Fan-filter modules (FFM) consist of three main components:
Basic structure of cleanrooms
Each cleanroom environment has different installation conditions and requirements. Depending on those, the solution can feature solid wall elements (hardwall) or foil curtains (softwall) and equipment as well as come in different sizes.
Structure
PVC curtains shield the local clean air area against environmental influences. Several fan-filter-modules ensure the supply with "pure" air. The exhaust air can easily escape the cleanroom under the curtains.
Advantages
- individual planning and installation
- easy integration of work surfaces shelves, wet stations, separately enclosed inspection workstations as well as airlocks for people and material
- adaption possibility for expansion of the production area
- additional fan-filter-modules can be installed easily
Structure
Using a hardwall cabin, you can quickly create a clean environment for a specific process. Standardized segments allow simple setup of different cabin sizes.
Advantages
- available in all purity classes
- suitable for use in production areas with very narrow climate tolerances
- precise examination of products or production processes possible
Advantages of modular cleanroom systems
- individual planning and installation
- easy integration of work surfaces, shelves, wet work stations, separately enclosed inspection workstations as well as airlocks for people and material
- adaption possibility for expansion of the production area
- additional fan-filter-modules can be installed easily
Advantages of clean working zones
- the principle of the modular cleanroom can be transferred to work benches, individual cabins and minienvironments
- individual modules are easy to connect and tailor to customer requirements
- systematic use of the available space
- provides an improvement in the purity class also outside the work surfaces
Cleanroom summary
Each cleanroom environment has different installation conditions and requirements. You must find out which solution is appropriate for the described process. The solution can be a hardwall or softwall cleanroom or also a special solution. However, what is important for product quality is not only the cleanroom itself but also the behaviour of staff, professional cleaning and continuous measurements as well as a successful qualification and re-qualification of the cleanroom.
Cleanrooms in production
The goal of zero-defects production in suitably clean production can only be achieved when the entire process chain is considered. Part cleaning and cleaning of complete assemblies and machines also plays an enormous role in this context. Over the last few years, many industries have increasingly been harnessing the positive influence of cleanrooms on product quality. The automotive industry and precision engineering, for instance, use cleanroom conditions for more and more process steps.
Suitably clean production does not exclusively mean production under cleanroom conditions. Of course, there is the question of cleanroom or grey room to increase product quality at every stage of the process. However, frequently, already consistently defined processes are a first step to protect the quality of products and save costs.
- Please see our white paper “Process development in cleanroom conditions” for more information on this topic!
Working in a cleanroom
In order to meet the special requirements placed on cleanrooms or on special solutions such as minienvironments, all factors threatening cleanliness must be taken into account. Each individual element within the clean environment can contribute to the contamination of the complete system. In addition to the processes and machines in the room, the human factor, or staff, in particular pose major risks of contamination.
