Cleanrooms vs. Controlled Environments

Cleanrooms vs. Controlled Environments

A controlled environment is a workspace for highly regulated industries that are designed to meet environmental standards for temperature, humidity, and other factors. On the other hand, a cleanroom is a type of controlled environment that minimizes explicitly airborne contaminants and particles. While all cleanrooms are controlled environments, not all controlled environments are cleanrooms, as cleanrooms have additional requirements and costs for a high level of cleanliness, advanced infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and contamination control.

What is a Controlled Environment?

Controlled environments are enclosed spaces that manage environmental conditions such as air temperature, humidity, particle levels, light, and more. These enclosures require validation of environmental parameters through processes, including humidity and temperature logging, which use continuous monitoring devices to record and track the conditions over time. Once the controlled environment has been certified for compliance, they can be used in a range of applications, such as the following:

• Life science and engineering labs
• Hospitals and pharmacies
• Food processing and cannabis grow rooms
• High-energy physics and laser labs
• Quality control labs

What is a Cleanroom?

Cleanrooms are controlled environments that minimize the presence of airborne particles, contaminants, and pollutants. Depending on the cleanrooms’ class requirements, the enclosure will need to meet a certain particle count level per meter squared in order to comply with ISO 14644-1 and FED Std 209E. The standards of the cleanroom have to meet certain criteria, like air changes per minute or hour, filter coverage percentage, CFM per square foot, filter efficiency, and more, to be classified under Class 100, Class 1,000, Class 10,000, or Class 100,000. Cleanrooms are used in various industries for applications that include:

• Semiconductor and pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Aerospace and electronics production
• Medical devices and research labs
• 3D printing and nutraceutical processing

Is a Cleanroom or Controlled Environment More Suitable for Your Application?

Several factors should be evaluated to determine if a cleanroom or controlled environment is the right solution for your application. The assessment of your requirements and the capabilities of your solution should cover the following:

• Industry Regulations: Set the standards for cleanliness, safety, and quality of the environment required.
• Specific Application: Must match requirements to provide the highest quality product solutions.
• Budget: Cleanrooms are a significant investment for design, equipment, and maintenance.
• Operational Requirements: Understand the needs for design and processing capabilities that must be accommodated in the available space, workflow efficiency, and production volume for optimal performance.

Designing and Building the Right Solution for Your Needs

For controlled environmental conditions that match your application, it’s important to consider design requirements that will deliver the necessary purity levels. By partnering with an experienced manufacturer, you will receive expert guidance to meet your cleanroom requirements with customized solutions that are compliant with industry standards for optimal performance. Key design considerations of your cleanroom or controlled environment include:

• HVAC and filtration needs
• Material selection and spatial layout
• Compliance and certification

Discover Customizable, High-Purity Solutions from Cleanrooms by United

Cleanrooms by United offers 40 years of cleanroom design experience to provide a range of customizable designs for your facility. With cleanroom solutions for any industry or project, we handle direct sales, engineering, manufacturing, and installations for your cleanroom project throughout the United States and Mexico that are made in compliance with ISO 14644-1 and UL-certified. Visit the cleanroom classification page for more information.

Ready to get started with your project? Contact Cleanrooms by United or request a quote to begin.