Temperature and humidity controls also help in regulating the environment to keep it at an optimal level for the purpose of the cleanroom. Due to the type of Regulatory level your industry may need to follow it can influence the level of cleanliness you achieve in your cleanroom. The higher the requirement you need to achieve the more expensive it can get to build and maintain your cleanroom.

How do you use a Cleanroom?

Typically when using a cleanroom there is a workflow procedure that must be followed to ensure quality and safety of the workers as well as the items being worked on that starts with positive pressure cascading effect, going from lower class cleanrooms toward higher class (more clean) space.

Most of these procedures start with proper gowning procedures and PPE that will not only help the worker stay safe from hazardous chemicals but also prevent contamination from personal items and fluids.

Once in the cleanroom there can be work stations, pass throughs, or partitioned rooms to help limit the spread of odors or chemicals through the rest of the room.

How the room is set up and what is done in the room may be different for different uses or different industries but there are several things that are common among most cleanrooms.