In the rear-view mirror: that was Lounges 2024

'Lounges 2024' took place at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Center from 23.4. to 25.4.2024. The cleanroom technology event attracted more than 8,000 visitors, who took a look at the products and services offered by over 200 exhibitors.

Lounges is a small, fine exhibition covering all aspects of cleanroom technology. The exhibition was accompanied by a lecture program covering all areas of cleanroom technology, regardless of whether it is used in the chemical industry, the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry or in electronics production.

Interesting products for semiconductor and electronics production are presented here in loose order and without any claim to completeness.

AFC Air Filtration & Containment

The AFC CoMoDuC series is a real alternative when it comes to dust extraction for production machines in cleanrooms. With a volume flow of up to 450 m³/h, H13 storage filter with approx. 11 liter capacity in the first stage, H14 safety filter and bag-in / bag-out (safe-change), the series achieves OEB4, which can be optionally extended to OEB5. The installed Siemens control system allows signal exchange with the production machines and PLT.

General construction chemistry

The company describes itself as an "innovation leader for the refurbishment of cleanroom floors" and is active in many areas of application. The more than 40-strong company from Salzburg covers the entire D-A-CH region. AFC not only makes dense and robust floors, but also beautiful and durable ones.

Alsco workwear service

In addition to customer-specific leasing, purchasing or washing services, Alsco provides a comprehensive service for the design and implementation of individual cleanroom garment projects in the electronics, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, food and biotechnology industries. The company has over 40 years of global experience in cleanrooms and 130 years in textile services.

Bauplanwerk

Bauplanwerk is a company of architects and engineers with around 25 years of experience in the design, planning and construction of buildings for the pharmaceutical, healthcare, semiconductor and food industries.

The company offers targeted support and sophisticated concepts for production facilities in functional combination with the surrounding buildings and technical facilities. Whether production expansion, modernization or optimization - analyses, concepts, planning and consulting from Bauplan help.

Becker cleanroom technology

Becker Reinraumtechnik offers turnkey cleanrooms and cleanrooms from a single source: consulting, planning, construction, qualification, 24-hour full service. The industry focus is on medical technology, microelectronics and automotive, among others.

In addition to turnkey cleanrooms, the company also supplies components such as fan-filter units, laminar flow workbenches, cleanroom cabins, mini-environments and stainless steel products. New are the so-called quick-out airlocks for fast and safe ejection across several GMP classes.

Beratherm

Beratherm offers a wide range of services in the field of chemical-technical cleaning of systems and system components, including materials technology. The range of services extends from consulting and assessing the condition of a system and cleaning and passivation to high-tech derouging on a neutral basis. Beratherm operates its own R&D department, which leads to the continuous improvement and modernization of treatment solutions and methods. Thanks to many years of in-depth knowledge of material properties and the behavior of different material surfaces, Beratherm offers a complete GMP-compliant service.

Degreasing, sterilization, passivation, pickling, derouging of components in clean rooms

CAD Computer

CAD Computer has been a company in the metrology sector for over 30 years and has been dedicated to measurement data acquisition since its foundation. The company specializes in the supply of turnkey data acquisition systems as stand-alone solutions or in network environments. To realize this, the company works together with well-known hardware manufacturers and suppliers.

Clean Room Design

The Croatian company designs and produces clean room components according to customer requirements for microelectronics. Among other things: Wall panels, ceiling panels, doors, windows, glass walls, interlock, pass box, Inox furniture and more.

Deha Haan & Wittmer

The product range includes a variety of high-quality measuring devices for qualifying and monitoring cleanrooms, assessing hazards in the workplace and evaluating the climate and air situation in rooms. These include particle counters, complete solutions in the field of cleanroom monitoring systems, volumetric flow measuring hoods, temperature/humidity measuring devices, air velocity measuring devices, differential pressure measuring devices, sampling pumps, dust measuring devices and accessories. The service, as well as the necessary calibration of the devices, are also part of the offer, as well as the instruction in the function of the measuring devices.

DuPont de Nemours

The Luxembourg-based company has introduced a new range of protective clothing and accessories with CE certification to meet the requirements in cleanrooms. The materials with the product names Tyvek and IsoClean have the lowest particle emissions and are offered in pre-washed and sterile and non-sterile versions as well as with different packaging options. They are suitable for GMP A and B class cleanrooms (ISO 4/5, Class 10/100).

Protective clothing from DuPont with the lowest particle emission

E + E Electronics Germany

E+EElektronik develops and produces sensor elements, modules and sensors for humidity, dew point, moisture in oil,_CO2, air velocity, flow, temperature and pressure. Hand-held measuring devices, humidity calibration systems and calibration services complete the sensor specialist's product portfolio.

The sensor technology is used in a wide variety of areas. The main areas of application are in cleanrooms in industrial measurement technology and the automotive industry.

