A Clean “ROOM” vs A Clean “SPACE”
A lot can be accomplished, at very little expense, by having your personnel incorporate a Cleanroom Manufacturing Attitude. Involve cleanroom disciplines & protocols along with establishing good housekeeping and preventative maintenance procedures.
Install Non-Shedding Ceiling Tile – The biggest and most costly concern you may be faced with, is installing a non-shedding ceiling tile in place of the existing commercial ceiling tile, which is a generator of contaminates. You may need to re-hang the ceiling grid to accommodate any possible additional weight. Do not forget to clean the ceiling grid before you put the new tiles in place. You also may want to install a sealed light fixture, with energy efficient ballasts, after you have cleaned the lamps interior.
Install Pressure Gages – Install pressure differential gages to assure that the space you are reworking is positive to other area of less concern. Use a 0.025 pressure differential gage and follow the manufacturers recommendations on “zeroing” the gage after installation. Re-balance the HVAC that is supplying this area if necessary.
Low Floor Air Returns – If you have only ceiling returns for the airflow, you may not be getting a good removal of the contaminates at the work level. Do a airflow visualization study to determine the differences and effects of both the ceiling and low air returns.
Clean Your Existing Facility – Clean your facility from top to bottom by first using a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner. Then wipe down the area with a non shedding cleanroom wipe using cleaning solvents that are compatible with your process.
Train Your Personnel – Train your personnel in proper cleanroom protocol and disciplines with items needing to be restricted due to their contamination generating properties.
Set Up A Housekeeping Program – Establish and maintain a good housekeeping program that not only incorporates the work areas, but also the ceiling, walls and floors. Create a check list so that nothing is overlooked.
Set Up A Preventative Maintenance Program – Establish and maintain a good preventative maintenance program for all of the equipment in the room along with the HVAC equipment supporting your clean space. Create a check list so that nothing is overlooked.
Set Up A Periodic Monitoring Program – Establish and maintain an on-going monitoring program for both viable / non-viable’s and ESD. This will be your indicator of how well your area is doing and alert you to any negatives that may be popping up. Create a check list so that nothing is overlooked.
