Page 1 of 5

A Clean Start For Cleanrooms

by Joanna Turpin
Posted: December 1, 2006

Optimum Manufacturing Corp. is a very precise machine

shop that specializes in complex, critical-tolerance
components, CNC jig boring, and parabolic mirror housings.
Using the most modern and precise machines, the company
manufactures optical housings, mirror blanks, and opticsrelated prototypes for customers serving a wide range of
industries such as aerospace, scientific, medical,
communications, and defense.

The Yasda horizontal

precision machining
center at Optimum
Manufacturing Corp. is
an approximately
Class 10,000
cleanroom that
requires precise
tmperature and
humidity controls.

Last year, the company decided to move some of its manufacturing processes to
an existing facility in Charlestown, NH. Their new space was formerly a
warehouse, so major renovations were needed to meet Optimums needs, which
included extremely close space temperature (0.5F) and space humidity (;1%
rh) controls, and very clean spaces in order to maintain their manufacturing
tolerances.
There were other needs, too: One of the companys manufacturing processes had
extremely sensitive vibration requirements, so that particular machine required
installation on an isolated, 39-in., reinforced, concrete slab. The walls and ceilings
of the manufacturing room had to be constructed of an insulated metal skin, due
to the need for temperature, humidity, and dust control. And, for even more dust
control, the space had to be designed to maintain a slight positive pressure
relative to the surrounding area.
The requirements for the new facility were obviously extensive, so Optimum asked
an expert in this area Bonhag Associates, PLLC of Lebanon, NH to provide the
MEP and process engineering to turn the old warehouse into two clean process
rooms and an open manufacturing space.

Noisy Neighbors
Optimum Manufacturing Corp. had been happy in its
previous location in Claremont, NH, but a nearby neighbor
made it necessary to move. At our other plant, there was a
recycling company located about a quarter mile away. In
their process of crushing cars and other items, theyd

http://www.esmagazine.com/copyright/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000020973...

2/3/2009

Page 2 of 5

Two propane-fired
boilers one
primary, one standby
supply the heating
coils in the air
handlers, feed the
radiant heating
system, and deliver
hot water to the
facility''s unit heaters.

occasionally hit gasoline or something flammable, and there

would be an explosion, said Brian Murphy, vice president of
sales and engineering for Optimum Manufacturing. Imagine
youre milling a part that requires a 50-millionth flatness
tolerance, and the ground shakes. You just scrapped a very
expensive part.

Company president Tim Donovan started looking around and

settled on an existing 18,000-sq-ft warehouse, which is
located in the pastoral setting of Charlestown, NH. Out in the
country, there are no neighbors that could possibly disrupt the companys new
$1.2 million Yasda horizontal precision machining center, which is one of the most
accurate machines in the world and the only one of its kind in America.
The Yasda center required its own isolated concrete slab, its own special room,
and tight environmental controls. The room housing the Yasda center is an
approximately Class 10,000 cleanroom that required precise temperature and
humidity controls. The room next door, used for tooling, had similar environmental
requirements.
The Charlestown facility was a very basic warehouse, and according to Wayne T.
Bonhag, P.E., P.P., LEED AP, principal, and chief engineer for Bonhag Associates,
PLLC, virtually no mechanical systems could be used for the new Optimum facility.
All we reused was the electrical service coming in. Everything else was ripped out
and we started over. We basically built our own mechanical room in the space to
service the two cleanrooms.
Donovans requirements for the new facility included a space temperature of 68
0.5 and an rh of 50% 1%. Murphy noted that expandability and remote
monitoring were also key requirements for the new facility.
We have been approved to add on another 9,000 sq ft to our facility, and we did
not want to have to go through another major engineering feat to make that
happen, said Murphy. Remote monitoring was also critical, because we have to
be able to monitor the temperature when no one is around.
If the machines overheat at night or on weekends, it can cause a tremendous
disruption in the manufacturing process. Should the ambient temperature increase
to a certain point, the security company is notified, and the general manager is
then alerted to the situation.

Machines Need Precise Environment

http://www.esmagazine.com/copyright/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000020973...

2/3/2009

Page 3 of 5

A BAS DDC system

monitors and controls
all the process
systems in the facility
to maximize efficiency
and minimize power
consumption.

Bonhag has designed numerous cleanrooms over the years,

so he knew the types of heating, cooling, and humidification
systems that Optimum would require. For the cooling
system, he specified a 25-ton Trane air cooled chiller with
dual scroll compressors, that were configured in a lead-lag
arrangement. The two chilled water pumps were outfitted
with VSDs for energy efficiency.

