Modular Cleanrooms
A modular cleanroom is a cleanroom that is assembled on site from pre-cut components. Modular cleanrooms are considered more cost effective than other cleanrooms because of their basic construction and low-cost materials. These rooms can be purchased as a kit or installed by a technician. As with standard cleanrooms, modular cleanrooms are defined as seriously controlled environments.
Quick links to Modular Cleanrooms Information
Cleanroom Process
Cleanrooms are designed to eliminate the dust, sand, salt particles and bacteria that enter a room through clothing and human skin. Because cleanrooms are sealed from outside air, supplies, people and equipment coming in and out must be tightly monitored. Anyone entering a cleanroom must often wear a bunny suit, which covers a person from head to toe. This avoids bringing in outside contaminants.
Cleanroom Applications
Because of the contaminant-free nature of modular cleanrooms, they have become a necessary product for industries such as aviation, aerospace, electronics, hard drive manufacturing, military parts production, medical and pharmaceutical labs, meat processing and packaging, veterinary clinics, hospitals, medical offices and operating rooms. Lastly, they are used by scientists in the fields of micro technology and biochemistry. Cleanroom manufacturers and cleanroom distributors are constantly working to ensure modular cleanrooms are meeting the standards of the industries that use them.
Types of Modular Cleanrooms
There are two types of modular cleanrooms: the hard wall modular cleanroom and the soft wall modular cleanroom.
- Hard Wall Cleanrooms
- Use panelized wall structures that support the roof and ceiling grid. These panels are made out of a variety of materials. Pharmaceutical, USP 797 compounding rooms and medical device cleanrooms most often use panels made of reinforced plastic or high pressure laminate because these materials can withstand repeated cleaning and sterilizing without breaking down. Aluminum honeycomb panels are most popular for electronic industries because this material is non-outgassing, non-particle shedding, anti-static and non-combustible. Other material options for hard wall construction include pre-painted aluminum, 24-gauge pre-painted steel, vinyl faced gypsum board, structural aluminum, paper or plastic honeycomb, expanded polystyrene and polyurethane.
- Soft Wall Cleanrooms
- Consist of tubular steel frame structures supporting a ceiling grid. This structure uses pressurized vinyl curtains with a resealable entrance and exit to allow for maximum cleanliness. Both room structures are designed to only allow filtered air to enter the room. The air is filtered by filter units mounted in the ceiling. These units draw outside air through a HEPA filter, which filters the air before it enters the cleanroom.