450m² Temperature & Humidity Controlled Cleanroom For Plexus Corp
Angstrom Technology has completed a 30 x 15m cleanroom for Plexus Corp, the second cleanroom in 18 months and part of wider lifecycle services provided, including a full suite of cleanroom furniture and consumables, and cleanroom training for the wider team.
Key features of the cleanroom
450m2 Cleanroom
ISO Class 7 & 8
GMP
Furniture Fit-Out
Cleanroom Training
Gallery
The Client
Global organisation Plexus helps to create the products that build a better world. It works with its partners around the world to transform their concepts into branded products and deliver them to market. A force of approximately 20,000 team members, Plexus operates in the industrial, healthcare, life sciences, aerospace and defence sectors, and works with their customers on highly complex products with many regulations to comply with.
The Angstrom Technology team have been working with Plexus for some time, delivering a smaller, temporary hybrid cleanroom whilst this 30x15m space was built. As well as the cleanroom design and build, Plexus also required a carefully selected suite of furniture and consumables to use in both the temporary and permanent spaces, and cleanroom training for the members of the team operating the cleanrooms.
The Cleanroom
This 450m2 cleanroom is being used for the assembly of machines used in the semiconductor industry, to enable mass production of microchips.
The cleanroom includes two large main areas, one ISO class 7 and the other, ISO class 8, utilising a monobloc cleanroom wall panel system.
There is a standard gowning area, which achieves ISO class 8 classification with a storage area to store critical supplies. An inspection room, achieving ISO class 7, is also segregated from the main ISO class 7 and 8 areas for isolating and inspecting materials before they enter the main cleanroom.
The cleanroom benefits from an air lock, achieving ISO class 7, which is used when personnel move from the main manufacturing area of ISO class 7 to the ISO class 8 room to protect from contamination, stopping particles going from one level to the other. The air lock is a higher pressure, meaning nothing from the ISO class 8 room travels to the ISO class 7 room in the air. Air return panels in monobloc rooms make them more energy efficient, due to the recirculation of filtered air as opposed to hardwall or softwall rooms, where the air is dispensed out of the room as more air is filtered in.
There are 3 rapid roller doors which are linked by an access control system, to prevent contamination from multiple doors being open at once; as one door opens to let someone through, none of the other doors can open for strict contamination control measures.
Temperature and humidity control is an important factor of semiconductor cleanrooms, and in this instance means the operational temperature is held at 20°C, +-3 degrees, with a relative humidity of more than 30% to enable the ideal conditions while handling sensitive materials.
The project had some obstacles to overcome, the main one being the restricted height parameters of the building and surrounding building. These features meant there was nowhere to base a standard, central Air Handling Unit (AHU). To overcome this, the team moved the cleanroom away from the back wall by 3m and used several mini Air Handling Units, to utilise the space more efficiently, instead of one centralised unit.
The Angstrom Technology GMP team carried out DQ, IQ and OQ on the facility as Plexus wanted to include an enhanced on-site qualification of the facility by Angstrom Technology engineers.
Plexus provided an initial URS (User Requirement Specification) document, however throughout the course of the design phase, they worked closely with our team to fine tune the specifications to best meet their requirements.
Furniture Fit-Out
Plexus have once again utilised all Angstrom Technology & Cleanroomshop lifecycle services, including a full furniture fit-out.
Our dedicated product specialists worked with the Plexus team to offer a range of furniture that met the needs and compliance requirements of the spaces.
The furniture chosen included storage, shelving, tables and chairs to allow personnel to work efficiently in the space. The furniture was chosen predominantly for its electropolished and ESD (electrostatic discharge) properties, to comply with the GMP validation requirements. By using electropolished stainless steel furniture, the surfaces are resistant to bacteria growth due to their smooth finish, there is less chance for particle retention due to the highly polished surfaces, and the appearance of the pieces also improves surface reflectivity and brightness, which is known to improve heat and light reflection, both of which are important facts to consider when operating a cleanroom environment. Accompanying the stainless steel furniture are three Bimos ESD Labsit 2 chairs which are suitable for ISO class 3+ environments and feature electrically conductive materials to prevent static buildup, reducing the potential for electrical interference to processes during production.
Plexus Testimonial
This is the second cleanroom we have appointed Angstrom Technology to build, and we found the team to be very professional with great knowledge and experience to assist us from day one of the project.
We appreciated the flexibility to support us with changing requirements, the speed of installation and the attention to detail.
Operating this new cleanroom has enabled Plexus to expand within our already well-established manufacturing solutions in the UK. We have recruited 20 team members to support this new capability, and we fully expect the business to continue to grow as we fill capacity generated by this new cleanroom. Thank you to the entire Angstrom Technology & Cleanroomshop team; we look forward to continuing to work together!
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