Plastikos Case Study
Plastikos Case Study
Erie, Pennsylvania
In August 2019, Plastikos opened their new 25,000-square-foot facility dedicated 100% to producing plastic components for the medical industry. After experiencing double-digit growth year-over-year, the executive team decided that it was time to expand their medical product offering in order to meet growing customer demand coupled with advancing its risk-mitigation strategy via a second, stand-alone medical component production facility.
When selecting an air handler unit for the new manufacturing facility it was vital to the team that the products performance would meet the extremely tight indoor air quality tolerances specified by the medical industry, and the rigorous ISO 7 cleanroom classification. With the air handler unit being described as the ‘heart of the cleanroom environment’, it was important for Plastikos to partner with a company they could trust to meet their strict specifications and project deadlines. Although many options were considered, SolutionAir had the only product and team that Plastikos trusted for the job.
The SolutionAir Precision Control unit is application specific, providing precise humidity and temperature control while limiting the introduction of foreign particles. For Plastikos, environmental control and dependable operation is required all day, every day, throughout the year.
A control failure can have catastrophic effects on operational capacity, and risks contamination and quality of the manufactured products. The SolutionAir team worked closely with Plastikos to ensure that the Precision Control unit was configured to meet their strict application requirements of ISO 7 classification, +/- 2°F dry bulb temperature control, and a maximum of +2°F above a specified dew point.
SolutionAir’s Detect + Protect monitoring system oversees unit operation, reporting anomalies in vital components and performance metrics so they can be quickly addressed should they occur. In the unlikely event of a component failure, the unit will automatically change operating parameters to best use the remaining functional components to meet the operating conditions. The unit is housed in SolutionAir’s Thermoshield Cabinet. The Thermoshield Cabinet uses a lightweight, low leakage, corrosion resistant marine-grade aluminum design. Material composition and construction minimizes galvanic corrosion greatly improving the integrity and life span of the cabinet, helping to ensure that the stringent ISO 7 air quality requirements are met for years to come.
With the MFG Precision Control unit successfully running since August 2019, the Plastikos Medical team is excited to start analyzing data collected from the units built in monitoring system to see how they can continue to further optimize the performance of the units to their demanding needs.
ISO 7 Classification Requirements
Table shows the concentration of airborne particles and number of air changes in a cleanroom required to meet ISO 7 classification.
For context, the average size of a bacteria is typically between 0.5 µm and 5.0 µm; recommended air changes for an office space is approximately 4 changes per hour.
The following graph shows the operation of one of the Precision Control unit installed at Plastikos over a twenty-four hour period. The room’s dry bulb temperature stays well within the +/- 2°F tolerance of the 64°F set point, even as the outdoor air temperature drops to freezing temperatures.
24 Hours of Sensible Temperature (Dry Bulb) Readings
With the air handler unit being described as the ‘heart of the cleanroom environment’, it was important for Plastikos to partner with a company they could trust to meet their strict specifications and project deadlines. Although many options were considered, SolutionAir had the only product and team that Plastikos trusted for the job.
