Dry Room

Dry Room: The Complete Guide

The most important consideration for dry room design is humidity. Humidity could be from the employees, fresh air supply, airlock opening, and moisture from the wall. Zonsteel takes into consideration such measurements to maintain a low humidity cleanroom environment.

To make cleanroom a hermetically sealed system, Zonsteel wall system is airtight sealed. The insulation is rock wool, which is a grade A fire-retardant material, and with good thermal performance. The metal facing on both sides prevents moisture migration. After the two panels are joined, extra sealant will be fixed to reinforce the airtightness.

The air supply and return air duct are tightly sealed and insulated to improve the dry room operations. Zonsteel air duct panel available as 20mm to 100mm size options. The core material is PU or XPS with the faces being an aluminum foil or steel sheet of thickness 0.18mm to 0.6mm.

The fresh air getting into the cleanroom is filtered ensure cleanroom cleanliness is maintained as well as keeping the room at positive pressure.

Zonsteel advocates for setting up an airlock between two dry rooms. The airlock is for normal personnel and for equipment entry. Minimize the airlock opening time and ensure the airlock air is exhausted fully.

A Zonsteel dry room includes walls, ceilings, floor coatings, lighting, controls, and an external penetration process that increases your productivity.

Contact us today and let our professional engineers design and construct a dry room that meets your special manufacturing process needs!

Dry Room: The Complete FAQs Guide

Dry rooms are popular today in different industries around the world. They are mostly designed to keep the humidity low, among other uses. This FAQ guide on dry rooms helps you learn more about what to expect with a dry room and how best to utilize it.

What is a Dry Room?

Figure 1 A Completely Installed Dry Room

It is possible to get an idea of what the dry room is all about from the name. A dry room is a structure set up to keep the humidity in the room as low as possible. This is important, especially when your product is sensitive to moisture or easily absorbs moisture.

The dry room can also be an excellent choice for storing a product in a dry environment for a long time.

Other than keeping the moisture and humidity levels low, the dry room will also have particle filters essential for maintaining cleanliness in the room.

Which Industries and Applications Need a Dry Room?

Due to a dry room’s design specifications, you might be wondering where such a space would be used. Here is a list of the application examples where a dry room may be necessary.

– Lithium-ion cell manufacturing plants

– Humidity management for powder manufacturing

– Condensation and rust prevention in precision electronics storage

– Precision electronics parts manufacturing

– Pharmaceutical manufacturing

– Capacitor manufacturing

These are not the only applications for a dry room, as some clients might still have other applications in mind. If that is the case, talk to the team at Zonsteel for more information about customizing the standard dry room to suit your needs.

What is the Range of Humidity for a Dry Room?

The application where you want to use a dry room determines the humidity range. On average, the relative humidity range is 2% to 20% for a dry room.

Talk to technicians at Zonsteel to help you further understand which would be the best humidity range for your applications compared to other applications.

Still, the temperature will be maintained at around 21 degrees Celsius. This is crucial for ensuring that the room is neither too cold nor too hot. Maintaining a steady temperature will also help in keeping the relative humidity within the desired range always.

What are the Components of a Dry Room?

To fully understand how a dry room works, it is best to look at its various components to see how they work in harmony to ensure the dry room works great.

The major components include the following:

– The panels

To set up the room, the manufacturer uses insulated sandwich panels for the walls. The use of insulated sandwich panels ensures the dry room can keep working correctly within the stated humidity and temperature range. The most common panel used is rockwool. This material is also a fire retardant in addition to being a good insulator.

Both sides of the panels are also covered with steel profile to prevent any cases of moisture migration. Once two panels are joined, the manufacturer applies more sealant to ensure there is better airtightness in the dry room.

– The floor

A dry room needs an anti-static floor as part of making it suitable for various applications. The anti-static floor will absorb the static charges so that the employees or any equipment in the dry room is not harmed.

It should also be strong to support the room’s traffic daily without the need for replacing the floor anytime soon.

– Doors

The doors will be made using the same materials as the wall panel. The idea is to maintain consistent performance inside the dry room.

It is advisable to have a standard entrance and an emergency door to be used when necessary.

The doors need to have an airlock or a vestibule important for preventing infiltration of moisture into the dry room.

– Sensor

If you have to control the dew point or humidity levels in a dry room, then a sensor that can detect the dew point is necessary. The sensor also works in conjunction with a meter to measure the dew point and a controller to adjust the various parameters to deal with the humidity levels.

