When we built out our second lab at Q-PLUS Labs, we investigated what the additional costs would be to obtain some level of cleanroom capability. Although demand for 3rd party dimensional inspection in a cleanroom is exceedingly rare, we wondered if they would come if we built it. So, we did, and sure enough, they did too.

We had to build it to be configured on short notice to reach its clean state but otherwise remain just a “clean area” our minimum standard for our lab environments. We were able to achieve this within reasonable cost and setup time parameters.

The first customer for this service was an aerospace prime contractor. We were excited to finally be able to offer our services in a cleanroom environment. We had done some testing and it looked like we’d at least achieve ISO 8 but the customer wanted to test for themselves. Sure enough, we met the ISO 8 requirements for the various applicable different airborne particle sizes which range from 0.1 microns to 5 microns. Our Lab almost meets an ISO 7 class cleanroom. We haven’t seen a need yet for more than an ISO 8 class cleanroom, but now we have our target for one of our many ongoing continuous improvement objectives.

For us a Q-PLUS Labs, it was not just another opportunity to be of service, to be able to say “Yes” to almost any dimensional metrology requirement, but also the chance to expand our knowledge, experience, and capability. 

An ISO 8 Cleanroom rating means Q-PLUS Labs has less than 3,520,000 airborne particles greater than or equal to 0.5 microns, less than or equal to 832,000 particles of 1 micron or larger size, and less than or equal to 29,300 particles of 5 microns or larger size. 

ISO 8 Cleanroom Standards

Cleanroom classifications range from ISO 1 to ISO 9, with ISO 1 being the “cleanest.” These classifications are assigned based on the maximum allowable concentration of particles per cubic foot or meter of air. Contamination levels in ISO 8/Class 100,000 cleanrooms are measured by the concentration of particles in a cubic foot or meter of air. 

These levels are measured in microns and defined by the following standards:

  • US Federal Standard 209E: denotes the number of particles (≥0.5 µm or larger) per cubic foot (f³) of air.

ISO 14644-1: replaced federal standard 209E in 2001 but is still used as a reference. It denotes the number of particles (≥0.1µm to ≥5µm or more) per cubic meter (m³) of air.

ISO 14644-1 Standard for Maximum Number of Particles Permitted/m³ for ISO 8 Cleanrooms

(FED STD 209E Equivalent: Class 100,000)

≥0.1 µm ≥0.2 µm ≥0.3 µm ≥0.5µm ≥1µm ≥5 µm
— — — 3,520,000 832,000 29,300

US FED Standard 209E Maximum Number of Particles Permitted/ft³ for Class 100,000 Cleanrooms

(ISO 14644-1 Equivalent ISO 8)

≥0.1 µm ≥0.2 µm ≥0.3 µm ≥0.5µm ≥5 µm
— 750,000 300,000 100,000 70