ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems supplies nine high-speed roller shutters of the Albany brand to the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen

Nine rapid-acting roller doors of the Albany brand were supplied by ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems to the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen. (Photo: Albany)

All nine Albany gates were equipped with patented pre-emptive light barriers. This allows them to detect an object before it would come into contact with it. (Photo: Albany)

To maintain the overpressure in the individual cleanrooms and prevent airflows from contaminated to clean areas, a door only opens when the previous door is closed. (Photo: Albany)

A contactless impulse switch, the so-called "Magic Switch," enables quick and hygienic opening of the gates. (Photo: Albany)

The high opening and closing speeds of the gates reduce air exchange to a minimum. (Photo: Albany)

Since early 2014, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) has been developing, among other things, technology for space missions in a newly constructed building section in Göttingen. In space research, work is carried out under strict hygiene requirements, as even the smallest particle contaminations can lead to short circuits and thus serious financial consequences. Therefore, production takes place in cleanrooms.

ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems was commissioned to install Albany brand rapid roll-up doors in this new building, which integrates more than 50 cleanrooms. A total of seven Albany RR300 Clean rapid roll-up doors and two Albany RR600 doors were installed as secure access to these rooms.

The detailed planning of the cleanrooms was undertaken by Dr. Heinekamp Laboratory and Institute Planning GmbH. Ritterwand GmbH & Co. KG was responsible for the interior construction of the cleanrooms.

Sealing is of utmost priority

To maintain the overpressure in the individual cleanrooms and prevent airflow from contaminated to clean areas, a door only opens when the previous door is closed. This is controlled by an overarching control system that all installed doors access via its interface. A contactless impulse generator, the so-called "Magic Switch," enables quick and hygienic opening. The opening speed of up to two meters per second and closing speed of up to one meter per second minimize air exchange. The containers of the cleanroom doors are FDA-compliant, antistatic, and gas-free. The high sealing performance of the Albany RapidRoll® Clean rapid roll-up doors was a decisive selection criterion, as air treatment in the cleanroom incurs high costs.

Successful cooperation

In these dry-conditioned cleanrooms, Ritterwand GmbH & Co. KG installed electronics walls that harmonize well with the Albany doors. The tight schedule for the space mission planned for 2017 posed increased demands on the involved companies. "With ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems, we have had a long-standing partner in the field of Albany rapid roll-up doors, with whom we work very well and where technical clarification works perfectly. The staff are very punctual and deliver the right quality at the right price," says Olaf Raschdorff, Head of Development and Special Projects at Ritterwand GmbH & Co. KG. Additionally, Ritterwand integrated a large vacuum chamber in which materials for satellite technology are tested under space conditions.

Patented safety features

All nine Albany doors are equipped with patented pre-warning light barriers. These detect an object before it would come into contact with the door. This ensures the safety of the valuable material, which has been developed over months. Furthermore, the doors are equipped with an uninterruptible power supply, allowing them to operate flawlessly even during a power outage. This provides a high level of security for MPS research.

Material transfer airlocks

When the first space flights took place in the late 1960s, researchers discovered that even the tiniest particles could cause technical malfunctions in space. To prevent such incidents and eliminate these particles, cleanroom technology was developed. The space mission targeted for 2017, supported by NASA and ESA, also requires optimal working and manufacturing conditions to protect sensitive materials. Therefore, researchers will transport these materials from the ISO Class 8 cleanroom storage hall through four dry-conditioned material airlocks into an ISO Class 5 cleanroom. Five Albany RapidRoll® Clean rapid roll-up doors, each measuring 3 x 3 meters, reliably separate the individual areas of the material airlocks. The Fraunhofer Institute has certified this door for use in cleanrooms up to ISO Class 5.

Wind-resistant

Notably, the new building of the MPS features ceilings up to 11.9 meters high in the two storage halls, which had to be constructed for a portal crane. This crane will later assemble satellite technology parts inside the hall onto the spacecraft. To protect the cleanrooms from incoming wind when the building’s sliding door is operated, robust doors capable of withstanding wind force 3 were required. Albany met this criterion with two Albany RapidRoll® 600 doors, each measuring 4.45 x 6.20 meters. These are typically used as exterior doors. Due to their smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces, they could be safely used inside the ISO Class 8 cleanroom halls. Additionally, Albany equipped these doors with an FDA-compliant, antistatic curtain.

The MPS, founded in 1955, is currently relocating from Katlenburg to Göttingen. The close network between the external research facility and the University at the Göttingen Research Campus creates optimal working conditions. In the new building, around 300 scientists will conduct research on, among other things, optical devices for satellite technology. These will be used to construct a space probe scheduled to land on Mars in 2017. A total of 50 million euros are invested in the entire project, with approximately eight million euros allocated for the expansion of the cleanrooms.