Everything You Need to Know About Modular Construction

Everything You Need to Know About Modular Construction

Whether you’re looking to design a new cleanroom or renovate your building space to accommodate new offices or processes, you may have heard that modular construction is the way to go. Modular construction is trending right now for a few reasons, the primary one being that it’s a smart alternative to traditional construction. If your curiosity has been piqued, here’s everything you need to know about modular construction.

 

What is a Modular Cleanroom?

Here we break down the basics of modular construction, and what that entails for cleanroom design, construction, installation, and maintenance.

 

How to Repurpose or Move Your Modular Cleanroom

One of the benefits of modularly constructed cleanrooms is their flexibility and versatility. If you no longer need the cleanroom, you can take it apart and use the components for a new room or space. If you upgrade your facility, you can bring your modular cleanroom with you. This post outlines how to move or repurpose your modular cleanroom and take advantage of that versatility and adaptability.

 

What is an Inplant Building?

If you’re new to the concept of modular construction, the words “inplant building” might mean nothing to you. But you shouldn’t remain in ignorance. Inplant buildings can be a solution to many of the problems manufacturers with large factory and warehouse facilities face. This post outlines what inplant buildings are and their many benefits and uses.

 

Hidden Cost Benefits to Modular Construction

Modular construction isn’t the way of the future simply because it’s efficient and flexible—although it certainly is those things—it’s also extremely cost-effective in a variety of ways. This post outlines the ways in which modular construction can save you money, from sticker price to tax breaks!

 

Modular vs. Traditional Construction for Cleanrooms

This post lays out the differences between constructing a modular cleanroom or going the traditional construction route for your cleanroom. Learn the benefits and drawbacks of each option to help you decide which is right for your cleanroom design project.

 

How Modular Offices Can Work for Your Company

Modular construction isn’t just for cleanrooms. If you need more office space, but already have a facility, modular offices might be the right solution for your organization. This blog post outlines how modular construction can provide you with the office space you need without extensive renovation of your facilities or costly additions, instead, using space you already have.

 

Need a modular cleanroom or inplant building? Talk to Angstrom Technology and we can design it and build it!

Considerations for Open Cleanroom Design

Considerations for Open Cleanroom Design

Open concept offices are the new thing in corporate design, and the idea of the open workspace is expanding into cleanrooms and laboratories as well. There are many benefits to open concept workspaces, like increased transparency and cooperation, but also some downsides, like the noise level. Besides these factors, there are additional considerations for open cleanroom design, due to the nature of the processes and requirements of cleanrooms. If you’re interested in open cleanroom design, here’s what you should consider.

 

Benefits of Open Cleanroom Design

 

Transparency and Collaboration

In an open laboratory workspace, everyone can see what everyone else is doing. This can mean that chemists and product engineers are working together in the same space. These different groups can interact with each other in an open setting, offering each other ideas and solutions based on their unique insight and expertise. You’ll also get transparency across teams, so that everyone is aware of what’s going on and what other teams are working on or exploring.

Flexibility

An open floor plan allows for the layout of your cleanroom to change as your organization’s needs and applications change. New equipment can be added to accommodate a new process, additional workspaces can be added for new staff, and furniture and equipment can be rearranged to best serve the needs of the cleanroom at the time.

Cost Savings

Open concept cleanrooms can save money in three major ways: they can save space in your facilities, freeing it up for other needs; they allow teams to share equipment, resources, and support staff because they are co-located; and have lower construction costs than creating smaller, application-specific cleanroom spaces.

 

Disadvantages of Open Cleanroom Design

 

Ventilation and Filtration Challenges

With the larger space that open cleanrooms present, getting ventilation and filtration right so that the space is adequately ventilated and meets particulate contamination standards can be difficult. 

Loud Equipment

Noisy equipment can create a lot of noise pollution in an open cleanroom, and that noise may be disruptive to sensitive processes as well as disruptive to personnel.

Sensitive Work and Processes

Some processes and tasks are extremely sensitive or are at great risk for factors like cross-contamination. These processes need dedicated space, and likely have more stringent cleanroom standards and procedures that other cleanroom applications.

