Every cleanroom ISO Class 7 or cleaner should have an anteroom for gowning, set off from the larger cleanroom with softwall curtains at least. This keeps street dirt from getting into the clean area. Interior isolation is also important in food processing and pharmaceuticals to prevent cross-contamination. A recent Simplex project called for dividers for a vitamin processing operation. If vitamin B12 meanders into the Vitamin C work area, that’s cross-contamination—a huge problem. Cross contamination can mean manufacturing shutdowns and product recalls and lost profits.

This cleanroom tip was taken from “What to Know When Considering a Cleanroom,” which appeared in the February 2012 issue of Controlled Environments.