Cleanroom is the core production space for pharmaceutical, semiconductor, biomedical and other industries, and the frame material directly determines the cleanliness level, service life and operation and maintenance cost. Compared with steel, stainless steel and other traditional building materials, modular aluminum frame to meet the mainstream ISO clean standards, taking into account the cleanliness, cost-effective and plasticity, is the current cleanroom expansion of the preferred structural materials, this paper analyzes the value of its application and selection of key points.

What Is Aluminum Framing in Cleanrooms

Definition

Cleanroom aluminum profile frame, also called industrial extruded aluminum profile and modular aluminum load-bearing system, is the core load-bearing support body for the integrated construction of cleanroom partition wall, ceiling, doors and windows, and is suitable for the construction of full-size clean space.
The whole set of profile system can integrate HVAC exhaust, explosion-proof purification lighting, multi-stage filtration supporting equipment, and coordinate the arrangement of pipeline structure, to support the modern standardized cleanroom integrated construction.
The material can integrate HVAC exhaust, explosion-proof lighting, and high-efficiency filtration supporting systems, and comprehensively support the construction of modern standardized cleanrooms.

Comparison Of Aluminum Profiles With Traditional Building Materials

Physical Properties

Under the same load-bearing cross-section specifications, the weight of aluminum profile is only one-third of that of carbon steel, and ordinary workers can carry and assemble it with their bare hands without the aid of heavy-duty machines, and the structural load-bearing capacity is fully compliant with the load design standards of various types of cleanrooms.
The integrated metallurgy combined with anodic oxidation protection surface layer is resistant to two-way corrosion by elimination chemicals and indoor high humidity air in all-weather, and it is not easy to rust and mildew and weathering of the surface layer, so it is suitable for the uninterrupted high-frequency elimination of the plant throughout the year under normal operation conditions.

Operation And Maintenance Transformation And Comprehensive Value

The profile comes standard with standardized T-slot bite connection structure, which eliminates the need for on-site welding and punching to damage the substrate body, and eliminates the need to dismantle the original wall frame components in a large area for the later workshop process iteration and layout modification.
Industrial high-purity aluminum profiles can be 100% lossless recycling secondary smelting reuse, the appearance of the workshop assembly is neat and tidy, and at the same time, it is suitable for the green environmental assessment of the factory, low carbon and energy saving, and green plant a number of official assessment requirements.

Superior Cleanliness and Contamination Control

Original Surface Dust & Bacteria Resistance

6063 high-purity primary clean aluminum profile plate surface native smooth and dense, microscopic cross-section without concave and convex embedded dust gaps, dust, microbial flora can not be embedded in the surface layer of the gap, it is difficult to long-term adhesion and accumulation, reproduction and breeding of harmful flora.
The supporting thickened hard anode process closes all the micropores of the aluminum surface layer in depth, greatly reduces the resistance of stain adhesion, reduces the difficulty of manual cleaning, and directly reduces the manpower workload by nearly half in the whole area of the factory for normalized cleaning.

Anodic Oxidation Process Strengthens Clean Protection

The 6-25 micron thickened artificial oxidized layer is fused with the aluminum substrate metallurgy, the adhesion is far superior to the sprayed coating, and under the long-term high-frequency friction and chemical elimination conditions, there will not be skinning and cracking, and the debris will not fall off and pollute the indoor environment.
The whole set of anodic electrochemical processing process is free of oily paint and chemical adhesive auxiliary materials, zero VOC harmful volatile substances precipitation, all-weather and long-term guarding of clean indoor air quality, and stable compliance with the standard limit values.

Aluminum Profiles Against Other Building Materials

Comparison of Sprayed Steel

Conventional electrostatically sprayed carbon steel frames are prone to shedding of the surface protective coating after bumping and dabbing, producing micron-sized fine particles on a continuous basis, subconsciously destroying the established indoor cleanliness level, and interfering with the stability of the production process.
Hard anodized aluminum profile surface integrated modification reinforcement, fearless of daily bumping and friction, machine cuts, the surface structure is stable and does not fall off, long years of use indoor clean parameters can be maintained in a constant state of compliance.

Comparison of Stainless Steel Profiles

Food and medical grade stainless steel profiles have large self-weight, high cost of raw materials, cumbersome and complex on-site assembly and transformation process, large workload of grooving and cutting, and poor adaptability to modularization and flexible transformation and upgrading in the later stages of the plant.
Under the construction premise of the same ISO cleanliness level, aluminum profile has lower comprehensive cost, convenient and efficient disassembly and assembly, and is suitable for all kinds of factory construction and transformation projects from small experimental clean rooms to large-scale mass production clean rooms.