It is why you may have to take your time to understand which sensor and dew point is ideal for your operations.

– Conditioning system

The dry room also relies on the conditioning system to work effectively. The desiccant dehumidifier, condensing units, and fans make up the conditioning system.

A desiccant dehumidifier should be designed to have a pH neutral and chemical resistant rotor. The last thing you would want is for it to rust when using in an environment which chemicals such as lithium battery manufacturing.

The fans used in a dry room need a centrifugal airfoil design to make it work better in such an environment. It could also use vibration insulators to keep the vibrations and noise to a minimum.

The condensing unit should be water or air-cooled to work better in a dry room. These components will be designed to work harmoniously to ensure the dry room can maintain the desired humidity range.

Why Should You Choose Zonsteel Dry Rooms?

Figure 2 Inside a Dry Room

Zonsteel has been around for over two decades. During this whole time, the company has managed to work with different clients around the world. For this reason, you would find it is a great company to work on your dry room.

The company also allows for multiple customizations of the dry room. The idea is to help you realize the correct dry room for the application. There is also a design team that would help you understand why you have to design the dry room in a particular manner.

A faster delivery time should appeal to most people. They know that they can get their dry room done fast and still professionally.

As for the cost, Zonsteel offers competitive rates. There is no doubt you would feel it was worth spending your money on Zonsteel dry room than other brands. Just because the price is within the affordable, it does not mean it will not work great.

The customer support team at Zonsteel will give you all the vital information you need. This is important for ensuring you can get all the right information to help decide on how your dry room should look like in the end.

Zonsteel would offer the option of having the professional technicians and engineers come to install the dry room. It does not matter where you are located as Zonsteel will deliver the dry room to different parts of the world and still install it.

How Do You Control the Zonsteel Dry Room?

The Zonsteel dry room comes with an intelligent control panel to ensure you can customize the dry room to work as you want.

Those who have used it before find the dry room panel easy to use with its simple menus. You can also make the changes faster compared to other brands of panels you may have used before.

The panel is still important for you to see information such as the air temperature, relative humidity, time, and much more.

There will be a comprehensive manual in the dry room package to help with the dry room panel’s overall operation. You can always refer to it from time to time, ensuring you are making the right settings.

What Could Be the Sources of Humidity in a Dry Room?

When you are looking to maintain the humidity in a dry room, it is also good to understand its source to control it better. The common sources of humidity would be when the airlock opening all the time, moisture from the walls, fresh air supply, and the employees using the dry room.

Zonsteel considers all these sources to ensure the various dry room components can still maintain the relative humidity within the desired range.

What are the Maintenance Needs for a Dry Room?

Figure 3 Storage Cabinet in Dry Room

As much as maintenance can sometimes vary from one dry room to another, a few things might be familiar. Here are some of the tips to get you going.

– Clean the room after every use of the dry room

– Measure the dehumidification performance over time to ensure it is still within the desired range

– Clean the equipment too. Some might clean the room and forget about the equipment

– Some of the equipment might need lubrication. It helps to minimize vibrations and at the same time reduce friction to improve the lifespan of a part.

– Check the product condition. Remember, a dry room has to preserve the product in good condition. So, if the product is no longer in good condition, it means the dry room is not working as expected.

Zonsteel will come up with several maintenance guidelines for you to follow. What is important is that you schedule the maintenance to be done on time. Sometimes when you postpone the maintenance, it might make it harder for the dry room to work correctly.

What are Some of the Performance Analysis Practices for a Dry Room?

The performance analysis should be done by a trained technician who understands how the dry room should operate. Here are some of the performance analysis practices the technician will have to keep in mind.

– The technician has to consider the baseline performance of the various components of the dry room. This will include mechanical performance, dehumidification, room integrity, and energy consumption.

– There is also the need to identify any potential equipment issues, performance degradation issues, and potential reliability issues. Once they have been reported, proper steps are taken to ensure the dry room works great.

– Sometimes the technician has to adjust the system operating parameters to ensure the dry room is working as required. Some of the changes include load profile changes or having additional personnel in the room.

– There is also a section where the technician recommends performance improvements, energy efficiency upgrades, and service plans that would generally improve the dry room’s reliability.

