Clean room applications impose particularly high requirements to the design of the chosen furnace. If the complete furnace is operated in a clean room an essential contamination of the clean room atmosphere must be avoided. Especially, the particle contamination must be reduced to a minimum.
The specific application determines the choice of the required furnace technology. In many cases forced convection furnaces are required to achieve the necessary temperature uniformity at lower temperatures. For higher temperatures, Nabertherm has also delivered many furnaces with radiant heating.
Furnace Installation in the Clean Room
If the complete furnace is supposed to be positioned in the clean room, then it is important that both the furnace chamber and the furnace housing as well as the controls provide for good protection against contamination. Surfaces must be easy to clean. The furnace chamber is tightly sealed to the insulation behind it. If necessary, additional equipment such as filters for the fresh air supply or the air circulation in the furnace can be used to improve the cleanliness class. It is recommended to install the switchgear and the furnace controls outside the clean room.
Furnace Installation in the Grey Room, Furnace Charging from the Clean Room
Optimal results with respect to cleanness will be achieved by placing the furnace in the grey room with charging from the clean room. This significantly reduces the amount of costly space needed in the clean room to a minimum. The front and the furnace interior in the clean room are designed for easy cleaning. With this configuration even the highest clean room classes can be achieved.
Sluice Furnace between Grey Room and Clean Room
Logistics between clean room and grey room can often be easily sorted out. Lock furnaces with one door in the grey room and the other door in the clean room are the perfect choice for these applications. The inner chamber as well as the furnace front in the clean room will be especially designed for lowest particle contamination.