Lightweight Yet Structurally Strong

Cleanroom Lightweight Load Bearing Construction Just Needed

Cleanroom Frame Load

The cleanroom ceiling system needs to focus on the load-bearing hanging multi-stage filtration units, purification lamps and lanterns, ventilation and static pressure box, the equipment superimposed self-weight is large, and the load-bearing capacity of the top frame has strict quantitative requirements for use.
The second floor of the old factory building and high-rise floor transformation clean room, the original floor load-bearing limit is low, heavy steel frame will greatly superimpose the floor load, long-term use of the floor deformation, cracking security risks.

Traditional Heavy-duty Frame

The traditional carbon steel heavy-duty frame has a high self-weight, high transportation cost, and the construction must deploy cranes and welding machines, with a large scope of construction disturbances, and the dust and debris pollute the surrounding clean production area.
The old plant retrofitting reinforced steel load-bearing frame, must break the ground to strengthen the foundation floor structure, civil construction period is long, high cost, additional superimposed on the large amount of invisible civil transformation costs, pulling up the overall construction costs.

Mechanical Parameters Of Clean Special Aluminum Profile Material

Physical Data of Foundation Density and Strength

Clean special 6063 series aluminum standard density of 2.70g/cm³, material lightweight advantage is obvious, the overall weight is only one-third of the same specification of ordinary carbon steel, transportation and handling energy consumption is greatly reduced.
National standard 6063-T6 tempered profile tensile strength of 241MPa, yield strength to match the industrial load-bearing standards, vertical strength to match the clean construction work.

Vertical Strength is Suitable for Clean Construction Conditions.

Under the same vertical load-bearing cross-section specifications, the cavity structure of the aluminum profile is thinner and more reasonable, the force transfer of the profile is uniform and balanced, and it is not easy to deform and bend, shift and misalign under long-term pressure, so the structural stability is better than that of ordinary carbon steel profiles.
The mechanical structure of the cavity of the profile has been measured by professional industrial simulation, which can resist the impact of positive and negative indoor wind pressure alternately, and under the condition of constant temperature pressure difference, the whole partition ceiling wall will not be shifted and deformed, and wind leakage and dust seepage.

Corrosion Resistance for Long-Term Performance

Corrosion Resistance Principle

Self-healing Protective Oxide Layer

After contacting the air, high-purity industrial aluminum will independently generate a layer of dense aluminum oxide self-healing film, which can be repaired by air regeneration after the film is broken, and naturally resist corrosion of the substrate by humid air and mild chemical erosion.
The industry's preferred 6063-T5/T6 special alloy aluminum, the deployment of the exclusive metal ratio, chemical corrosion resistance, resistance to water vapor and mildew performance is better than ordinary miscellaneous aluminum, suitable for clean room all-weather confined high humidity operating environment.

Anodizing Process Upgrades Anti-corrosion Level

Electrochemical thickening anode process can thicken the primary oxide layer to 6-25μm, and the aluminum substrate metallurgy into one, compared with the bare aluminum corrosion resistance directly doubled or more, suitable for strong disinfection conditions.
The modified oxide layer has no adhesive interlayer, will not be delaminated and peeled off, does not fear chlorine disinfectant, hydrogen peroxide repeated spray erosion, will not precipitate impurities, will not be pitted surface mold, and long-lasting to maintain the integrity of the profile.

High Anti-corrosion Aluminum Long-lasting Use Value

Extend the Overall Service Life of the Frame

Anode-modified clean aluminum profile is fearless of daily elimination, high and low temperature alternating conditions, structural performance of twenty years of small attenuation, appearance, load-bearing, clean performance of long-term stability, without the need for batch replacement of frame components.
Compared with the steel frame renovation cycle of about 8 years, aluminum profiles significantly reduce the frequency of iterative replacement, reduce the demolition and renovation of construction dust, reduce the frequency of downtime of the clean construction of the plant, to ensure the stable operation of the production capacity.

