Space development in the 1960s led to miniaturisation of electronic components. This miniaturisation resulted in invisible dust particles suddenly adversely affecting the operation and durability of these components.
Development and production of aerospace components therefore had to be developed and produced in low-dust areas. This marked the birth of a Cleanroom, about 50 years ago.
The starting point of a cleanroom is the construction of a ‘box-in-box’ area to prevent air leakage, among other things. The air is also purified of dust particles up to a certain level using filter technology. A cleanroom usually has a controlled temperature and R.H. Good cleanability of all components in a cleanroom is essential.
In recent decades, it has been realised that dust particles could not only carry moisture with them, with all its adverse effects in the microelectronic market, but were also the carrier and transporter of microorganisms. These micro-organisms cause post-operative wound infections (POWI), vaccine contamination, among others, but can also contaminate foodstuffs.
New market segments quickly emerged shortly after the first microelectronics cleanrooms. Health care was an important part of this, especially for the benefit of operating theatres, sterilisation and intensive care units. The pharmaceutical industry quickly followed suit in producing and packaging their products in cleanrooms.
Restriction in the use of preservatives and the increase in the use of hygiene-sensitive products are also causing the food industry to take an increasing interest in the application of cleanroom technology.
Today, cleanroom technology is used in many areas, including:
- Biotechnology
- Food industry
- Medical sector
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Semiconductor industry
- Fine mechanical industry
- Cosmetics industry
- Nano industry
Ever-growing need for smaller (electronic) components in industry in general, extreme growth in data traffic with ever-smaller devices, further reduction of preservatives in the food industry, reduction of infection risk in the medical sector, growth of data centres... These are just some of the arguments to believe that the Cleanroom market will continue to grow in interest.