Walk into a lab room and it’s hard to miss the difference of the air in that space to that of another industrial area. Without sounding redundant, it’s pretty simple: everything’s just cleaner. Think it’s something you can take on? If your company is planning on building a lab clean room, be sure to take these three things into account before getting started.
#1. Keep in mind the airflow of a lab clean room. Clean rooms are designed to maintain airflow that has uniform velocity that move together in parallel lines – this is called laminar flow. Restricting the airflow can create turbulence which in turn causes particles to move around– not an ideal environment for a clean room. This is where portable air conditioners come in. This type of air conditioner is perfect for keeping the airflow in check while also cooling the area and all equipment.
#2. Temperature is important. Depending on what type of lab room you’re building you’ll want to think about how cool or warm the lab needs to be. Manufacturing products? Or perhaps the lab room will consist of lots of computer or technical equipment? You wouldn’t use the same type of outdoor cooling system as you would for these lab rooms. If you’re going to have a lab room with lots of equipment that could potentially overheat, an air conditioner that helps with spot cooling would be ideal to keep the temperature under wraps and your equipment performing at an optimal level.
#3. Consider the aftermath of a build: the maintenance. Once a clean room is built it should be maintained with the same high standards with which it was built. Be conscious of contaminants that can ruin the sanitation. Potential contaminants include: fluids, particles floating in the air, debris, construction materials, people-generated debris (think skin flakes, hair, clothing debris, etc.). Use mops, disinfectant solutions and wipers to keep all surfaces sanitary and hygienic.
While there are other design ideas to keep in mind when creating a lab clean room, the backbone of its functionality begin with the three tips mentioned above: airflow, temperature and maintenance. And remember, rental portable air conditioners are a perfect industrial solution to keep any clean room functioning at its best.
