Production en salles propres chez PI

Capabilities and Capacity

PI has the capability to manufacture and qualify products under cleanroom conditions at a number of production sites. This capability is extended and improved continually according to market needs.

Depending on the processes at the respective locations, PI or its partners have the ability to clean parts and products at each location according to the regulations and then check the cleaning results for particle contamination and if necessary, for other types of contamination as well.

Calibrated particle measuring devices allow PI to monitor the cleanroom quality according the specifications of ISO 14644-1.

PI also has the ability to measure the quantity of particles that originate from its own products under operational conditions.

Since 2001, classification of cleanrooms no longer takes place according to US FED STD 209E but instead, according to ISO 14644-1. Some of the cleanroom classifications are listed according to both standards in the following tables.

Particles per m³

Class	0.1 µm	0.2 µm	0.3 µm	0.5 µm	1.0 µm	5.0 µm

ISO 5	100,000	23,700	10,200	3,520	832
ISO 6	1,000,000	237,000	102,000	35,200	8,320	293
ISO 7				352,000	83,200	2,930
ISO 8				3,520,000	832,000

Particle per m³

Class	0.2 µm	0.3 µm	0.5 µm	5.0 µm

100	26,486	10,594	3,531
1,000			35,315	247
10,000			353,147	2,472
100,000			3,531,470	24,720

In addition to cleanrooms, PI also has ultraclean workplaces, which are installed either inside or outside of the cleanrooms. Their purpose, when compared to the respective environment, is to achieve a further reduction of particle contamination during certain process steps.

The following overview lists the existing and planned facilities according to location.

PI Karlsruhe is the largest production and development site in the PI Group. Standard and custom products, mainly in the field of piezo-based positioning systems, hexapods, and magnetic drives are assembled and qualified here. All areas for mass production, including incoming goods inspection, are ISO class 8 cleanrooms.

In addition, PI Karlsruhe has a newly created ISO class 5 cleanroom that also considers all standards applied to EUV applications. The Special Products Fractal, in addition, has rooms classified according to ISO class 7 as well as ISO class 5 ultraclean workplaces. An ISO class 7 laboratory is available in the Development department.

Manufacturing space in ISO class 5 cleanroom at PI Karlsruhe

Cleanroom classification	Available space in m²
ISO 5	250
ISO 6	-
ISO 7	600
ISO 8	3,000

Cleanrooms at PI Karlsruhe

Measuring technology space in ISO class 5 cleanroom at PI Karlsruhe

The video gives you an insight into the class ISO 5 cleanroom at PI Karlsruhe

The entire process chain for multilayer production, beginning with tape casting, is realized at PI Ceramic in cleanrooms according to ISO class 6, 7, and 8; the assembly processes for piezo actuators and sensors of the Building Components product division also take place consistently in ISO class 7 or 8 cleanrooms. Depending on the process requirements, ISO class 7 to 9 cleanrooms are available for further selected processes such as sputtering, screen printing, and dispensing.

Cleanroom classification	Available space in m²
ISO 6	310
ISO 7	720
ISO 8	620
ISO 9	340

Cleanrooms at PI Ceramic, incl. building extension (completion in Q3/2020)

Workplace for manufacturing PICMA® multilayer actuators in an ISO class 6 cleanroom at PI Ceramic

All assembly areas at PI miCos, including incoming goods inspection, are ISO class 8 cleanrooms. Some of these cleanrooms contain ultraclean workplaces with ISO class 5. The Engineered Systems division also has an ISO class 7 cleanroom.

Cleanroom classification	Available space in m²
ISO 5	10
ISO 6	-
ISO 7	60
ISO 8	650

Cleanrooms at PI miCos

Multi-axis positioning system for X-ray spectroscopy, manufactured in an ISO class 7 cleanroom at PI miCos in Eschbach, Germany

PI USA has an ISO class 8 assembly island in the production area, which includes measuring capabilities, cleaning, and packaging under cleanroom conditions.