UK-based clean air solutions provider Monmouth Scientific has been hailed for supplying perfect aluminium modular cleanrooms for aiding satellite specialists, Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL). The assembly ensures the provision of safe ground for experimentation by the SSTL Engineering teams on complicated optical payloads.
Monmouth Scientific professionals defined the aluminium modular cleanroom as the most suitable solution meeting the requirements of the SSTL mechanical team, who would be responsible for developing tender technologies that can endure the aggressive atmospheric condition of space.
SSTL has been the flagbearer of space innovation for more than four decades, successfully rolling out bespoke mission solutions for science, communications, Earth observation and navigation. These specially crafted, fully-customised technological protocols allow an extensive view of the space that supports intra-galactic communications.
There are two specially constructed ISO-class aluminium modular cleanrooms situated at SSTL’s headquarters in Guildford. The rooms display a 6m x 5m satellite engineering area, with LED lighting panels encompassing the total sq footage of the enclosures. The entry and exit points are 4m wide, and they permit the safe transition of large operational equipment in and out of the production unit.
Andrew Norton, the Project lead, exclaimed: “These genuinely look like a quality lab, and by using them as manufacturing cells, we have been able to apply good practices from the manufacturing world.”
Norton added to his statement: “We’ve been able to impart flexibility and agility into the system that allows these manufacturing cells to be used across payloads that are highly bespoke and rarely the same.”
The aluminium modular cleanrooms also flaunt four CAMT2000 clean air modules in all, assuring positive pressure and an ISO 14664-1 clean environment. There is a mounted CAM unit that filters air entering the room through HEPA filters (99.997% efficient at 0.3 microns) prior to releasing a positive pressure in the room’s environment, supplying almost 1800m of HEPA-filtered air, a sum of 60 clean air cycles per hour. After going through an initial validation study and particle counts, the two cleanrooms have acquired an ISO Class 5 environment certification, counting less than 100 particles (0.5 microns or larger in diameter) per cubic foot of air.
“The team at Monmouth Scientific were engaging throughout the entire process and provided a cost-effective solution to our requirements,” concluded Norton.
The cleanroom construct comprises a smooth aluminium extrusion framework with aluminium composite panels and clear non-breakable polycarbonate adorning the window panes, giving a sheer view of the insides. The cleanroom can be totally reorganised, and it has earned the modular tag since the model can be extended to suffice the needs of a particular project.
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