A cleanroom as light as a dirigible

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With "sphairlab," the Aachen-based medical technology company Mecora has developed a textile cleanroom that is already in practical use, which is unparalleled and essentially opens a new dimension for the use of cleanrooms: mobile if needed, feather-light, individually configurable, quick to assemble and disassemble, highly efficient, and also cost-effective. That seems too good to be true. Skeptics and interested parties are currently flocking to the company—and are enthusiastic.

The idea is as simple as it is brilliant: a cleanroom made of high-strength textile, internally inflated like a pneumatic dome with air, equipped with an intelligent ventilation system including airlocks, furnishings, and lighting—secured at only a few points. This was the idea that Mecora managing director Jens Hutzenlaub couldn't get out of his head when he was struggling to find a cleanroom concept for expanding his operations in a rented hall. Although Hutzenlaub is very familiar with cleanrooms and everything related to them—after all, he has been developing, manufacturing, and installing plastic components for medical technology in his own cleanroom for many years—"but I had no idea whether and how this crazy idea could actually be implemented," the successful entrepreneur explains.

Wolfgang Hassa, on the other hand, has extensive expertise with "flying structures" and the medium of air. His company Airworxx, also based in Aachen, specializes in textile architecture and airship construction, and can shape just about anything that can be sewn and filled with air. It didn't take long before the two teamed up and launched the "sphairlab" cleanroom concept. Meanwhile, the airy Mecora cleanroom is certified according to ISO Class 7 and has been successfully in operation since December 2016.

Technically, "sphairlab" includes everything a cleanroom needs and can be fully customized to customer requirements. Its intelligent ventilation system ensures that the filtered air inside is evenly distributed from the ceiling through a special fabric, creating optimized airflow conditions. Exhaust air exits through ventilation flaps in the airlocks and the central channel. The external fan allows for easy maintenance and can also be adapted to customer specifications. It can be expanded with additional control units, climate components, or filters.

In the area of airlocks, "sphairlab" also consistently relies on lightweight construction, using much fabric and little metal. The frame is modular and the fabric shell is fixed with quick connectors. All connections for frame and lighting are prepared to guarantee quick assembly and disassembly. Mecora supplies construction documentation and the acceptance certificate up to ISO Class 7 for each "sphairlab" cleanroom. Additionally, building certificates, test reports, and material documentation ensure comprehensive traceability.

The interior setup and furnishings of "sphairlab" combine functionality and design. It consists of workbenches made of powder-coated MDF with integrated task lighting that sufficiently illuminates the workstations while also highlighting the space. The airlock features a translation table with storage compartments and a shelving system. All elements are robust, easy to clean, and visually appealing.

The "sphairlab" installed by Mecora in Aachen, with its impressive 150 sqm size, has the shape of an oversized donut and is largely transparent, giving it a very futuristic look. However, other shapes such as tunnels, spheres, or combinations thereof are also possible and can be freely dimensioned. In any case, "sphairlab" is material- and cost-efficient, both in acquisition and operation, and can be assembled or disassembled by four specialists in three days. Moreover, with its extraordinary design, "sphairlab" always has a certain showroom character, providing invaluable added value.

"We see "sphairlab" as particularly suitable for companies, for example from the medical device or pharmaceutical industries, that want to install a cleanroom in rented company spaces but want to avoid the investment of a permanent installation. Especially young companies that might start with temporary financing can keep costs manageable and the effort minimal," says Wolfgang Hassa about the target groups for this extraordinary product. Strictly speaking, "sphairlab" is interesting for many more industries because it is affordable: whether food, packaging, automotive—many sectors are increasing their cleanliness requirements. Here, "sphairlab" can be used locally, mobile, and temporary at surprisingly low costs. And because the airy "sphairlab" is absolutely earthquake-proof, quick to set up, easy to transport, and completely "easy" to operate, it can even serve as an operating room or medical station in crisis zones.