In the demanding world of pharmaceutical manufacturing, a cleanroom is more than just four walls and a ceiling; it is the very foundation of product quality and patient safety. As a leading Chinese cleanroom manufacturer, Airkey recently showcased its global engineering prowess by successfully designing, building, and commissioning a massive 450 square metre modular cleanroom for a major capsule manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This project underscores our commitment to providing flexible, high-quality, and validated turnkey solutions for the international pharmaceutical industry.
Project overview: Precision for capsule production
The cleanroom was designed around the specific workflow of pharmaceutical capsule manufacturing, featuring two distinct environmental zones:
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ISO 8 (Class 100,000) clean areas: These housed the critical process rooms, including dispensing room, sampling room, staging room, filling rooms, and packing rooms.
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CNC (Controlled Not Classified) areas: Supporting functions were kept in controlled environments, including storage rooms, tool rooms, and washing rooms.
A key design focus was preventing cross-contamination. Each critical process room was equipped with separate personnel and material airlock rooms (PALs and MALs), ensuring a strict and controlled flow of people and materials.
Tailored environmental control systems
To guarantee production stability and meet stringent Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines, Airkey implemented a sophisticated HVAC strategy:
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Independent AHU systems: Critical processes are served by dedicated air handling units (AHUs), allowing for precise and isolated environmental control without interference between rooms.
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Precise climate parameters: The ISO 8 clean areas are maintained at 23±2°C and 35–60% relative humidity, while the CNC areas are controlled at a stable 23±2°C.
Innovation in action: Solving client’s biggest headaches
This project was defined by two significant client challenges, for which Airkey provided elegant and effective engineering solutions.
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The invisible air return challenge:
The client required an efficient air return system but explicitly forbade protruding air return risers or columns, which would consume valuable and limited clean floor space.
Airkey’s solution: Our engineering team developed and custom-manufactured flush-mounted air return panels. These panels seamlessly integrate with the wall panels, featuring a duct flange for direct connection to the ducting system. This innovative design maintains a clean, unobstructed aesthetic and maximises usable space while ensuring perfect airflow dynamics.
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The free-standing stability challenge:
Due to site constraints, suspension from the building's superstructure was impossible. This presented a major engineering hurdle for a cleanroom of this scale (450 sqm), as the entire structure, including the heavy ceiling and ductwork, needed to be entirely self-supporting.
Airkey’s solution: We engineered a robust, free-standing structural framework. To support the substantial ceiling load, we integrated extensive truss structures. Furthermore, we installed a multitude of heavy-duty support brackets directly onto the cleanroom ceiling grid to safely carry the entire weight of the air ducting system. This solution provided exceptional stability without relying on the host building.
From commissioning to validation: Unwavering support
The scale and complexity of the project meant the client faced unforeseen issues during the final commissioning phase. Demonstrating our commitment to partnership, Airkey immediately dispatched a site engineer to Abu Dhabi. Our expert conducted a thorough inspection, diagnosed the problems, and worked swiftly to implement solutions, ensuring a smooth and successful handover.
The result speaks for itself: the cleanroom is now fully operational and has successfully passed local GMP validation, a critical milestone that allows our client to begin production with confidence.
This project is a testament to Airkey's core philosophy: we don't just sell cleanrooms; we deliver custom-engineered solutions that solve real-world problems, ensuring our clients' success no matter where in the world they are located.
Ready to discuss your cleanroom project?
Contact Airkey today to speak with our engineering team about your specific requirements.
Website: www.airkeyx.com
