Scheduled and preventative maintenance of cleanroom technology systems and equipment is a sensible consideration, especially for economic reasons. This is because professional, continuous maintenance makes a decisive contribution to reducing downtimes and rejects. It also helps to extend the operating life.
The maintenance of cleanroom facilities and equipment is nevertheless often neglected. Why is that? A mistaken perspective approach towards the topic. You should not ask yourself the question ‘why should I carry out maintenance work?’, but ‘what do I have a cleanroom for?’. The answer to this question is probably because you are using this cleanroom technology to achieve high product quality and a low reject rate at the same time. Continuous maintenance significantly reduces the risk of sudden failure. Now imagine the following scenario: Your reject rate increases by 1%. This is the first time you realise that something is no longer right in your cleanroom environment. The costs incurred - as a result of the rejects - will generally be far higher than scheduled maintenance would have cost. Not to mention any follow-up costs. The primary aim of maintenance is therefore to avoid unexpected costs at a manageable, calculable cost.
Let's take a brief look at the automotive industry to illustrate this. An oil change is recommended for your car every 30,000 kilometres. Of course, your vehicle can usually be driven for much longer than the specified kilometre interval, but at some point the engine will become too worn and break down. In retrospect, you will be annoyed as to why you did not spend the €400 for the service check, because instead you have now incurred costs in the tenfold range (rule of 10).
The ISO 14644-2 and VDI 2083-2 standards provide suggestions for service intervals. A six-monthly check is recommended for cleanrooms in ISO classes 1 to 5, while a room in ISO classes 6 to 9 should be checked every 12 months. Ultimately, the user decides on the frequency of maintenance. For wearing parts such as pre-filters, you should definitely not have to wait too long. You can determine whether it is time to change the pre-filter by measuring the differential pressure or changes in the outflow velocity, for example.
In addition to the maintenance of products such as fan-filter modules, checking the quality of the cleanrooms is of crucial importance. If the quality of the products produced under cleanroom conditions declines, there are reasons for it. These causes must be identified and eliminated. For example, by measuring the airborne particles or by carrying out a microbiological examination of the airborne particles.
Do you want to minimise your risk of failure, but don't know exactly how to maintain your systems professionally? Get in contact with us! We will help you.