 

Solutions for Open Cleanroom Design

One way to solve some of the challenges of an open cleanroom is modular design. The flexibility of modular cleanrooms allow for changes to the layout of the space as needed. For applications that need dedicated space because of the delicate nature of the processes, a modular design allows you to create that necessary space within the open cleanroom. Soundproof modular rooms for noisy equipment can solve the noise issue in the otherwise open space.

 

Angstrom Technology can design a cleanroom to meet all your requirements and design considerations. Speak with one of our design engineers to get started.

How to Control Static in Your Cleanroom

How to Control Static in Your Cleanroom

Many applications require limited static:  electronics manufacturing, air traffic control, chemical labs, and semiconductor are just a few examples. If your cleanroom application involves sensitive, specialized electronics, hazardous chemicals, or other delicate equipment or processes that may be sensitive to static, you’re going to want to ensure that your cleanroom environment controls static. Here are things to consider when designing your cleanroom when you want to control static.

 

Anti-static flooring

There are several flooring options for static control. They work by grounding the static charge that naturally builds up in any environment, moving it through the floor to the ground and preventing it from building up and affecting your processes.

There are two main types of anti-static flooring, dissipative and conductive, and these are both available at varying levels of resistance (measured in ohms). The resistance and type of anti-static flooring you need will depend on the risk of electrostatic discharge as well how critical the effects of electrostatic discharge would be for your application.

 

Anti-static wall panels

Anti-static wall panels are also available for controlling static within a cleanroom. Cleanroom-specific anti-static wall materials are crucial, as cleanroom wall materials will also control particle shedding, preventing particulate contamination in the cleanroom environment. Additionally, wall panels with picking bins or storage for ESD components can protect static-sensitive items.

 

Clothing and gowning procedures 

In addition to the gowning procedures already in place for your cleanroom, if your aim is to control static, you may want to implement new clothing and gowning protocols. These may include anti-static garments or ESD cuffs, low-static shoes, or even equipment such as an air shower before entry to the cleanroom environment.

Even if anti-static garments aren’t necessary, you may want to prohibit wearing static-prone and high-static clothing articles, like those made of fleece and similar fabrics, in the cleanroom environment, or require basic gowning in a lab coat.

 

No matter the environmental factors you need to control, Angstrom Technology can design and install a cleanroom that works for your application.

 

How to Repurpose or Move Your Modular Cleanroom

How to Repurpose or Move Your Modular Cleanroom

Modular cleanrooms are valuable for their versatility and the ability to deploy them almost anywhere. When your organization’s needs change, you might find that you need to move your modular cleanroom—great, that’s what it’s for! Whether you need to move your modular cleanroom to a new location or adapt it to a new application, here’s how to repurpose or move your modular cleanroom.

 

Disassemble cleanroom following included directions

The first step is to disassemble the cleanroom—completely if you’re moving it to a new location, only as much as necessary if you’re simply making some modifications—following the instructions. Your modular cleanroom should have come with instructions for both assembly and disassembly (ours do!). Following the instructions is critical to ensure that nothing is accidentally damaged in the process and that when you go to put it back together again, nothing is missing or broken.  If you need additional help, our skilled installation teams are professionals at both assembly and disassembly of these modular cleanrooms.

 

Move or change and reassemble in desired configuration

If you’re moving the cleanroom, move it to the new location and then begin reassembling the cleanroom. If you’re adding onto the cleanroom or making changes to the configuration, make those changes and reassemble. Again, following the instructions you’ve been provided is of utmost importance to ensure that everything fits together properly and that a tight seal is maintained for the controlled environment. 

 

For complicated installations, get pros involved

For both assembly and disassembly of the modular cleanroom, when it comes to complicated systems like HVAC integration, laminar air flow, or multi-stage air filtration, enlist the help of professional cleanroom installers like ours. You don’t want to risk damage to your cleanroom or to those delicate systems or compromise your cleanroom environmental controls. 

 

If you’re interested in a modular cleanroom that can change to meet your business’s ever-changing needs, it’s time to talk with an Angstrom Technology engineer.