Significantly Reduce the Cost of Normalized Maintenance

Carbon steel frames are maintained at least 1-2 times a year by removing rust and refinishing paint, which is costly in terms of consumables, labor, and downtime verification, and the maintenance work also generates dust pollution and disrupts the workshop's normalized production scheduling plan.
Anodized aluminum profile is free of sanding, refinishing and surface protection maintenance, and it can be wiped with water daily, so there is almost no maintenance cost for the whole year, and at the same time, it avoids the risk of clean pollution caused by maintenance.

Suitable for Green and Low-carbon Plant Operation and Maintenance

Anti-corrosion aluminum profiles can be 100% lossless recycling after scrapping, the physical and chemical properties of the metal will not decay, closed-loop recycling rate is very high, in line with the low-carbon environmental assessment of the factory, green plant construction assessment standards.
Long-lasting anticorrosion reduces the output of building materials waste, reduces the energy consumption of steel coating production, and reduces the carbon emission of the whole cycle of the clean room from the source of building materials, which is in line with the development trend of the industry's green factory construction.

Flexible and Modular Design

Modular Core Structure of Clean Aluminum Profiles

Standardized Card Slot Connection Structure Design

The whole series of clean aluminum profiles are preset with integrated T-type embedded slot, matching with hammer nut and invisible corner supporting firmware, which can be freely slid to fit any point for adding accessories and adjusting the stress point.
All the splicing fixtures are all invisible embedded installation, no exposed screws protruding from the outer wall, the overall wall surface is smooth and smooth, no hidden dirt gaps, taking into account the structural stability and the use of the whole area of dust-free cleaning standards.

Matching Modularized Accessory System

Matching standardized partition wall columns, ceiling keel, arc corner, airtight door and window profiles, uniform size interoperability and adaptability, factory prefabricated fittings, direct on-site assembly, no need for secondary on-site processing.
The profile comes with an integrated pipe pre-embedded groove, which can accommodate strong and weak power lines, water supply and drainage purification pipelines, and is neat and beautiful externally, avoiding the dust accumulation of exposed pipelines and simplifying the construction process of cleanroom pipeline regularization.

Modular Design Core Landing Advantage

Fast Disassembly and Reorganization

Skilled construction team can complete the disassembly and reorganization of many segments of partition walls in a single day, with zero material loss in disassembling and reassembling, 100% reuse and reorganization of old profiles, and rapid switching of aseptic warehousing, mass production workshop, and quality inspection zone functional partitions.
In the face of temporary epidemic prevention partition, new product isolation test area temporary construction needs, aluminum modular system can be quickly built on the ground, after completion of the rapid verification of standards, quickly put into special production use.

Expansion without Threshold

When the capacity of the factory rises and the qualification is upgraded and expanded, the original aluminum profile frame can be directly connected to expand the clean area, and the profile interfaces can be interoperated and adapted without overthrowing the original clean main structure for secondary construction.
Expansion construction without checking the foundation load-bearing, without redoing the wall protection, only add the profile plate can be completed, the expansion cost is lower, acceptance is faster, and quickly match the development rhythm of capacity upgrading.

Multi-functional Retrofitting Customization

The profile slot can be freely installed with equipment bracket, sensor monitoring module, dust-free shelves, access control accessories, no need to destroy the wall without drilling, flexible installation of intelligent clean supporting control equipment.
Negative pressure isolation, aseptic buffer, air shower connecting the exclusive frame structure can be customized according to the needs of pharmaceutical companies, chips, medical devices, different subsectors of the industry exclusive clean process use standards.

Faster Installation and Reduced Downtime

Traditional Clean Construction Downtime Cost Pain Points

Disadvantages of Cast-in-place Steel Structure Construction Cycle

Traditional cast-in-place steel structure cleanroom has complicated processes, including steel frame welding, wall plastering, spraying anticorrosion, sealing and verification, and the completion cycle of small and medium-sized workshops generally takes 2-3 months.
The whole process relies on licensed welders, plasterers and skilled craftsmen, manual scheduling is difficult, rain and snow, material shortages will delay the schedule, project delivery time can not be accurately controlled.

Long Downtime Brings Invisible Economic Loss

High-value-added pharmaceutical chip workshops can lose tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue in a single day of shutdown, and the whole area of shutdown construction will directly disrupt the order delivery plan, resulting in default and late delivery of additional costs.
Workshop-wide closed construction dust, the surrounding workstations must be synchronized with the shutdown protection, construction of a wide range of radiation, the overall shutdown area is greater than the actual construction area of the clean room, the loss of further expansion.

