Overcoming the pandemic with innovation and know-how

Roboter revolutionieren die Produktion im Reinraum (Quelle: Messe Frankfurt/Sandra Gätke) / Robots are revolutionising production in cleanrooms (Source: Messe Frankfurt/Sandra Gätke)

When they met in early February 2021, the experts on the Cleanzone strategy commission looked ahead to a promising future – order books are particularly full in life sciences industries on account of the coronavirus pandemic. For the upcoming Cleanzone on 24 and 25 November 2021 in Frankfurt am Main, the commission is focusing on robotics, energy efficiency and solutions for the fight against viruses and micro-organisms that can be used in everyday life.

Following the success of Cleanzone Digital Edition 2020, the prospects are good for personal encounters in autumn 2021. Kerstin Horaczek, Group Show Director for Technology at Messe Frankfurt: “Optimism in the field, which is driven by investment in high-tech industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, battery and semiconductor manufacturing, shows us how necessary cleanroom technology is – and highlights the importance of a trade fair that serves as a catalyst for business and knowledge transfer. Ten years after its establishment, Cleanzone remains the international and interdisciplinary meeting place for contamination control and cleanroom technology.”

Robotics: achieving a clean future quickly and safely

The experts on the strategy commission are in agreement: the robotics and artificial intelligence megatrends are having a major impact in the life sciences industries in particular. The examples are numerous: Bayer, for instance, is building a robot-controlled packaging plant in Berlin. Automated PCR tests deliver faster results – a major step towards combating the coronavirus pandemic. And the future of medicine lies in personal therapies for patients: automation is the only way to manage the wealth of data being collected in the lab. Thorsten Schmitt, Vertical Account Manager Life Science & Critical Environment Technology Smart Infrastructure at Siemens: “Be it digital twins or Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital experience and simulation are without a doubt amongst the most important trends in the industry for increasing quality and safety while reducing the time to market.”

Living in the pandemic: everyday solutions offered by cleanroom technology

One of the things the coronavirus pandemic has done is show us the importance of controlling contamination – not only in industry, but also in everyday life. The practical solutions that cleanroom technology offers for doctors’ surgeries, supermarkets and public buildings, for example, were already the major theme of Cleanzone Digital Edition. Now manufacturers will be using Cleanzone 2021 to showcase their latest products and innovations that can not only help to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but also help stop the spread of other pathogens and prevent new pandemics. Josef Ortner, Managing Director, Ortner Reinraumtechnik GmbH: “We want to more thoroughly network our interdisciplinary expertise in order to raise public awareness – so that we can serve as skilled professionals in the fight against the pandemic.”

Combating climate change: energy efficiency in cleanrooms

Operating clean production environments is extremely energy-intensive. A large proportion of this power consumption is accounted for by the ventilation and air-conditioning systems that are necessary to keep particle concentrations to a minimum. As a result, energy efficiency is important for costs, as well as for the environment. Karl Goll, Managing Director, ASYS Prozess- und Reinraumtechnik GmbH, demonstrates possible solutions while addressing another key theme of Cleanzone 2021: “That is why we observe a key maxim whenever we design a cleanroom: ‘As big as necessary – as small as possible’. In fact, it is frequently the case that enclosing a single machine is sufficient to create the mini-environment or sterile zone necessary.”

Cleanzone’s strategy commission advises Messe Frankfurt on general issues of strategy for the field of cleanrooms and helps determine of the areas of focus for the event. Members of the strategy commission:

- Dr. Jürgen Blattner, BSR Ingenieurbüro
- Dr. Roy Fox, Wiley-VCH
- Karl Goll, ASYS Prozess- und Reinraumtechnik
- Dr. Udo Gommel, Fraunhofer IPA
- Karoline Matzi, IAB Reinraumprodukte
- Andreas Maul, Viessmann Technologies
- Josef Ortner, Ortner Reinraumtechnik    
- Ulrich Rothgerber, Consultant Cleanzone
- Thorsten Schmitt, Siemens
- Markus Thamm, Cleanroom.de

Registration will be open to interested companies from the end of February 2021. The international trade fair for contamination control and cleanroom technology is taking place on 24 and 25 November 2021 in Hall 1.2 on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.