Cleanroom Installation: How To Correctly Locate Your Cleanroom

Where is the best place to locate a cleanroom within your building’s space? If you are considering adding a cleanroom to your facility, this is a question you will ask yourself. The answer requires careful consideration of your building’s layout, your processes and workflow, and your specific cleanliness requirements. Let’s go over the factors you will need to consider to make the best choice for cleanroom installation for your organization. 

What Is Your Cleanroom Classification? 

Your cleanroom classification defines how clean the cleanroom environment has to be. It will impact the cleanroom’s design, where it can be built or installed within your facilities, and which materials can be used to build it. If your application requires very high cleanliness standards, this will limit your building options because airflow and particle size will have to be strictly controlled to limit contamination. In practical terms this means that the cleanroom will require separate HVAC and filtration systems and must be built with materials that do not shed particulate matter and can be cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis. 

For cleanrooms with less strict cleanliness requirements, such as those for automotive manufacturing, it may be possible to build or install one in your existing building and modify your current HVAC system rather than install a new, dedicated one. Modular cleanrooms can be used in many of these situations as well. 

When you’ve determined your cleanroom classification, you will be able to calculate whether it’s more affordable and cost effective to build a traditional cleanroom or install a modular one. 

Cleanroom Installation

When it comes time to decide the placement of your cleanroom, you will need to consider whether you can house it in your current space. Here are some questions to consider:

• Is your building located in a geographical area that experiences high traffic or pollution? 
• Where will your cleanroom be located within your facility relative to the loading dock, exits, or other areas with dust and debris?
• Are there any areas of your facility that are noisy or prone to vibration because of machinery operations?
• Do you have enough space to accommodate the equipment and furniture your cleanroom will require?
• Can your cleanroom workers perform their tasks comfortably and according to required workflows in this space?  
• What is the current layout of the HVAC system in terms of ductwork and equipment?
• Where are the building’s emergency exits located?
• Can the cleanroom space be expanded in this location if necessary in the future?

Cleanroom Location Considerations

If you have enough available space and your cleanroom classification allows it, you may be able to install your cleanroom in your existing building. Cleanrooms can be built in research space, laboratories, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and even other cleanrooms. 

You will want to avoid putting your cleanroom close to busy, dirty, or very loud areas of your facility, because these things make it more difficult, if not impossible, for your cleanroom equipment to operate properly. Locate your cleanroom where it is easier to implement an efficient airflow system that prevents the spread of contaminants. This might involve selecting an area with fewer obstacles or obstructions.

Choose a location where the building’s structure supports the necessary utilities, such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, without compromising cleanroom operations. Ensure that necessary utilities such as electricity, water, and gas are readily available in the chosen location.

Make sure that your cleanroom is easily accessible to authorized personnel while limiting access to prevent contamination from unauthorized individuals. It should also have access to emergency exits and evacuation routes to ensure employee and cleanroom safety. 

If future expansion is a possibility or a desired outcome for your organization, select a location that allows for scalability and additional cleanroom space if/when needed.

Do You Need a Modular Cleanroom?

Modular cleanrooms have many advantages. They are much more affordable than stick-built cleanrooms and can be installed quickly and easily. They can be located in smaller areas and moved around as necessary. You can have a modular cleanroom up and running within a few days to a week, and they can also be expanded or retrofitted later if your needs change. 

How To Correctly Locate Your Cleanroom

Ultimately, the best location for a cleanroom will depend on a thorough analysis of your processes, the existing building structure, and your specific cleanroom requirements. With the right planning, your cleanroom installation will be successful. If you have questions, you can always seek out the experts at Technical Air Products for advice. We are here to provide you with the cleanroom components and equipment you need.