It’s very common to hear cleanrooms being associated with industries or scientific research, but what are they? Is a cleanroom literally what the name itself suggests? What are they used for, and where exactly are they used?
If you’ve been asking yourself these questions, then this write-up brings to you all the answers.
What an industrial clean room is
In an industrial context, a cleanroom is a highly controlled space with very minimal pollutants, such as aerosol particles, airborne microbes, chemical vapors and dust. More precisely, such an environment comprises a controlled amount of contamination. The contamination level is determined by the total number of particles of a certain size per cubic meter. For instance, every cubic meter of a standard urban environment has about 35 million particles whose diameter is 0.5 microns or larger. That’s generally an ISO 9 cleanroom.
Although such controlled environments have for a long time been associated with the medical and pharmaceutical industries, many other sectors and industries are creating them to enable their practitioners to conduct experiments and other applications safely and effectively.
The following are some of the innovative ways cleanroom technology is used.
Laser creation and design
In the aerospace industry, a cleanroom environment and its high-tech nature is used to create space-flight lasers and perform certain experiments. Certain tools in the aerospace industry like lasers require a highly controlled environment, as pollutants or contaminants can easily affect either the equipment being used in the engineering process or the product itself. Space-flight lasers particularly require a lot of accuracy. In case you’re wondering, these lasers are used to charge aerial vehicles’ batteries or vaporize the debris in the earth’s orbit.
Lens creation
Advanced gadgets such as smartphones are being produced each year, and one of the most outstanding features that we’re usually quick to assess are their cameras’ capabilities. The lenses used in all those professional cameras are typically created in cleanrooms. For the lens to be manufactured successfully, the process has to be conducted in a space containing a certain level of particle contamination control. The humidity and temperature has to be right as well. Cleanrooms make all this and more possible, and thanks to them, we’re able to capture our moments and experiences with our sophisticated cameras.
Vehicle circuit manufacturing
Since the first vehicle was invented, the automotive industry has seen massive developments. The current vehicles are made up of highly sensitive circuits and other components that can be severely affected by contaminants during their fabrication. A cleanroom helps manufacturers create these parts smoothly and create cutting-edge automobiles.
Conducting experiments in university laboratories
Usually, lab experiments require a fully sterile and safe space for them to be successful. Many universities across the globe have established cleanrooms that they use to conduct their experiments. With them, they ensure that they get accurate deductions by taking into account everything to the last detail. Similarly, university labs are used to handle sensitive organic matter, sensitive fluids and important live cells. When these items are contaminated even a bit, they can become less viable and useless. Cleanrooms therefore assist them manage cross-contamination and create consistent variables. That’s why they’re preferred for sensitive research.
Cell manufacturing
Although the nanotech cleanrooms are usually used in the manufacture of electronics and semiconductors, today, it’s common to find them being used in many other industries, such as those associated with food and fuel cells.
As our world strives to become greener, the nanotechnology cleanrooms are being used to produce solar cells. Many industries are finding these cells cheaper to manufacture compared to conventional solar cells.
Military equipment creation
Different government agencies and the military usually use cleanrooms to conduct sensitive projects and high-stakes experiments. Some of these projects involve creating futuristic technologies and improving existing technological devices. For instance, the government may decide to embark on a project involving the creation of a shield that protects pilots from too much noise exposure during training. Such advanced programs have to be carried out in cleanrooms.
Maintenance of safety in biology labs
Many scientists, their assistants and other staff usually expose themselves to dangerous biological agents that they work with on a daily basis. Lucky for them, cleanrooms are being used to protect the outer zones of facilities from those toxic agents. Similarly, with cleanrooms, the interior equipment these scientists use, like safety cabinets, are protected. This enables them to conduct their procedures that involve toxic materials safely. For instance, when the scientists are designing a new vaccine or drug, they may decide to use it on dangerous live bacteria or viruses to determine its effectiveness. This cannot be done unless a proper cleanroom is established.
How cleanrooms control air particles in a room
Cleanrooms utilize air filtration systems to control the particles in an industrial space. To achieve this, ULPA or HEPA filters are used. These filters are able to eliminate up to 99.9 percent of the micro particles in the room environment either through turbulent air flow or laminar flow techniques.
Laminar air flow simply refers to air flowing in a straight path. Cleanrooms usually maintain unidirectional air flow with Laminar air flow hoods; these direct jets of air downward. HEPA filters are used in laminar air flow to clean the air getting into the environment.
On the other hand, the turbulent airflow systems are used in the non-unidirectional airflow classrooms to clean air and keep the environment clean. Although a laminar flow filter is part of a turbulent airflow system, it’s not the only system that is used. The whole system is specially created to maintain a particle-free air with exair laminar flow and non-specific velocity filters. Turbulent airflow may cause the particles to move in such a way that it’s difficult to isolate from the air in the environment. However, a non-unidirectional airflow system utilizes this random particle movement to get the particles into the filters.