Elis Cleanroom

... guarantees a professional full supply of cleanroom textiles of all kinds and develops individual cleanroom garment concepts together with the customer. These include cleanroom garments and full protective goggles in a rental system, individual cleanroom cleaning systems, dirt-trapping mats and reusable sterilization bags.

Elis manufactures cleanroom textiles for a wide range of applications

Fischer measurement and control technology

Fischer measuring devices for cleanroom, GMP and safety laboratory applications have been used successfully for many years in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries, among others. There they ensure optimum environmental conditions and high safety standards. Mounted in flush-mounted panels or in gas-tight housings and supplemented with alarm and control elements, they can be used to effectively design customized solutions. The devices are tailored to the respective application for precise control and monitoring of the required room air conditions. Precise and long-term stable sensors are used in the measuring devices for room pressure, humidity and temperature. The measured values are shown either on LC displays or resistive touch displays. The measured value displays use colour changes to illustrate the room status and offer extensive parameterization options. Matching accessories complement the measuring devices.

Gerflor Mipolam

The Troisdorf-based company specializes in floor and wall protection systems for industrial areas, all types of industrial floors, especially in cleanrooms and the renovation of cleanroom floors and walls.

This was presented in a trade fair presentation: Solutions for the refurbishment of floors in cleanrooms. A distinction is made between classic and modular flooring systems, which are customized to help reduce downtime and contamination in a cleanroom. Today's solutions offer the advantage that immediate installation is possible even on problematic and uneven old substrates - without the need for substrate preparation.

Icotek

In addition to separable cable glands and cable entry frames, the company's diverse product range also includes feed-through plates and products for EMC shielding.

In addition, the company develops products for all aspects of the enclosure, such as strain relief and cable routing systems, as well as tools such as profile rail cutters and perforators.

The areas of application are wherever electrical cables, corrugated hoses, pneumatic or hydraulic hoses or fiber optic cables have to be fed into a machine, system, control cabinet or clean room, sealed or relieved of strain.

Cable glands in cleanrooms must be tight and often also withstand high tensile forces

Jumo

The Jumo Group, headquartered in Fulda, employs over 2,500 people worldwide and is a system and solution provider for industrial sensor and automation technology. The extensive product range includes components and systems for measuring, controlling, recording, analyzing and monitoring physical and chemical variables. The portfolio ranges from sensors for temperature, pressure and analytical measurement technology to complete automation and cloud solutions. The company's presentation report will be published in PLUS 07/2024.

Kretz + Wahl building technology

A full-service system provider for turnkey cleanroom technology. The target group is the high-tech industry and life science technologies. It offers flexibly expandable cleanrooms and air conditioning systems for specific requirements.

The services include planning, construction and commissioning and, of course, maintenance and qualification services for your cleanroom.

Turnkey cleanroom technology for the high-tech industry

Mikroclean

Mikroclean's services include initial cleaning of new or converted cleanrooms (dust and particles), interval cleaning of cleanrooms (once, four or twelve times a year or daily, depending on the cleanroom classification), as well as maintenance cleaning (during ongoing operation) or basic cleaning after years of operation.

All these services are based on the standards and guidelines of DIN ISO, VDI and EU-GMP.

Novasina

Novasina describes its strengths as "sensor expertise and know-how in the development and manufacture of measuring instruments". The result improves the quality assurance of products and enables the control of relative humidity, temperature and differential pressure in a regulated climate.

It cites the nSens-HT-EIH sensor as a product example. This is a heated sensor in application environments with high humidity of 75 to 100 %. Other features: Fastest response in the measuring range 0 - 100 % RH, drift-free measurement, insensitive to volatile components (NH3, H2O2 etc.), calibration data and serial number stored directly on the nSens, quick and easy replacement, compatible with all nLink transmitters and nSens cables, including factory calibration certificate.

Heated sensor from Novasina

Ortner cleanroom technology

Cleanroom airlock from OrtnerThesolutions from Ortner promise fast and reliable cleanroom processes to protect people, animals, products, research work and the environment from sources of contamination. The company's portfolio is extensive and ranges from personal, material and room decontamination to a wide variety of individual decontamination processes. These include hydrogen peroxide, formaldehyde, photodynamics, UV-C irradiation, chlorine dioxide, ethylene oxide, alcohols and many more. One of the company's main focuses is the semiconductor industry. As a system supplier for airlock and isolator systems, clean air systems and decontamination processes, Ortner integrates its systems and technologies into the production processes of its customers.

Ortner has also been conducting research into gaseous decontamination, personal safety and process validation for over 20 years. The company also has experience in _H2O2 decontamination. This involves disinfection using hydrogen peroxide in a vaporized state. This technology scores points in a comparison of methods due to two decisive criteria: Easier applicability for users and environmental friendliness.

