ENCLOSURES
environments to shield components from impurities, electrostatic discharge and other environmental elements that might degrade dependability or performance.
“
Cleanrooms offer regulated
” Iron Dome Lasers
In 2019, an Iron Dome missile defense system was built for the U.S. military, using solid-state lasers to target, intercept and destroy incoming rockets and other airborne weapons.
The laser components needed to be assembled in a contaminant-free environment. An ISO 6 cleanroom was built requiring three 28 ’x 40’ x 12’ Airlock enclosures, each with its own gown room. The cleanroom was accessed via high- speed roll-up doors and was seismically rated, using white Polypro inserts in the ceiling and wall frames. Each enclosure included laser curtains, mounted on screws around the perimeter of the room, while pass-through curtains served as barriers to prevent stray laser harm.
A Cleanroom on a Bridge In 2016, a 60-foot rocket featuring a spherical nose cone was manufactured by Boeing and assembled at NASA’s Michoud facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. A circular opening in the top of the nose cone allowed technicians to enter and clean it. To aid the technicians, a 27’ x 12’ aluminium bridge built by Ascent Aerospace was lifted by crane and placed above the rocket. A rectangular cleanroom was built on the bridge itself and included hoist attachments to lower technicians down through a hatch in the circular opening, to clean the rocket interior. The bridge cleanroom was constructed of transparent Polysim walls and included air particles. Air fans in the anteroom removed
particulates before the technicians entered the controlled work area through a strip curtain.
Future Trends
As technologies evolve, there is an increasing need for cleaner surroundings. As breakthroughs such as quantum computing for defense applications and deep- space exploration missions advance, the requirement for ultra-clean conditions will only increase.
To address the unique requirements of nanoscale manufacturing, we anticipate seeing more robotic methods for testing and assembly to reduce human-induced contamination, to reach previously unheard-of degrees of cleanliness in the future.
Conclusion
The necessity for accuracy, dependability and rigorous adherence to cleanliness standards is why the aerospace and defense sectors depend on cleanrooms. By offering the best conditions for manufacture, assembly and testing, cleanrooms safeguard investments in costly missions and facilitate cutting-edge technology development. In this high-stakes sector, the danger of contamination and failure would be intolerably high without cleanrooms. Cleanrooms also play a vital role in fostering technical advancement and operational dependability, guaranteeing adherence to strict military requirements and aerospace regulations. Cleanrooms will remain essential as technologies develop and the need for increasingly complex systems grows.
MARCH 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS 23
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