There’s a cleanroom type for every application. Many industries have specific requirements in order to perform their work successfully and without any contaminating — or dangerous — interruptions. Anti-static cleanrooms are an important type of cleanroom for industries where a stray spark or electric current could prove disastrous to projects. Let’s take a closer look at what an anti-static cleanroom is and how it serves special applications.

What is an anti-static cleanroom?

An anti-static cleanroom is a type of cleanroom in which every part is designed to minimize or eradicate static electricity — from flooring panels and anti-static wall material to gowning garments and procedures. Anti-static cleanrooms are especially useful in applications that involve electronics or electrically-sensitive substances. Errant electricity can interfere with experiment results or alter the readouts of important machinery, compromising the scientific process. By controlling the effects of static, you can avoid being electrically charged, and stick to just being in charge.

What makes a cleanroom anti-static?

It takes careful planning to make a cleanroom anti-static. Anti-static cleanrooms use electro-static dissipative finishes and equipment whenever possible. Their components include anti-static flooring, wall panels, and furniture as well as specific garments that dispel or minimize the buildup of electricity. 

Anti-Static Flooring

Static electricity builds naturally in most environments, but it is especially dangerous in certain cleanroom applications. Anti-static flooring minimizes electricity by grounding or dissipating any buildup of charges. Anti-static cleanrooms use either static-dissipative flooring or conductive flooring. 

Static-Dissipative Flooring

Static-dissipative flooring uses rubber or vinyl sheets that disperse electricity. This type of flooring is common in cleanrooms for electronics and manufacturing. Since it can allow more charge to build up before releasing, static-dissipative flooring is not recommended for extremely sensitive cleanroom applications, particularly those that involve flammable liquids or sensitive electrical parts.

Conductive Flooring

Conductive flooring uses a copper strip which is connected to a grounded outlet. It allows less charge to build up before grounding, which is more effective in applications where even minimal charges could be hazardous.

Anti-Static Wall Panels

A variety of wall panels are compliant with anti-static requirements. Aluminum rigid wall panels make a great anti-static option that is lightweight, noncombustible and non-particle-shedding. They are made with a “honeycomb” core which helps control static buildup. Modular stainless steel panels can also be anti-static and have conductive properties which are useful for cleanrooms with sensitive materials.

For a softwall option, flexible vinyl sheeting can be treated to be anti-static. It is an excellent choice for compact or temporary cleanrooms that require efficient static-dissipative applications.

Anti-Static Furniture

Even the furniture in an anti-static cleanroom must be static-dissipative. Special non-conductive mats can be used on top of anti-static flooring for problem areas, adding an extra layer of protection for employees. Chairs, tables, and other surfaces must also be made with materials that are non-conductive or static-dissipative. 

Depending on the specific equipment your cleanroom holds, your tools should also be chosen with the intention of minimizing static. Some machines may need modifications that allow grounding of static electricity or be reconfigured within your cleanroom to promote dissipation. 

Anti-Static Clothing 

Garments worn within an anti-static cleanroom are selected specifically for this use. Static-dissipative clothing is made from electro-static discharge (ESD) fabric. Depending on your cleanroom’s use, you may need to outfit your employees completely to protect them from electric shock. ESD fabric and materials can be used to make many types of clothing, including gowns, coveralls, shoes, hoods, sleeves and gloves.

Air Ionization

Anti-static cleanrooms also make use of air ionization to remove particles that might attach and contaminate cleanrooms. Ionization neutralizes static electricity in the air, which is useful for removing particles and contaminants that could attach during gowning, for example. Ionization systems are more effective than air showers because they counteract static, making particles easier to remove, unlike air showers which are unable to remove particles that are too strongly attracted.

Ionization systems are also very effective at reducing particle counts when installed in gowning areas. They are only effective on non-conductive materials, so it’s recommended to combine them with additional static control methods.

Why do I need an anti-static cleanroom?

