A Solid Standard for Cleanliness

We’ve mentioned ISO standards in the past regarding safety metrics  for electrical components like PCs, but did you know that the International Organization for Standards has published well over twenty thousand standards? Their work covers almost every industry, and every aspect of technology and manufacturing, providing guidance and rating descriptions for each product, service or system they assess. That sounds both amazing and like overkill at the same time, but it certainly makes sense to have a stringent rating system available when trying to determine the quality, cleanliness, or safety of something before utilizing it. This is especially highlighted in highly sensitive areas that require strictly controlled work environments.

Controlling contamination is essential in many manufacturing and research activities, and so effective clean rooms are of paramount importance to those companies. As you may have guessed, the ISO has a series of standards dedicated to clean rooms, defining practices and procedures required to manage the risk of contamination. The ISO rating of a clean room can determine a great deal about how trustworthy and accurate the work being done inside is. But a clean room contains much more than just a secured enclosure. Specialized equipment, including computers, must also be secured to ensure they don’t diminish the quality of contaminate control and affect it’s rating.

Specialized mini PCs like the Tangent Rugged O were especially designed with these requirements in mind. The Rugged O mini PC’s innovative design allows for a fanless operation which means there are no moving parts or ventilation slots to circulate or collect dust contaminants. This  passive cooling technology allows heat from the CPU to transfer directly to the mini PC’s stainless steel housing, and ensures a reliable and noiseless function. The mini PC’s diminutive size and mounting bracket give it the flexibility to be affixed to most any surface. All the ports on the case are threaded and sealed to keep the internals protected and the outside environment clean. The mini PC’s stainless steel case in minimal in appearance for a good reason. The fewer grooves and edges on a PC, the fewer places for dirt and dust to collect. That’s not the end of the case’s features either. The Rugged O mini PC is IP65 certified and IP67 compliant. This IP rating ensures total protection from dust and provides waterproof reliability of up to a thirty-minute submersion. This means it’s also capable of withstanding industrial-grade cleaning solutions and thorough cleaning which is a common occurrence within clean rooms.

So how does an industrial mini PC of this caliber help bolster the ISO rating of a clean room? The ISO 14644 standard specifies air cleanliness in terms of the concentration of airborne particles in the clean rooms. The use and maintenance of a Tangent mini PC that has no fan, is sealed, is waterproof and can withstand corrosion is solid evidence of a concerted effort to conform to the ISO standards since it greatly reduces the potential presence of airborne particles. The standard for clean rooms has 16 different detailed parts to it, so it is of the utmost importance that the equipment deployed to a clean zone can meet the requirements to achieve a good rating and demonstrate the room’s efficacy.