Given the critical nature of clean rooms, any contamination event in one of these industries can have severe consequences. It can lead to costly shutdowns, extensive cleaning and decontamination procedures, and delays in production or research timelines. Not only does this result in financial setbacks, but it can also damage the reputation of companies and institutions.

Therefore, meticulous attention is given to the design, construction, and maintenance of clean rooms. Door control technology plays a critical role in maintaining the cleanliness of clean rooms by effectively monitoring and controlling clean room entry and egress. These solutions work together with additional clean room technologies to minimize the introduction of contaminants into the controlled environment by ensuring proper airflow management and preventing unwanted substances from entering.

The following selection of door control solutions are uniquely designed to ensure that clean rooms stay clean under a variety of circumstances:

Door Interlock Controllers: Clean room doors and airlocks can be equipped with interlocking controls that prevent two or more doors from being open simultaneously. This ensures that there is no direct path for unfiltered air to flow back into the clean room. Built-in “pause” functions can be used to cause the system to lock all doors for a designated period of time after any door has been open, for the purpose of maintaining desired air conditions such as pressure equalization.

Air Purge Sequence: Some clean room doors are designed with specialized seals and gaskets to provide an airtight barrier when closed. These seals help prevent the migration of particles, contaminants, and microorganisms through gaps or openings around the door. In these cases, door interlock controllers should allow for an automatic air purge sequence. With this air purge sequence, the door gaskets will inflate automatically after closing to ensure that all doors are effectively sealed.

Touchless Door Control Solutions: Doors handles, bars, and knobs provide vulnerable surfaces for particle transmission. Touchless door control solutions, such as wave to exit and motion sensor door releases are ideal for cleanroom environments that necessitate hands-free unobstructed door release.

Waterproof Switches: A common protocol of the clean room decontamination cleaning process is to spray down the room with water or other disinfectant. In this case, durable, waterproof switches ensure continuous door entry and egress functions. Many waterproof push buttons are designed for this exact use case, rated to a sealing degree of IP65 and protected against water sprayed from a nozzle in any direction.

Audio/Visual Alarms: For any clean room to be effective, it’s imperative that some form of notification is issued in the event of a breach or loss of required operational parameters. Door Annunciators, LED indicators, and door prop alarms form a comprehensive system that will alert when doors are left open for a pre-determined time period, or if there is a sudden change in air pressure differentials. These alarms help to swiftly identify and rectify any deviations from the desired clean room conditions.

Access Control: Last, but certainly not least, managing access control for clean rooms is essential. Access control systems ensure that only authorized personnel can enter the clean room, reducing the risk of contamination by restricting access to authorized personnel who follow proper clean room protocols. Access control can also play a role in regulating the number of workers who enter and or exit the clean room at a given time, thus minimizing the disruption to the controlled environment.

By utilizing these solutions alone or in combination, clean rooms can maintain necessary air pressure differentials, control airflow, and mitigate the risks of contamination. At Dortronics, our team of door control specialists can help you select the door control solutions that best meet your clean room needs. As a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic locking solutions proudly made in the U.S.A., Dortronics’ experienced team is available to provide personal assistance – including the design and manufacture of a custom clean room door control solution.

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Door interlock solutions, also commonly referred to as mantraps or airlocks, resolve most if, not all of these concerns when implemented properly, making cleanroom management much more manageable. But there are many considerations to consider when looking to implement a new or existing cleanroom door interlock system.

Depending upon the specific designated processes taking place within the cleanroom, door interlock systems can include any of the following capabilities: air system control, traffic control, user feedback indication, touch-free access, emergency override operation, access control, and/or forced door & door prop alarms.

Some cleanrooms require pressurized air systems to maintain a sterile environment. This requires door interlocks to incorporate a timed delay before entry is granted into the cleanroom so that re-pressurization of the interlock can take place. This is often controlled by a simple timer or a monitored pressure switch. While the air is pressurized, traffic indicator lights are typically also employed to alert personnel when pressurization is complete for safe entry.

Some cleanroom locations may not allow any doors to be locked to permit free egress at any time. While this may provide an added degree of safety for personnel working in cleanrooms, it opens up the possibility of unauthorized entry of personnel during critical processes. This is most easily addressed with the use of red/green traffic lights mounted on either side of the doors to indicate when access is allowed. Adding a built-in sounder which annunciates an improper opening can also help minimize such actions. Additionally, with functions like re-pressurization that may be taking place, traffic indicator lights can be used to provide user feedback.

While automatic door openers are frequently used to provide convenient touch-free access, special considerations are required if interlocking door controls are involved. Many door interlock systems with automatic door openers have “open”, “close” and “stop” push button controls for operators supervising personnel entry and egress. These doors typically employ electric locks and cannot be opened manually by personnel looking to gain entry or egress to a cleanroom. When an operator grants cleanroom access to an individual, the first door is unlocked, thus activating the automatic door opener, enabling touch free access. Once inside the interlock, access to the cleanroom area is then dependent on other factors such as repressurization, if required.

Providing a means to override a locked door is common in cleanrooms with a door interlock system in the event that an emergency arises. In such installations, consideration must be given as to how or when the system should be reset, and the doors relocked. Using a latching switch or emergency pull station in the secured room allows the user to unlock all doors or a particular door by activating the emergency button or pull station. The designated doors will remain unlocked until the switch is manually reset to normal. A programmed time delay may also be used to automatically relock the doors after a designated period of time.

Controlled access using card readers, biometrics or proximity devices is provided in secured cleanroom facilities. In addition to tightly controlling when and which individuals can gain access to a cleanroom, access control systems also can provide valuable forensic data on when and how long doors are opened and closed for both security and compliance reporting.

It’s also important to remember that cleanrooms often require cleaning, so all electrical devices need to be sealed and protected from frequent washdowns. Likewise, the locks, lighted devices, etc. must be sealed from moisture. Specially rated devices can be supplied that meet these criteria.

Dortronics Systems is a leading supplier of interlocking door systems. Feel free to contact our team of experts to help guide you through the cleanroom door interlock design process. You can also download our free whitepaper, Best Practices for Selecting and Installing Door Interlock Technology.

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