In cleanrooms where static poses a high risk, static-dissipative finishes, equipment, and procedures are essential to protect products and employees. In some settings, sparks from static electricity buildup could cause significant damage, from small fires to explosions of flammable chemicals. It’s better to prepare a safe environment with an anti-static cleanroom and minimize the dangerous accumulation of electricity than wait until an accident happens.

Interested in an anti-static cleanroom? Let us know. We’re here to help design the cleanroom that’s best suited to your application.

The new trend in industrial and commercial building is inplant buildings. While this may seem like just another trend, there are many reasons why an inplant building might be useful in your factory or industrial application. What are inplant buildings, and what are their benefits? 

What is an inplant building?

Inplant are essentially a building inside of a building, specifically, a factory plant. It’s not just a room, though. An inplant building is more like a suite of rooms or a building itself, with freestanding walls, it’s own ceiling, etc., though it may incorporate some of the factory’s existing structures.

Inplant buildings can serve a lot of purposes, from creating office spaces to separating process flows and more. These inplant buildings are constructed modularly, which has a lot of benefits in terms of build time and cost.

What are the benefits of inplant buildings?

Some of the uses of inplant buildings are obvious: say you need some offices. You don’t want to set up desks and cubicles on the factory floor, next to your inspection area or where the forklifts are parked. An inplant building can solve this dilemma. If you have equipment that is loud and requires hearing protection, you can create an equipment enclosure to contain it and reduce noise to surrounding outside areas. 

One benefit to inplant buildings is their modular construction. Modular construction can be less expensive than traditional construction. Additionally, it is quicker to assemble modularly constructed buildings, which saves you time and lost production time, which saves you even more money. Plus, modular construction depreciates faster than traditional construction, an added tax benefit. 

Another benefit to modularly constructed inplant buildings is their flexibility. If you need a temporary office space for example, an inplant building can serve that purpose and be quickly and easily taken down when no longer needed. In fact, the modular components can all be reused for a new application. If you need to add onto a modular building, or change the layout in some way, modular construction offers that flexibility, since you can add new modules and reuse existing ones in new formations.

Because of their easy of assembly, you can even construct or modify your inplant buildings with your own personnel—no subcontractors required.

If you’re looking to create an inplant building, contact the design engineers at Angstrom Technology to see how modular construction can work for your situation, and be sure to check out our guide to Modular Offices and Inplant Buildings.

Modular construction has a variety of benefits when it comes to cost, ease of installation, flexibility, and more, and it has many benefits for commercial construction. If you’re adding on to your office space, modular offices can work for your company. Here’s how:

Rapid expansion

If your company is getting bigger, you’re going to need more office space. If it’s getting bigger quickly, you’re going to need new offices ASAP. Modular offices are the perfect solution because they can be quickly and easily constructed, not to mention that they can be less expensive than traditional construction. Modularly constructed office spaces can be so easy to install that in some cases, you don’t even need a professional construction or installation crew—your staff can install them on-site.   

Temporary workspaces

Just like when you’re rapidly expanding, when you need offices temporarily, modular construction can be the way to go. Why is this? Well, as we mentioned previously, modular construction can be cheaper than normal brick and mortar construction and doesn’t require a subcontractor and full construction crew. Modular offices can be quickly and easily built wherever you need them. And once you no longer need those temporary workspaces, teardown is easy, and you haven’t lost value, as the modular components can be reused.

Flexibility for changing needs

Even if you’re not expanding or adding temporary offices for consultants or visiting employees from corporate, modular offices can be the way to go for companies with regularly changing needs. Modular construction means that offices are built using standardized, interchangeable parts, and those parts can be reused and repurposed into new workspaces should your company’s needs change. Modular construction depreciates faster than conventional construction, which can have huge tax benefits for your company.

Angstrom Technology doesn’t just design cleanrooms, we also design modular construction for office spaces and more. Get in touch with a design engineer to discuss your project.