| Most of us have heard of the concept of the | | | | is essential for the close tolerance |
| clean room. We know it's supposed to be a | | | | mechanisms that are found inside storage |
| sterile environment where nothing gets in. We | | | | media. |
| assume its so that covert top secret stuff | | | | |
| like inventing super killer diseases for | | | | These filtration systems and air management |
| World War 3 can take place. We probably | | | | equipment as well as all the other gadgets |
| associate clean rooms with government bunkers | | | | and machines that keep a clean room clean and |
| and secret agent safe houses that have | | | | running smoothly must be constantly monitored |
| something of everything in them, including an | | | | and maintained in order to meet the standard |
| arms cache big enough to take down a small | | | | requirements. There are various classes of |
| European country and with enough money to | | | | requirements and for a class 100 |
| build it back up again. Then again perhaps I | | | | certification there must be 750 particles per |
| watch too many action movies. | | | | cube foot that measure 0.2mm. Again I do not |
| | | | know what that means. I just hope that it |
| Clean rooms are in fact quite innocuous. They | | | | means something to the people who are |
| are not the scene of high action, high | | | | supposed to know. |
| adrenaline, world saving, red or blue wire | | | | |
| cutting, torn vest hero wearing places that | | | | A clean room is therefore more complicated |
| we think they are (by which time they have | | | | than vacuum cleaning and dusting once a week. |
| ceased to be clean at all). They do play a | | | | That might suffice for your room, or you |
| very important life saving role, however, | | | | could just have curled your toes and gone, |
| when it comes to data recovery after you have | | | | eeuw, once a week, what kind of slum do you |
| accidentally formatted your hard drive and | | | | live in? But a clean room needs something a |
| wiped out all your bosses holiday photos. | | | | little bit more, shall we say, zealous or |
| Then the old adrenaline is definitely pumping | | | | particular. It actually does need floors that |
| as you anxiously await some good news. | | | | are clean enough to eat off of, although |
| | | | goodness knows how many microbes are on the |
| Clean rooms are all about controlling the | | | | food that you eat and are therefore barred |
| surrounding environment and its variables. | | | | from the clean room's sterile environment. |
| They control elements such as temperature, | | | | Its surfaces need to be cleaner than merely |
| humidity, airborne contaminates and light, | | | | clean enough to pass the finger test. And |
| all of which are harmful during the | | | | it's not good enough to only rinse the |
| manufacturing and repairing of sensitive | | | | cutlery because it's just you and you only |
| electronic components. The clean room must be | | | | stirred a cup of tea with it anyway. |
| perfectly sealed, absolutely nothing must be | | | | |
| able to get in, an example from one website | | | | If you use the finger test, if you reuse |
| includes "volatiles from adhesives". If you | | | | teaspoons after a quick rinse and if you |
| know what volatiles from adhesives are, then | | | | vacuum and dust sporadically then perhaps |
| you are smarter than I am. I would guess ... | | | | working in a clean room is not for you. |
| you know what, I'm not even going to hazard a | | | | Sterile environments and you are probably not |
| guess. The same site also warns against | | | | the best work mates. This is not a judgement. |
| "particulate matter". What on this blessed | | | | I do all of the above. I could never work in |
| earth is particulate matter? Whatever it is, | | | | a clean room. I would drop an instrument on |
| you don't want it in a clean room, so it goes | | | | the floor, pick it up, wipe it on my sterile |
| under the label "bad". But, if by some | | | | pants and carry on. I might even blow on it |
| accident (heaven forbid) some particulate | | | | before I wipe it. That's probably not |
| matter or even worse, some volatiles from | | | | standard operating procedure. You need to |
| adhesives manage to get into the clean room, | | | | have a special respect for clean to work in a |
| heavy duty air management equipment and | | | | clean room, or special respect for machines. |
| filtration systems should be able to sort the | | | | Maybe one breeds the other. All I know is my |
| situation out in no time. These machines help | | | | clean room would fall way below par. |
| to maintain the positive air pressure, which | | | | |