The Core Principle of Aluminum Profile Speeding up Construction

Factory Pore Fabrication and Delivery of all Components

Aluminum frames, airtight panels, doors and windows are all standardized prefabricated and processed in the factory, with grinding and chamfering and anodic anticorrosion treatment in advance, and only alignment splicing and sealing are done at the site, eliminating half of the processing procedures.
Pre-construction only need on-site mapping size, factory synchronized scheduling and processing, mapping, production, stocking synchronization, compression of the site invalid waiting period, significantly shorten the overall project landing cycle.

Lightweight and Simple Assembly Reduces the Construction Threshold.

The light weight of the profile does not require large lifting equipment, and ordinary assemblers can be assembled after simple training, without the need for licensed welding technicians, which results in lower labor costs and faster team formation.
Standardized construction process of slot alignment locking, no welding open flame operation, no need for fire prevention reporting and approval, convenient and compliant construction within the factory, and can be built in the nearby production corners of the construction zone.

Cost-Effectiveness Throughout the Lifecycle

Pre-project Cost Analysis

Comparison of Intuitive Procurement Cost of Profiles

The unit price of high-end anode clean aluminum profile per meter is slightly higher than that of ordinary sprayed carbon steel profile, the intuitive material procurement cost is not advantageous, and it is also the core point of most enterprises' initial selection concerns.
But carbon steel needs supporting anti-corrosion spraying, welding accessories, fire and rust accessories, superimposed on the cost of auxiliary materials, the two pre-bare material comprehensive procurement price difference is greatly reduced, the cost gap is not obvious.

Pre-construction Supporting Invisible Cost Savings

Aluminum lightweight qualities without reinforcing the floor foundation, load-bearing steel beams, eliminating civil reinforcement, structural reinforcement construction costs, high-rise renovation projects, civil construction savings are particularly considerable.
The shortened construction period and fewer laborers directly reduce the rental of machinery, on-site management fees, and miscellaneous fees for safety protection, and the comprehensive investment in the early stage of the project is lower than that of the steel structure clean construction program.

Medium and Long Term Operation and Maintenance Cost Saving Benefit

Dramatic Reduction of Normalized Maintenance Cost

Carbon steel frame annual rust removing and paint repairing, broken repairing maintenance cost stable expenditure, eliminate corrosion accelerated coating aging, maintenance frequency increases year by year, late maintenance cost continues to go up.
Anode aluminum profile is free of anticorrosion maintenance, free of paint repair, only daily water wiping cleaning can be, no special framework maintenance budget throughout the year, long-term operation and maintenance of capital expenditure is almost negligible.

Reduce the Economic Loss of Work Stoppage and Rectification

Carbon steel chips and corrosion are very likely to lead to unqualified clean sampling, triggering downtime to eliminate, renovation and rectification, qualification review process, a single rectification and downtime loss far exceeds the cost of the profile price difference.
Aluminum profiles long-lasting dust-free and stable to meet the standards, the annual review of the sampling inspection through a high rate, very few cases of compliance rectification and shutdown to avoid compliance penalties, production cuts and all kinds of invisible economic losses.

Adaptation of Energy Saving to Reduce Energy Consumption

Aluminum profile thermal conductivity structure is balanced, with thermal insulation purification plate can optimize the workshop constant temperature and wind pressure closed loop, reduce the 24-hour HVAC purification unit operating load, the average daily power consumption steadily reduced.
Year-round uninterrupted operation of the clean room, power saving and consumption reduction cumulative benefits can be considerable, further compression of plant water and electricity operation and maintenance expenses, thickening the workshop normalized production and operation profit space.

Closed-loop Income and Cost Reduction by Scrapping Residual Value

After the relocation of the enterprise factory and the transformation of the industry, the intact aluminum profiles can be disassembled and transferred for reuse as a whole, which can be directly adapted to the clean construction of the new factory, and save the large amount of material expenses for a new round of profile procurement.
Old profiles that cannot be reused can be recycled and smelted at a high price, and the residual value of recycling is much higher than that of scrap carbon steel, and the comprehensive cost of aluminum profiles is much lower than that of steel frames when the whole project cycle is discounted.

Sustainability and Environmental Benefits

Closed Loop Infinite Recycling

Industrial aluminum is an infinitely recyclable metal, repeated melting and forming will not attenuate the mechanical and clean performance, and the energy consumption of recycled aluminum production is only 5% of virgin aluminum, significantly reducing smelting carbon emissions.
The old clean aluminum profiles can be directly rebuilt after dismantling and reconstruction of brand new profiles, closed-loop production to reduce the mining of primary aluminum mining, protection of mineral resources, and practice the concept of plant circular economy plant.