The new chiller was placed on a pad outside the building, and
piping manifolds and supports run from the building to the
chiller pad. Because of its location, the metal building can
shed snow onto the chilled water piping and conduit, so a
special rack assembly was designed to protect the piping
during year-round operation.
The two air handlers, sized at approximately 6,500 and 5,600 cfm, were designed
with fully modulating 100% enthalpy economizers. This permits free cooling in the
fall, winter, and spring in the process spaces, which can require cooling year-round
due to the heat generated by the machinery. VSDs modulate the air handlers in
order to optimize energy savings, and high-efficiency, 99.7% filters were installed
on both units.
One of the interesting things we did was to take the ventilation air into the
mechanical room, noted Bonhag. The mechanical room gets warm, so theres an
option to either take that warm air in the wintertime and move it into the general
warehouse, or else we can exhaust it directly out of the mechanical room to the
outside.
Two Nortec variable output electronic humidifiers were installed in the ductwork in
order to provide the proper amount of humidification to each room. The water is
prefiltered before it reaches the humidifiers in order to keep the particulate level
low. Bonhag paid special attention to the ductwork, making sure it was tight,
insulated, and sealed before it reached the processing rooms.
We also had to make sure all the ductwork was tight and sealed coming back out
of the rooms to the mechanical room, said Bonhag. If you spend all this money
to put moisture into the air, you dont want to lose it when youre moving the air
into another space.
Two propane-fired Buderus boilers one primary, one standby provide hot
water for three different heating purposes at the Optimum facility. First, they
supply the heating coils in the air handlers, which are in the reheat position in
order to maintain proper rh levels. Second, they feed the radiant heating system
that was installed in the floors of the Yasda and tooling rooms. Third, they deliver
hot water to several unit heaters that are used for space heating purposes
elsewhere in the facility.

http://www.esmagazine.com/copyright/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000020973...

2/3/2009

Page 4 of 5

The radiant floor heating system has five temperature zones, and the floors are
programmed to stay at a constant 66. With this massive piece of equipment
sitting on a slab, you cant afford to have that floor change temperature,
explained Bonhag. The tolerance on this equipment is probably .0001 millimeters,
so there cant be any expansion or contraction. In the Yasda room, the floor is
totally isolated from the rest of the building. The radiant heating in that slab had
to also move independently with the slab, so it has its own zone.
The radiant heat is sampled in numerous locations throughout the facility to
ensure a constant temperature is being maintained. Each of the five manifolds has
a three-way valve and a pump, so the amount of water going to the manifold
loops can be controlled based on the current requirements.
The radiant heating zones have a minimum of two infloor temperature sensors,
and each sensor also has a backup. Before we poured the concrete slab, we put a
spare sensor at every sensor point in the concrete. The spare sensor isnt being
used, but if something goes wrong with the primary sensor, we can just connect to
the auxiliary sensor, said Bonhag. We were trying to anticipate problems that
might occur, so we thought the back-up sensor system was prudent.

Keeping Control
Since the process spaces at the Optimum facility operate
every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the building
systems are always operational. Therefore, it was critical to
specify and install a completely integrated BAS that could
monitor and control all process systems in order to maximize
efficiency and minimize power consumption. In addition, the
BAS DDC system can be accessed remotely, including by
those at the Bonhag Associates offices.
To that end, Bonhag specified a Johnson Controls Metasys
BAS to monitor and control the approximately 300 points
located around the facility. The BAS has all the normal startstop functions that would be expected, as well as failure
alarms on just about every piece of equipment. It also
measures outside air temperatures and controls the air
handlers by monitoring heating, cooling, and discharge
temperatures. The chilled water supply and return, as well as
all the chilled and hot water pumps, chiller, and boilers are
controlled by and provide feedback to the BAS.

Optimum
Manufacturing Corp.''s
manufacturing
processes have
extremely sensitive
vibration
requirements
requiring a 39-in.
reinforced concrete
slab, insulated metal
skins for the walls and
ceilings, and slightly
positive pressure for
dust control.

http://www.esmagazine.com/copyright/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000020973...

2/3/2009

Page 5 of 5

All did not go smoothly initially, as the chiller and the BAS didnt communicate the
way Bonhag would have liked, so he changed the algorithms to compensate. I
kept getting a lock-out situation at 2 a.m., so I looked at all the parameters and
realized the chiller was not allowing the DDC system to talk to it. Fortunately, we
were able to override the internal system and let the DDC system control whats
going on in that chiller.
The BAS is also able to change over from chiller operation to outside air for the
economizers. We wanted to optimize the humidification system, so we had to be
sure that even though the system may indicate theres nice, cool dry air available,
the economizer would stay off so we wouldnt have to put more moisture in with
the humidifier, stated Bonhag. We needed the BAS to look at all those different
functions.
There are very few employees working at the Optimum facility, but several CO2
sensors were installed anyway and are monitored by the BAS. Bonhag said that
due to the lack of people, there are very few outside air requirements for the
space, but he wanted to make sure adequate outside air is maintained at all times.
The cost for all the mechanical systems totaled about $550,000, and Optimum
expects to receive a rebate of $50,000 from the local utility. Bonhag stated hes
very proud of the way the Optimum facility turned out, even though the deadlines
were horrific and coordinating all the contractors was a bit of a challenge. In the
end, though, he added, It was a lot of fun. It was a fussy job, but thats what we
do best.
Murphy couldnt agree more, noting, When you stop and look at the number of
variables that were engineered into maintaining the temperature and relative
humidity, its pretty amazing. Wayne did a terrific job here, and people are blown
away when they come and visit our facility.

Joanna Turpin
joannaturpin@cox.net
Turpin has been with Business News Publishing since 1991, first heading up the company's technical
book division before moving over to write for Engineered Systems in 1996. She graduated from the
University of Washington and worked on her master's degree in technical communication at Eastern
Michigan University. As contributing editor, Turpin writes on a variety of HVACR topics from her
sunny location in Phoenix.

http://www.esmagazine.com/copyright/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000020973...

2/3/2009