Modular Portable Cleanrooms

cleanroom modular buildingsIf you’re considering expanding, modernizing, or retrofitting cleanrooms into your building’s designs, modular, moveable, portable cleanrooms are the way to go.

Portable cleanrooms feature temperature-controlled environments and solid panel wall construction. These designs offer mobility and easy reconfiguration. Facilities that exam or manufacture products frequently turn to modular cleanroom buildings featuring automated storage solutions. The main reason is these companies need environments that are free from airborne contaminants.

Determining a cleanroom classification means measuring the number of hourly air changes and particles per cubic foot. By taking these measurements, these rooms meet compliance regulations and solve regulatory issues facilities might face. An example of these compliance regulations is that they must follow ISO 14644-1:2015 standards.

Understanding Portable Cleanrooms

portable cleanroom features a modular design that doesn’t sacrifice functionality and features a reduced cost. Manufacturing and installing these portable rooms involves using 100% prefabricated panels. Based on the company’s specifications, these panels can include integrated utilities, lighting fixtures, monitoring systems, network and telephone lines, and pre-wired outlets. These specifications reduce disruptions to on-site installation times.

Cleanrooms featuring a portable design also include a built-in air return. That means the cleanroom’s air returns engineer directly within the wall panel’s cavity. This design’s benefit is it’s easy to clean, helps maximize the building design’s original footprint, and uses less space. These designs also feature pre-engineered access and control panels. These panels provide compressed air, gasses, and purified water.

Each panel’s construction features at least two galvanized steel panels. They sandwich together to create four-inch panels. That way, before installation, technicians can install electrical outlets and other mechanical components into the panel’s cavity. Because these rooms are prefabricated off-site, that means less cutting and grinding during on-site installations.

Mobile cleanrooms feature designs that include:

  • Air handling solutions with airflow ranging from 500 to over 40,000 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) per AHU (Air Handler Unit)
  • Pre-configured utilities, including alarm systems, cameras, gas penetration, HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters, lighting, speakers, sprinkler heads, and more
  • Several doors and window options ranging from conventional to custom styles
  • Walkable ceilings constructed from self-supporting steel structures
  • Optional design features, including air showers, intercoms, interlocked doors, pass-throughs, stainless steel sinks, wall-to-wall coving, and more

Many facilities opt for these modular spaces because they’re easy to install and tear down when no longer in use. They can also achieve the highest air pollution control levels because these rooms are easy to adjust and update as needs change. That means employees can study or use sensitive materials and technology without worrying about compromising their integrity.

Why Facilities Should Use Temperature Controlled Modular Cleanrooms

Clothing and people are the two primary contaminant sources in a cleanroom’s environment. Other contaminant sources include the facility, fluids, products the facility manufactures, and tools. Contamination control is critical for these modular rooms. Prefabricated cleanrooms feature designs specifically for achieving and maintaining airflow within this confined area. That way, it moves uniformly along parallel laminar flow lines.

HEPA filters are vital regarding contaminant control in these portable rooms. They reduce the number of particles in cleanrooms down to as low as 0.3 microns. Facilities also need to clean these spaces to maintain contaminant control. That involves creating a cleaning plan that involves procedures for everyone using this room to follow.

Before manufacturing and installation begin, facilities must determine what classification their cleanroom needs. That involves asking several questions regarding the facility’s applications within this space:

  • What are the contamination sources within the facility?portable modular cleanroom
  • How small are the particles the facility needs to remove from its air?
  • How much air must circulate through the modular space to remove contaminants?

Modular designs reduce the manufacturing and installation costs overall. The main reason is that they reduce the amount of time necessary to design, engineering, and construct the space. These designs also feature low-cost materials. Modular designs are also highly flexible, especially when compared to a permanent structure.

There are several steps involved with constructing a portable cleanroom, including the following:

  • Preliminary engineering: Teams identify the company’s requirements, including classification and technical specifications, to produce budgetary quotes
  • Engineering and design: Teams design the company’s modular room to their specifications, or so it integrates with third-party systems
  • Manufacturing and construction: Construction of all modular components occur in the factory’s controlled environment
  • Shipping and installation: The company manufacturing the portable room uses qualified installers to ensure it meets compliance
  • Commissioning: After installation occurs, the manufacturing company tests the room to ensure it meets the company’s objectives and compliance regulations

Temperature-controlled portable cleanrooms also include an option for complete HVAC and environmental monitoring systems. This optional upgrade allows companies to save energy as systems adjust FFUs (Fan Filter Units) to achieve optimal airflow and differential pressures. The system also constantly monitors humidity, pressure, and temperature. Because it’s a dedicated HVAC system, this upgrade also maintains humidity and temperature to tighter specifications than a facility’s standard system.