It is worth noting that the performance analysis parameters will vary from one dry room to another. So, some will be custom to your dry room or depending on what you manufacture.

What are the Benefits of Modular Dry Rooms?

Figure 4 Equipment in Dry Room

The modular dry rooms are the latest trend in such a field. However, most people might not be sure if they should get a modular dry room. Here are some of the benefits you will experience with such a design.

– A modular dry room is easy to assemble, disassemble, and relocate whenever possible. That is not the same when working with other types of construction.

– A modular dry room also allows for better expandability in the future. It includes expanding the height, length, and width. If you have to include more personnel or equipment, you should expand the building easily.

– Another reason to consider a modular design is that it will be possible to get a custom design. You simply talk to Zonsteel to see if your needs can be integrated as part of the design. Also, the team can guide you further to get the right design for your applications.

– Modular dry rooms also mean you have very little on-site construction. No need for a lot of cutting and messing up the whole space. Most of the time, it would be assembly as the panels are built to interlock without further cutting them.

The list of benefits can go on for long, but now you understand why it would be a great option.

What is the Best Sandwich Panel for Making a Dry Room?

Zonsteel mostly uses an insulated rockwool sandwich panel. This material is one of the best for dry room because it helps in maintaining the temperature in the dry room within the desired range.

Another reason for using rockwool is because it has impressive fire resistance performance. It can withstand high degrees Celsius without melting. So, even if the dry room catches on fire, it can slow down its spread significantly.

The panel is also reinforced with steel plates for the faces. The steel plates are crucial for ensuring the panel is durable and still looks good since it can be painted.

Why is an Airlock Important in Dry Room Construction?

Zonsteel insists on the dry room buyers to have airlocks for their dry rooms. If possible, there should be two airlocks per dry room. One for the personnel while the other for equipment entry. The airlock will help in keeping the contamination in the dry room to a minimum.

It is also advisable to minimize the frequency of opening the airlock, and it should be fully exhausted before the next use.

How Long Does It Take to Deliver a Dry Room?

The standard times for delivering a dry room varies depending on the size and internal load profile. Once the order has been placed, Zonsteel would give you a detailed timeframe when you can expect the dry room to be delivered.

On average, deliveries can be made within 15-20 days after the order is placed and other approvals have been made on the dry room design.

The customer support team at Zonsteel will also be available to help you track your order’s progress from processing until it is shipped to your location.

What is the Cost of a Dry Room?

Figure 5 Auto Door in Dry Room

The cost is also a factor to consider when buying a dry room. Unfortunately, the cost can only be determined after you request a quote with your dry room requirements. Not worry, as Zonsteel offers competitive prices to ensure you get a high-quality dry room while at the same not spend so much on it.

The cost can also increase if you want the Zonsteel team to set up the dry room for you. The company will have to send several engineers to help set it up correctly, ensuring you get the dry room working correctly.

Send us an email with your dry room specifications, and we will get you the right price quotation.

What Critical Parameters Determine the Design for a Dry Room?

At this point, you might be considering getting a dry room, but you are not sure how to specify it. Here are some of the crucial parameters you have to tell the design team when looking for a dry room.

– The process or manufacturing requirements will always determine what kind of dry room will be set up in a place. Some of the requirements to consider include temperature, chemicals, particles, exhaust, and possible future needs.

– You still have to consider the number of people who will use the dry room. This generally determines the overall size of the dry room.

– Look at the types of machines you will use in the dry room. In this case, you have to consider the noise levels, automation, penetration of the floor, and heat.

– Energy consumption is also something to consider. It will determine the lighting, costs, and other essential utilities crucial for powering the various dry room appliances.

– The recovery requirements are still important to ensure the dry room can still work as required. Such include backup power, water, and other types of redundancies.

– The building’s integrity matters a lot too. You still have to consider the floor conditions, occupancy loads, ceiling loads, and grounding to ensure the building can live up to your needs.

– Training after the sale is also important. Once you have the dry room, there is the need to ensure that it is used correctly. So, go ahead and ask if the manufacturer offers such a service too.

Whenever you are still unsure how to specify your dry room, consider talking to the Zonsteel technical team. They will have all the important information to help set up the right dry room for you.

Conclusion

If you have any more questions, why not send Zonsteel a message, and it will be answered promptly. We will also guide you further to help you understand why a dry room is vital for your manufacturing or storage applications.

Our team is available 24/7 to attend to your needs.