Lightweight and Carbon Reduction Reduces Global Emissions

The weight of aluminum profiles is only one-third of that of steel, which makes the whole truck transportation capacity higher and reduces the fuel consumption of logistics round trips, and reduces the value of carbon emission from transportation of building materials.
There is no need to pour concrete for large areas of the foundation, which reduces the use of cement, cuts down on carbon emissions caused by concrete curing, and reduces the overall carbon footprint of the project from the source of construction.

Long-lasting Durability Reduces the Waste of Building Materials

Anodized aluminum profiles can be used stably for 20-30 years, and the long service life reduces the frequency of batch replacement of building materials, reduces the output of solid waste from waste frames, and reduces the pressure of harmless treatment of solid waste.
No need for frequent renovation and painting construction, reducing the use of anti-corrosion paint and diluted chemical auxiliary materials, reducing the output of chemical hazardous waste, and reducing the expenditure on environmental protection for compliant disposal of hazardous waste in the factory.

Low-volatile Materials Optimize Indoor Ecology

Anode modification process without paint colloid adhesion, zero VOC volatile harmful gas precipitation, will not pollute the indoor fresh air, to protect the occupational health and safety of workshop workers.
Adaptation of low odor, low precipitation dust-free factory building standards, help the plant quickly get the green building rating, empowering enterprises to bidding, industry qualification bidding plus points and empowerment.

How to Choose the Right Aluminum Framing System for Your Cleanroom

Verification of Site Load-bearing Parameters

Accurately account for ceiling filters, lighting, external equipment superimposed loads, high-level large-span ceiling, preferably thicker wall thickness 6063-T6 tempered high-strength load-bearing aluminum profiles.
Access to the manufacturer's official mechanical test report, deflection load data table, wind pressure, seismic plant to do mechanical calibration in advance, to avoid late ceiling deformation, wall offset hidden trouble.

Select the Surface Anti-corrosion Process According to the Need

For high-frequency chlorine-containing disinfection and high humidity aseptic workshop, hard thickened anode process is preferred, and salt spray test report is retrieved to verify the long-lasting performance of profile corrosion-resistant disinfection chemicals.
For common dry dust-free processing workshop, choose economical transparent anode to meet the standard, balance the anti-corrosion performance, purchase cost, and fit the actual use of the workshop sterilization working conditions.

Accounting for the Total Cost of Ownership of the Whole Cycle

Selection is not only comparing the procurement unit price of bare material, but also synchronously calculating the total cost of installation labor, annual maintenance, shutdown and rectification, and later dismantling and reuse, so as to study and judge the total cost of holding for 10-20 years.
Low-priced non-standard profiles to save money in the early stage, the late maintenance, downtime loss costs are extremely high, high-quality standard aluminum profiles full cycle of saving money, long-term production cost-effective advantage is more prominent.

Verification of Industry Compliance Qualification Documents

Require manufacturers to issue ISO14644 cleanliness testing, GMP fit, fire rating, material alloy original warranty, complete information to complete the workshop completion of the environmental assessment verification.
Refuse three non-standard refurbished aluminum, refurbished aluminum alloy composition does not meet the standards, easy to fall dust rust, can not pass the drug supervision, environmental protection, market supervision of multi-departmental joint annual audit check.

Selection of Supply Cooperation Manufacturers

Priority to deep plowing clean special aluminum manufacturers, preferably can provide BIM modeling, site mapping, program customization, door-to-door installation of one-stop service brand suppliers.
Verification of similar pharmaceutical companies in the same city, chip plant landing cases, verification of the length of after-sales warranty, parts replenishment time, to ensure that the later transformation of parts fast supply, operation and maintenance without worry.

Conclusion

From a comprehensive viewpoint, anodic modular aluminum profiles are suitable for all levels of clean rooms, with multiple advantages of dustlessness and pollution control, light weight and high strength, corrosion resistance and durability, flexible disassembly and installation, and low carbon and money saving, which are superior to traditional building materials such as steel and stainless steel. Suitable for pharmaceutical and semiconductor industry-wide production, renovation and expansion projects, according to the need to select standardized aluminum profiles, can maximize the reduction of clean room full cycle of production and operation and maintenance costs.