- What is clean-room manufacturing?
Clean Room Manufacturing
It is the manufacturing of products under clean conditions in which aerosols, pollutants, different microbes and dust particles are particularly filtered in controlled environment. High Efficiency Particulate Air filters are widely used in clean-room manufacturing in order to clean the contaminated air, different microbes as well as dust particles. It is used in different industries for production of valuable products such as medical, mechanical or machine parts, electronics as well as in pharmaceuticals. The characteristics of clean room manufacturing are the following:
- Dust-free air
- Clean equipment
- Seamless plastic walls
- No contamination
- HEPA air filters
2. Why is it relevant today?
Clean-room manufacturing has become the most popular technology for safe and reliable manufacturing of useful products free from any type of contamination. Large varieties of industrial products with high precision can be produced at commercial level. Through clean-room manufacturing, final products have less chances of contamination. Without clean-room manufacturing, components tend to render with impurities that significantly decreases the efficiency of the parts produced. Clean-room manufacturing makes it easy to control the contaminants caused by personnel operations or other hazardous materials. It is also helpful for efficient designing to control the entry and exit of materials through the process.
3. In which industries is it the most beneficial and why?
- Aerospace Industry: Aerospace industry relies on clean room technology to perform precise experiments as well as to produce integral equipment such as space-flight lasers. Creating highly sensitive aerospace tools requires the clean room technology to ensure no contaminants or pollutants compromise the tools used in the manufacturing process.
- Optical Industry: Camera lenses that found on smartphones and professional cameras have been manufactured through cleanroom technology that ensures no particles are floating around in the manufacturing space in order to control the temperature and humidity to create the perfect environment necessary for precise creation of optical parts.
- Nanotechnology: Nanochips, laptops, smartphones and tablets have been manufactured through cleanroom technology because they are cost effective and manufactured in strictly monitored cleanroom. As nanotechnology continues to expand, cleanrooms have also become useful in recent green energy initiatives.
- Electronics Industry: Cleanrooms technology also used in electronic industry to make several different cleanroom products such as anti-static coveralls and lab coats, anti-static wipes, electrostatic discharge cleaning products and bench mats.
Requirements and specifications. ISO standards
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the worldwide organization that prepares guidelines for international standards by organizing technical committees. ISO 14644-1:2015 is divided into 9 classes depending upon the size of particles in microns. Each class differs from each other on the basis of its specifications and capacity to clean the air. These fine classes have been presented in the table.
ISO Class | Requirements of Particle Size in Microns | Specifications | |||||
ISO Level | > 0.1 | > 0.2 | > 0.3 | > 0.5 | > 1 | > 5 | General Specifications |
ISO 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0.08 | 0.002 | 0.0004 | Nanotechnology, Electronics |
ISO 2 | 100 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Micro Electronics, Rebuilding |
ISO 3 | 1000 | 237 | 102 | 35 | 8 | 0 | Micro Electronics |
ISO 4 | 10,000 | 2370 | 1020 | 352 | 83 | 0 | Data Recovery |
ISO 5 | 10,0000 | 23700 | 10200 | 3520 | 832 | 29 | Semiconductors, Aerosols, Optical |
ISO 6 | 1000000 | 237000 | 102000 | 35200 | 8320 | 293 | Aerosols, Optical, |
ISO 7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 352000 | 83200 | 2930 | Pharmaceuticals, Aerosols, Optical, |
ISO 8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3520000 | 832000 | 29300 | Mechanical industry, Pharmaceuticals |
ISO 9 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 35200000 | 8320000 | 293000 | Food industry |
4. What is NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering) for clean room injection molding
Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE)
NRE generally stands for Non-Recurring Engineering that refers to one-time costs to develop as well as design a new product during manufacturing.
Different plastic parts are manufactured by injecting the polymer into the aluminum mold. On cooling, polymer gives the shape of the mold. NRE costs would be applied on newly manufactured plastic products. NRE in PCB industry generally refers to the specific setup costs for manufacturing the newly introduced PCB assembly. NRE charge mainly accounts for the cost of following services:
- Programming of Pick & Place
- Reflow Soldering
- Inspection machines
- Creation of the solder stencils and electrical test beds for particular project.
5. Equipment needed for clean room injection molding. Specifics and care
Equipment for Clean room injection molding
Clean room injection molding is widely used in different industries such as mechanical, optical, semiconductor and electronics. It depends on the precise & specific requirements for production and flow processes acquired by individual industry.
High-speed CNC
High speed CNC particularly used for metal fabrication like aluminum and gold ensures the high level of precision.
Precision wire EDM
Precision wire EDM used for the clean room injection molding for the production of metal parts and coatings. It also ensures the high level of precision.
Laminar airflow
Laminar airflow used for the clean room injection molding to control the air quality through filters such as High Efficiency Particulate Air.
Precision EDM machine
EDM machine is used for the removal of the particular coating by applying the electric supply. EDM also ensures the high level of precision keeping the right kind of industrial product.
Wittmann external dryer
It is used for drying purpose to ensure the manufacturing of plastics with high quality.
Pneumatic cylinders
Pneumatic cylinders are widely used to control the demolding by ejector movements of metal through air blasts. It ultimately leads to increase the final product efficiency.
Hydraulic core pins
These are used to remove the mold or broken parts during manufacturing process.
Wittmann Thermoregulators
Their function in clean room injection molding to control the temperature and ensure the final product quality obtained after manufacturing.
6. What is the future of clean-room manufacturing? Trends, forecasts, market growth
Today, different industries, public sectors and well reputed companies get benefits through advancements in clean room manufacturing by achieving high quality. Technical solutions in cleanroom manufacturing are always adapted to new processes. It also ultimately leads to technical progress through innovations in clean room technology.
Trends, Forecasts & Market Growth
Clean room manufacturing has gained more importance in economic sectors particularly focusing on clean environmental conditions. Clean room manufacturing has become the safest technology in the modern era due to its continuous growth and latest innovations during all operations. Due to high customer demands, manufacturers always try to adopt the high quality standards in clean room operations as well as improvements in profitability and economic efficiency. Technological advancements as well as effective requirements in clean room manufacturing also improve the market growth.
The cleanroom technology market is valued at USD 6.454 billion in 2020 and expected to reach a value of USD 8.87 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 5.45% over the forecast period (2021-2026). It is always difficult to predict where the next significant developments might occur through clean room technology. In near future, hard wall cleanrooms will be designed to make rigid wall construction which will drive their sale in the cleanroom technology industry in 2020-2030.
References
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