How Portable Cleanrooms with Automated Storage Improves Efficiency and Productivity

Mobile cleanroom systems must feature manufacturing processes that fit a facility’s dimensions and address specific performance requirements. Because facilities can customize these rooms, they include higher design flexibilities than a standard drywall constructed space. These designs eliminate concerns regarding impurities and contaminants like dust and moisture, allowing employees to prioritize accuracy and efficiency. These designs often include automated storage, which improves efficiencies for the following applications:moveable portable cleanrooms

  • Aerospace
  • Beverage or bottling rooms
  • Cosmetic packaging
  • E-Liquid
  • GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) rooms
  • Medical Devices
  • Microelectronics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Pharmaceutical packaging
  • Printing Rooms
  • USP (United States Pharmacopeial) compounding

Facilities are continually looking to improve efficiencies and productivity, including in spaces like modular or portable cleanrooms. The use of these spaces is critical for any facility requiring processes that reduce particulate occurrences or avoid contamination. Efficient production of electronics, food products, medical devices, semiconductors, and more occur in a cleanroom environment.

Efficient cleanroom design plays an integral role in a facility’s employee productivity. For example, when companies opt for smaller cleanrooms, like in a modular system, they can increase productivity within their existing footprint. For example, cleanroom environments can reduce particulate contamination and increase equipment function while simultaneously enhancing employee productivity.

Benefits and Features of Cleanroom Modular Buildings

There are several benefits of cleanroom modular buildings, including their quick construction and minimal disruption within a facility’s confines. It’s also possible to expand or modify these spaces. If a facility needs to move the space, it’s easy to take them apart and relocate them. While the components of these portable spaces are universal, facilities can also customize their cleanroom with equipment and other special features.

Additional benefits include:

  • Anti-microbial
  • Cleaning solution resistant
  • Exterior installation possible
  • Non-outgassing and non-particle shedding
  • Resistant to specific chemicals
  • Scratch-resistanttemperature controlled clean rooms

Prefabricated wall panels for mobile clean rooms feature R-16 insulation, beneficial for better acoustic performance, climate control, and energy savings. These cleanroom designs also feature designs that meet zone requirements while simultaneously being entirely independent of the facility’s main building.

Additional features include:

  • Backup lighting system
  • Cleanroom-grade flooring options, including epoxy or vinyl
  • Custom window and door sizes
  • Emergency exits
  • Plenum for additional contamination control, temperature control, and visual appeal
  • Programmable visual warnings featured on digital pressure gauges

Technical Specifications and Design

An in-house team of engineers, architects, designers, and technicians dedicate themselves to these projects from day one to determine the company’s needs and requirements. Companies have a choice between design to build or design to print options. That means the team can design, build, and install the cleanroom, or they can partner with architects, consultants, and other professionals the company’s working with to manufacture a custom design.

Portable cleanrooms designs can include a variety of custom design features, including the following:

  • Hook and seal clip-on systems that lock together like a puzzle
  • Multiple lighting options, including flow-through modules, light panels, light strips, and teardrop lights
  • ULPA (Ultra-Low Particulate Air Filters) for highly-controlled cleanroom environments
  • Prefilters that work in conjunction with HEPA and ULPA filters to remove large particles before it flows to other filters
  • Specialty components, including airlocks, air showers, gowning rooms, and pass-through chambers

Architectural and design phases:

When facilities have expert designers and engineers on staff, they can integrate modular cleanrooms within their existing footprint. Incorporating a portable cleanroom into an existing building design involves several architectural and design phases:

  • Evaluate the facility’s to determine its contaminant sources, including material and personnel flow
  • Determine the environment’s space cleanliness classification and compliance regulations
  • Identify the environment’s air pressurization and airflow pattern
  • Define the area’s balance, filtration, and airflow supply
  • Uncover any unknown variables within the space
  • Verify the facility’s available space and mechanical layout

Increase Efficiencies and Productivity with Modular Cleanrooms

Southwest Solutions Group provides innovative solutions to various facilities, including hospitals and laboratories, that need portable cleanrooms. That includes ensuring that the cleanroom features designs and components specifically tailored to meet your facility’s needs. Call us today at 1-866-443-5670 or send us a message. Our team is available to help your business determine which modular cleanrooms are best for your facility. We believe a mobile cleanroom increases efficiencies and productivity. 

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