Why Microclimates are the answer to guarantee industrial product quality
High-end optical and medical products in Plastics, Chemical and Pharmaceutical production require adequate protection against condensing and solidifying Vapors and ultra-fine dust contamination. To guarantee controlled product quality and reduced product reject rates, Micro Climates are an economic solution.
An Industrial Microclimate combines direct fume/ dust collection (source elimination) and secondary fume/dust displacement, replacing the extracted air with absolute filtered and conditioned air, providing local air balance. Furthermore, the microclimate consists of internal lighting and roller curtains, to isolate the microclimate from the production area, and providing optimal access and ergonomics.
Rather than building the full production line in an expensive clean room, Micro Climates are a local solution to deliver clean room air quality on the required locations. The location choice can protect the products produced, the production equipment and the worker. This is especially relevant, when the product is unprotected or in a vulnerable production stage. Finally, the Micro Climate contributes to stable conditions, by local balancing of the air at key production areas.
How to design an optimized Industrial Microclimate
A Micro Climate design starts with clear definition of the application, process demand and product requirements. This requires:
- Clear understanding of the process and data collection. This includes: The presence of temperature gradients (e.g. extruder), identification of pollutant sources and definition of the product demands in respect to air quality and relative humidity combined with the required ISO class.
- Main pollutants can be both Fumes and UFP’s (Ultra Fine Particulates). This needs to be identified by an onsite measurement program.
- Local air balancing in the different ‘stages’ and functions of the production line is done by Air Technical Modeling. This provides a pre-installation, modeling based performance guarantee at minimized air replacement (ventilation) rates.
Technical benefits of Microclimates compared to Clean Rooms
Besides the lower required capital expenses compared to classical clean rooms, have 2 additional differentiating process values:
1. In combination with necessary fume and dust collection (source elimination), the Microclimate, reduces the concentration of fumes ‘on the spot’, prior to forming Ultra Fine Dust and condensing Aerosols. After validating Microclimate’s built, a direct correlation between the ISO class (air quality) of the microclimate and the number of surface defects of the product are confirmed.
2. Proactive modeling determines the required Microclimate ventilation-rate in combination with the optimal operating temperature (equally distributed). This results in a locally balanced air distribution with a significant lower air consumption then normal clean rooms. A lower air consumption leads to less energy consumption and therefore improved economics of your manufacturing processes.
Benefits of JOA Industrial Microclimate Technology
- Increased operator health and work satisfaction
- Sufficient cooling capacity: DT of 5 to 10 ºC (WBGT)
- Create local optimized conditions around heat sources
- Integrated within the existing HVAC installation
- Improve line stability (feeding / vacuum)
- Reduced damage to process equipment (rolls)
- Minimized Surface defects
- Increase in product quality
- Realize material upgrade
- Reduce operational cost
- Reduce number of line stops due to maintenance
