Floor installation directly on the floor slab in the cleanroom

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

nora systems Kisico Oestrich Winkel (Copyright: Markus Bachmann)

Resistant, hygienic, economical: In the new building of the packaging manufacturer KISICO, norament grano nTx provides a secure foundation for a demanding process environment. The floor had to be extremely durable due to the heavy injection molding machines used in production and at the same time meet the cleanroom requirements according to ISO 8. The choice was made in favor of norament grano. The rubber tiles were installed with the quick-lay system nora nTx directly onto the floor slab in the cleanrooms. The advantages: Compared to conventional wet bonding, various steps such as drying and waiting times are eliminated, and residual moisture in the substrate is not an issue. The floor can be used immediately after installation.

Practical test beforehand convinced of highest functionality

The KISICO GmbH, founded in 1947, is one of the renowned German companies in the global packaging market and stands for over 70 years of experience in the development and production of closures for various applications. In mid-2019, KISICO opened a new production hall with cleanrooms covering 1,600 square meters and a technical area at its headquarters in Oestrich-Winkel, Hesse. The responsible parties had already considered the appropriate flooring for the new building years earlier: "At the Cleanzone cleanroom trade fair in 2015, we introduced KISICO to the quick-lay system nora nTx," explains Frank Bähr, nora market segment manager for industry. "We were able to convince KISICO to test the system, which had just been newly introduced at the time." norament grano nTx was installed in the social rooms of the existing building and tested for durability, media resistance, and cleaning properties—with convincing results. "The floor has very well met all requirements for resistance, durability, chemical resistance, and easy cleaning," confirms Benjamin Schmidt, Manager of Research & Development at KISICO and project manager for the construction project. "A major advantage from our perspective is also the possibility to replace individual tiles if needed or refurbish them with cleaning pads, which was not possible with the epoxy resin floor in the existing building." Due to their closed, uncoated surface, rubber floors can be cleaned easily and economically and fully disinfected. norament grano nTx was installed throughout the new building: in the cleanrooms in light gray, and in other functional areas such as material supply, personnel sluice, and corridors in two vibrant shades of blue. KISICO also made use of the possibility to incorporate inlays into the flooring. Accent strips in blue mark the walkways in the production hall.

Ergonomics and environmental compatibility create a positive working environment

A major plus for KISICO was also the high ergonomic comfort of the norament tiles. "Even during the testing phase, our employees were enthusiastic about how comfortable it is to walk and stand on the nora floors," reports Schmidt. The rubber floors relieve backs and joints due to their high permanent elasticity and help prevent fatigue. At the same time, they reduce walking noise, which contributes to good acoustics, especially in large buildings like production halls. Another advantage: nora floor systems are free of PVC and chlorinated polymers.

Installation with nora nTx eliminates elaborate substrate preparation

For Stefan Happ of Paul Barth GmbH, who installed the floor in the KISICO production hall, this project was his first encounter with nora nTx. "The possibility to install the floor directly onto the concrete slab is unique." Usually, such installation requires elaborate substrate preparation with a special adhesive, which is almost eliminated by nora nTx. He considers the elimination of drying and waiting times a particular advantage. Since many projects are under time pressure for occupancy, the fact that residual moisture in the substrate is not an issue for nora nTx also speaks for the innovative technology. And the final result is impressive: "The appearance of the floors in the new production hall and other areas is visually impeccable," says KISICO project manager Schmidt.

Building Data

Project: KISICO production hall with cleanrooms, Oestrich-Winkel
Client: KISICO Kirchner, Simon & Co. GmbH, Oestrich-Winkel, www.kisico.de
Architect: Freimuth BauConsult, Oestrich-Winkel, www.freimuth-bauconsult.de
Installer: Paul Barth GmbH, Rüdesheim am Rhein, www.paul-barth-gmbh.de
Products: norament® grano nTx, colors 4879 and 5318, norament® grano, color 5320, total installed area approx. 2,100 m²
Installation: 03 – 04 /2019
Application areas: Cleanrooms, raw material storage, personnel sluice