ASYS cleanroom for GEWO Feinmechanik

Die realisierten Reinräume entsprechen der Reinraumklasse ISO 7 und 5 gemäß ISO 14644-1. / The realised cleanrooms meet cleanroom class ISO 7 and 5 in accordance with ISO 14644-1.

Einfacher Filterwechsel integriert im Wandsystem. / Easy filter change integrated into the wall system.

Personalduschen von der Personalschleuse in den Reinraum. Rechts die Ausgangs- und Fluchttür. / Personnel showers of the personnel airlock into the cleanroom. On the right, the exit and escape door.

Across a total area of more than 600 m², ASYS Prozess- und Reinraumtechnik GmbH implemented cleanrooms compliant with ISO Class 5 to 7 at GEWO in Wörth/Hörlkofen.

ASYS was responsible for the entire design and implementation of the cleanrooms including ancillary rooms and a pre-cleaning facility for parts. GEWO Feinmechanik GmbH uses the particle-free environment for the assembly of components and for cleanroom packaging of finished products. The products assembled under cleanroom conditions include, for example, components for electron microscopes that are used in TFT-LCD screen production and semiconductor industries. In addition, sub-assemblies for medical and semiconductor devices, microelectronics, optics, and aerospace are processed here.

Long partnership between ASYS and GEWO

ASYS already installed an ISO Class 7 cleanroom at GEWO in 2004. “We are very pleased with the successful and trustful cooperation. The annual support as part of service and maintenance by ASYS works great. That's why we have again chosen ASYS Prozess- und Reinraumtechnik. Other projects will follow in the near future,” says Stefan Woitzik, Managing Director of GEWO Feinmechanik GmbH. The cleanroom project implemented by ASYS includes several subprojects. ASYS not only built the cleanroom and ancillary room facilities, but also the complete ceiling system, including lighting, temperature control with circulating air coolers, walls and filter technology. “A particular challenge in the planning and realisation were the large variety of required media and supply and disposal systems such as the central vacuum cleaning system, process cooling, sewage, electricity, and IT connections. These were installed concealed within the cleanroom walls. This required close coordination between GEWO, the specialist planners of the various trades and our planners,” says Karl Goll, Managing Director of ASYS Prozess- and Reinraumtechnik.

Powerful material and personnel airlocks

To ensure a particle-free environment, both the employees and the material need to pass through special pre-cleaning airlocks. Personnel and material airlocks, as access to cleanrooms, have a crucial impact on production safety. Existing particles are whirled up here and extracted by filtering systems so that no contaminants will enter the cleanroom. The personnel airlocks at GEWO Feinmechanik are equipped with powerful air showers and automatic glass sliding doors between the connecting corridors. Automatic feed and cleaning systems introduce material into the cleanroom through a 200 m²
pre-cleaning room that was also built by ASYS.

The cleanroom classification

The realised cleanrooms meet cleanroom class ISO 7 and 5 in accordance with ISO 14644-1. This internationally valid standard classifies air purity according to the 0.5 µm reference particle. According to this standard, class ISO 5 allows no more than a maximum of 3,520 particles of size 0.5 µm per cubic metre of air. Hence the particles are very light-weight, but they can be filtered out from the ambient air by means of filtering technology. This is really necessary, as Karl Goll explains: “Even particles as tiny as 0.1 µm can massively damage the sensitive components for microscopes. Therefore, potential contamination that has an influence on the production process is minimised or avoided all together.”

Unique ASYS monitoring system

Important factors in cleanroom environment are also temperature, pressure and humidity. These must be constantly monitored and kept constant so that the air stays particle- and germ-free. At GEWO, the ASYS cleanroom experts have installed a monitoring system that centrally checks the room temperature, humidity and pressure, and sends and stores alarm messages via SMS. The instrumentation, control and regulation equipment was planned together with the technical building equipment planners and specially implemented for the cleanroom at GEWO. The cleanroom temperature is held constant by an air conditioning system and controlled by return air coolers at 21 °C +/- 2 °C and 45% +/- 5% humidity.

Total area of the cleanroom facility is more than 600 m² with an extension area of 120 m². A third cleanroom is already being planned and will be implemented in the near future by ASYS.