Cleanroom standards measure airborne particles.
Product contamination is caused by particles that deposit.
CleanroomIQ helps you understand how particles reach your product - and what that means for cleanroom performance.
The traditional approach
Cleanroom classifications are based on airborne particle concentrations - typically measured for particles >= 5 um.
But airborne concentration alone does not determine whether a product becomes contaminated.
The key insight
The critical question is not how many particles are in the air - but how many actually deposit onto the product.
Contamination risk is determined by particle deposition rate combined with exposure conditions.
What actually determines contamination
Contamination depends on:
- Exposure duration of the product
- Airflow behaviour and ventilation effectiveness
- Proximity to contamination sources
- Human interaction and handling
- Orientation of critical surfaces
This means traditional approaches can lead to:
- Over-engineered cleanrooms with unnecessary cost
- Under-protected processes with hidden risk
- Decisions that are difficult to justify technically
The CleanroomIQ approach
Instead of asking:
"How clean is the air?"
CleanroomIQ evaluates:
"How likely is it that particles reach and deposit on this product?"
Starting from the product, CleanroomIQ evaluates:
- How particles move through the environment
- How particles deposit onto surfaces
- How handling contributes to contamination
The result is a structured contamination risk assessment that reflects actual product exposure.
ISO 14644-17 aligned
ISO 14644-17 emphasizes contamination control based on risk rather than fixed classifications. CleanroomIQ applies this by:
- Linking product sensitivity to contamination pathways
- Evaluating exposure and deposition mechanisms
- Relating contamination risk to cleanroom performance
- Assessing effectiveness of control measures
What engineers can do
- Investigate product vulnerability to particle contamination
- Evaluate risk based on deposition and exposure
- Identify when airborne limits are not the dominant factor
- Avoid unnecessary cleanroom over-specification
- Support decisions with structured, defensible reasoning
Developed by Brookhuis Applied Technologies
CleanroomIQ is developed by Brookhuis Applied Technologies, a specialist in contamination-sensitive environments with experience in product contamination analyses, particle behaviour measurement, contamination transfer mechanisms, and instrumentation for controlled environments.
CleanroomIQ translates this expertise into a structured digital model for engineering decision support.
From airborne assumptions to product-based decisions
See how contamination risk can be evaluated based on particle deposition, exposure conditions, and vulnerable product surfaces.
Run your own simulation View example analysis