Piepenbrock services

Piepenbrock has been impressing its customers with a wide range of services in the areas of facility management, building cleaning, maintenance and security since 1913. 26,600 employees work at around 800 locations and 70 branches throughout Germany.

With its specialist cleanroom department, Piepenbrock offers its clients extensive specialist knowledge and many years of experience in the cleaning of ISO and GMP cleanrooms. In addition to maintenance and special cleaning, the range of services also includes the airlock service as well as training and coaching.

All services are provided strictly in accordance with ISO 14644, VDI 2083 and GMP guidelines. A particular highlight is the company's own cleanroom training center, where cleanroom behavior, dressing techniques and much more can be trained under realistic conditions.

Process Sensing Technologies PST

The product range - especially known for temperature measurement and relative humidity monitoring - includes industrial probes, humidity sensors, measuring probes as well as data loggers, hand-held measuring devices, transmitters and OEM products.

The Rotronic monitoring system is extremely flexible. From small applications with one measuring point to larger systems with several thousand measuring points, the RMS offers customized solutions. Existing hardware can be integrated into the Rotronic system and, conversely, Rotronic hardware can be integrated into existing software.

Schäfer setup systems

Schäfer Einrichtungssysteme offers individual equipment concepts for personnel airlocks and cleanrooms. The furnishing solutions adapt to the operational processes and combine aesthetic functionality with high hygiene standards.

Open removal cabinet with integrated discharge flaps from Schäfer Einrichtungssysteme

Sika Dr. Siebert & Kühn

Sika Dr. Siebert & Kühn, based in Kaufungen near Kassel, is a manufacturer of high-quality industrial measurement and calibration solutions. Founded in 1901, the family-owned company develops and produces a wide range of standardized and customized products in the fields of temperature, pressure and flow measurement in Germany. The product portfolio ranges from classic machine thermometers to turbine flow sensors and high-precision temperature calibrators.

Sika employs around 370 people worldwide and is active on six continents with eleven subsidiaries and 138 sales partners.

Termovent

Termovent's main products are ventilation units (HVAC equipment), cleanroom components and engineering services for the microelectronics industry, among others. A cleanroom is an environment with a controlled level of contamination, defined by the number of particles per cubic meter for the corresponding particle size. Termovent specializes in the production of modular panel systems that are used in the field of cleanroom technology. The entire system is aligned with GMP and FDA guidelines as well as the ISO 14644 standard. Compliance with applicable regulations in the field of cleanroom technology enables use in rooms of class ISO 9 to ISO 1 (GMP classes A, B, C and D). Modular component systems can be easily integrated into all other systems. The company is based in Belgrade, Serbia.

Trox

Trox is active in the development, manufacture and sale of components, devices and systems for the ventilation and air conditioning of rooms. People are the benchmark and their well-being is the goal. In technical building equipment, the interaction of system components is the be-all and end-all. Trox offers everything from a single source. By coordinating air handling units, air conditioning and ventilation components and systems, energy efficiency is maximized while the need for coordination in the design and construction of a system is minimized.

In close cooperation with the customer, Trox develops needs-based solutions tailored to the requirements of the buildings and their users.

Weiss air conditioning technology

The requirements for process conditions in electronics production are constantly increasingThedemand for more and more, more compact and more powerful microchips is constantly growing. This means that the requirements for process conditions and air purity are also constantly increasing. Weiss Klimatechnik has been working with manufacturers of process systems in the semiconductor industry for many years. The systems help to ensure the required air purity at all times and to precisely regulate temperature and humidity. Reliably reproducible process conditions help to ensure quality and permanently reduce unit costs.

Turnkey solutions are offered from a single source up to cleanroom class ISO 1 and higher. The solutions are suitable for new construction, conversion, modernization and expansion of production facilities. The range includes turnkey cleanrooms and measuring rooms, as well as the supply of individual components - from filter fan units to mini-environments for individual production steps. The company supports its customers from the initial planning stage through implementation and commissioning to 24/7/365 after-sales service.

WZG

WZG is a full-service supplier that manufactures, decontaminates and sterilizes cleanroom garments for the semiconductor industry. Employees play an important role in these highly specialized areas, each working on a sub-process. Two independently operated ISO 5 class cleanrooms guarantee customers the necessary safety when processing their garments. Sterilization with autoclaves takes place under room class ISO 7. Three cleanrooms with different cleanroom classes and professional machine equipment provide customers with maximum process reliability.

Conclusion

The Lounges is a small, fine exhibition covering all aspects of cleanroom technology. This year, most of the exhibitors came from the pharmaceutical and life science sectors, but many companies from the semiconductor industry also took part. In any case, there is a great deal of overlap between the individual sectors in terms of the basic requirements for cleanrooms. The accompanying presentations on individual topics were also very positive. The next 'Lounges' will take place in Karlsruhe again next year in 2025. The exact date had not yet been set at the time of going to press.