Should a new clean room project be graded or equipped first?

When building a new clean room, many projects will first ask 'how many levels are required' and then immediately go into equipment inquiry. But the grade is only an input condition and cannot answer key questions such as area use, pollution load, heat and moisture load, personnel and acceptance status. If you lock the device first and then discover that the system conditions do not match, the adjustment cost will be very high.

A more reasonable sequence is: first clarify the process protection objectives and evaluation conditions, then formulate a system plan, and finally determine the equipment parameters. Let’s start with several links.

First clarify the process protection goals

Clean rooms serve processes, not grade numbers. Need to confirm first: Which products are surface sensitive? In what operations is it exposed? What particle sizes do you want to control? Are there any special requirements for temperature, humidity, pressure difference, molecular contamination, static electricity or vibration?

Write these goals as project conditions, rather than just an ISO level. If you are not sure whether to do the whole room or partial treatment, you can first check How to choose between whole room purification and local purification ? Clarify the selection logic at the program level before entering into system design.

Convert grades into verifiable evaluation conditions

The cleanliness level is an important input, but the measured particle size, area boundaries, occupancy status and sampling rules must also be stated. Just write 'ISO 5' or 'Level 100', which may cause disagreements during acceptance. Can refer to Why must the particle size be indicated in the cleanliness grade? , complete the evaluation conditions.

If you are still unclear about the difference between space rating and filter efficiency, you can read What is the difference between cleanliness level and filtration efficiency ? Avoid mixing the two concepts together when making selections.

Formulate system plan: return air, exhaust air, supplementary air

The system solution determines whether the equipment can function. It is necessary to first determine the air supply and return layout, exhaust air demand, air supply path and pressure gradient, and then check the capabilities of FFU, high-efficiency air supply outlets and air conditioning equipment. The number of equipment, air volume, and control methods need to be coordinated with the operating time and maintenance channels to form an installable and debugging solution.

If the project is constructed in phases or requires independent modules, please refer to What are the expansion conditions for using independent modules in clean systems? , reserve allowances for power distribution, communications, structural loads and wind paths in advance.

Equipment selection is constrained by system conditions

After determining the system boundaries, check FFU clean air supply products and The capacity of the EFU equipment-side fan filter unit . EFU is commonly used for closed cavities at the equipment end, and FFU is often responsible for room background air supply. The logic of this division of labor lies in the division of labor between device-side EFU and room FFU . There is a more detailed explanation on

The selection should not just look at the nominal air volume. It is necessary to check the working point with filter, external static pressure, filter resistance, installation dimensions, sealing method and maintenance direction. If duty, zoning, alarm and energy-saving operation are required, they can be combined FFU group control system provides unified management.

Filter selection should correspond to the target particle size and cleanliness level.The HEPA and ULPA filter pages have parameters for different levels of products. When selecting, check the efficiency of the specific model at the target air volume.

Don’t decide on equipment in isolation

First purchase a batch of fixed air volume FFU, and then find that the workstation has a large exhaust or insufficient ceiling space, which may result in repeated adjustments. Requirement confirmation should be placed before purchasing, and equipment interfaces, maintenance channels, and later expansion should also be checked simultaneously. Insufficient maintenance channels will increase subsequent expenditures. This is reflected in what later expenses will be increased due to insufficient maintenance channels . There is a more specific cost analysis in

Project judgment example

For a new electronic assembly clean room project, the owner first determined ISO 7 and then directly purchased a batch of FFU. After installation, it was found that there was continuous exhaust air at the workstation, insufficient air supply, and the room pressure difference could not be stabilized. At the same time, the ceiling space was limited, and some FFUs could not be inspected and repaired.

Adjustment methods: Recalculate the balance between exhaust air and air supply, adjust the FFU layout and add independent air supply paths; replace some models to adapt to the ceiling maintenance space. After the adjustment, the system is stable, but rework costs have been incurred in the early stage.

Another project first clarified the process exposure path and temperature and humidity requirements in the planning stage, and then determined the system boundaries and equipment parameters. The equipment was installed successfully once it arrived, and the debugging cycle was significantly shortened.

These two situations illustrate: When building a new clean room, the grade is the input, and the system plan and equipment selection must be considered together.

Key points for selection and acceptance inspection

Aili industrial equipment supporting support

Aili Industry covers motor manufacturing, independent research and development and production of fans, control system development, sheet metal processing, air filter manufacturing and complete machine assembly. For new clean room projects, FFU, EFU, HEPA/ULPA filters, group control systems, air volume, static pressure, and installation interfaces can be uniformly checked to connect equipment configuration with on-site evaluation boundaries and reduce the disconnect between component parameters and complete machine operating conditions.

learn FFU clean air supply products；EFU equipment side fan filter unit；HEPA and ULPA filters；FFU group control system checks the installation space, operating conditions and filtered air supply configuration.

→ Understand relevant product parameters → Confirm equipment matching conditions