Top themes of the congress: Planning, layout, construction, process optimisation and verification

Industry 4.0 in the cleanroom: Potential offered by automation and robot technology for process optimisation

The latest scientific findings and practical expertise presented by an international line-up of renowned experts from the field of cleanroom technology – the Cleanzone Congress is once again offering a top-notch programme in 2015. The congress – which is taking place alongside Cleanzone, the international trade fair for cleanroom technology, on 27 and 28 October 2015 – again features a modular structure that is tailored to the needs of both experts and newcomers, making it easy to flexibly combine visits to the trade fair and congress. Ruth Lorenz, Vice President Technology & Production at Messe Frankfurt, explains the congress' importance to the trade fair: “A combined trade fair and congress is ideal for a market growing as dynamically as that for cleanroom technology. This allows those who find out about the latest standards, processes and procedures at the congress to talk directly with manufacturers at the trade fair about possible solutions for their own production requirements.”

The Cleanzone Congress programme is put together by ReinraumAkademie in collaboration with Messe Frankfurt and an international panel of experts. Frank Duvernell, Managing Director of ReinraumAkademie, sums up the areas of particular focus for the 2015 Cleanzone Congress: “The presentations at this year's congress are focused on current trends in the field of cleanroom technology. The national cleanroom organisations for Switzerland (SwissCCS – Swiss Contamination Control Society) and Germany (DRRI – German Cleanroom Institute) are already working to assign user interests to the “Design, layout and construction”, “Qualification” and “Cleanroom operation” working groups. Experts from various fields of application and supplier sectors will be gathering at the congress to discuss these overarching themes and possible harmonisation of technological requirements. There will be targeted information and concrete support to help users make sense of it all.” 

The Basic modules, which will be taking place on the mornings of 27 and 28 October, deal with “Cleanroom technology basics” and “Design / Layout / Construction”. The “Cleanroom technology basics” presentation series offers an overview of the most important aspects of production under controlled conditions, including state-of-the-art technology, ventilation systems, cleanroom cleaning, cleanroom personnel and proper protocols within the cleanroom. In the second Basic module, which deals with planning and building a cleanroom, participants will find out what form a modern cleanroom well equipped for the demands of the future might take. Professor Dr. Gernod Dittel, who is moderating this presentation session, is a member of the international panel of experts for the Cleanzone Congress. He offers a preview of the requirements for modern cleanroom planning: “When planning a cleanroom, it is important to ensure flexibility and keep future requirements in mind. Cleanrooms should be planned such that they can also be adapted to suit possible future uses. In addition, planning should also incorporate the consideration of alternative power supplies, such as the use of renewable energies, because nowadays we must think about sustainability even in the field of high-tech production. The thing that most distinguishes good planning is cost-effectiveness – and ensuring that the customer is not abandoned once the cleanroom is finished, but continues to be assisted and advised.”

Once a cleanroom is completed, it must be validated, and in the presentations taking place as part of the “Qualification” module in the afternoon session on 27 October, professionals will be talking about the requirements mandated by standards and guidelines, as well as the stages of the cleanroom validation process. A cleanroom inspector will also be sharing some insights into his daily work. Topics such as Industry 4.0, digitisation and automation are ever present today, including in the field of cleanroom production. How can real-time particle identification, process control systems, the introduction of robot technology and moisture-level optimisation be utilised to optimise processes and save energy? Experts will be offering answers to these questions in the Advanced module “Process optimisation” taking place on the afternoon of 28 October. Heinz-Martin Esser from Roth & Rau Ortner GmbH is one of the speakers for this module, and he shared his views on the significance of robot technology in the cleanroom with us: “Robots have been seeing widespread use in cleanrooms for a number of years now. This has increased quality and productivity, shortened throughput times and optimised machine availability and capacity utilisation. In addition, automation has been decisive in helping to avoid errors and maintain continuously high product quality. Finally, automation also helps cleanroom operators reduce the particle contamination that results from human staff.”

The modules of the Cleanzone Congress can be booked individually. Prices range from €130.00 for one module to €355.00 for all of the modules. For more information and tickets go to: www.cleanzone.messefrankfurt.com. 

Cleanzone Congress Programme

27.10.2015

BASIC 1: BASICS
Moderation: Thomas Raupach
10:00 – 12:30 h:
- VDI 2083 – State of the art in contamination control,Thomas Wollstein, VDI
- Cleanroom Air – High Efficiency Filtration Techniques, Frank Spehl, AAF-Lufttechnik GmbH
- Cleanroom Cleaning – A Professional Approach, Frank Duvernell, profi-con GmbH
- Cleanroom Staff Qualification, Claudia Pachl, Avantalion Consulting Switzerland AG
- Best Practice – Cleanroom Behaviour, Koos Agricola, ICCCS International Confederation of Contamination Control Societies

ADVANCED 1: QUALIFICATION
Moderation: Dr. Rüdiger Laub
14:00 – 16:30 h:
- Cleanroom Qualification – A Step by Step Approach, Dr. Rüdiger Laub, profi-con GmbH
- Assessing Technical Requirements in Cleanroom Standards and Regulatory Guidelines for GMP Cleanrooms, Steffen Röhm, pharmaserv GmbH & Co.KG
- The Role of Cleanroom Isolators – Comparing GMP Operational and Performance Qualification, Dr. Thomas Meindl, Labor L&S AG
- Aseptic Cleanroom Qualification – Experiences of a GMP Inspector, Dr. Jürgen Mählitz, Reg. Oberbayern
- Insitu Cleanroom Air Filter Testing and Qualification – According to DIN EN 1822, Dr. Peter Hausch, Caverion

28.10.2015

BASIC 2: DESIGN/LAYOUT/CONSTRUCTION
Moderation Professor Dr. Gernod Dittel
9:30 – 12:00 h:
- Cleanroom Design – Planning, Layout, Logistics, Conor Murray, Irish Cleanroom Society, 3dimension Cleanrooms
- Opportunities for Enery Savings in Cleanrooms, Florian Dittel, Dittel Engineering
- Developments in Cleanroom Air Filtration, Michael Feldtmann, Camfil KG
- Cleanroom Monitoring? – A Risk Assessment Approach, Michael Müller, vali.sys GmbH

ADVANCED 2: PROCESS OPTIMIZATION
Moderation Dr. Lothar Gail
13:00 – 15:30 h:
- Cleanroom Environmental Monitoring – Real Time Particle Identification, Dr. Oliver Valet, Rap-ID GmbH
- Cleanroom Automation – Robotic Technology in Material Handling and Logistics, Heinz Martin Esser, Roth & Rau Ortner GmbH
- Cleanroom automation: Control systems and application in GxP regulated environments, Yves Samson, Kereon AG
- Cleanroom Energy Management – Addressing the importance and impact of Relative Humidity, Holger Lasch, Condair AG