January 2, 2020 – PCB Piezotronics announced the completion of environmentally controlled clean rooms totaling 4,300 sq. ft. at their Walden Avenue headquarters. Earlier this year, the sensor manufacturer began assembly of all pressure and force products in this facility.
Sensor elements and other critical assemblies are manufactured within a 1,200 sq. ft. room, which meets or exceeds ISO Class 7 cleanliness standard (less than 10,000 particles per cubic foot). This room is also humidity controlled within a tight specification. Particle counts are further reduced down to ISO Class 3-4 levels (less than 10 particles / cubic foot) due to usage of laminar flow benches, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtered fume extractors and other clean room equipment.
A second clean room area (3,100 sq. ft.) is designated for final product assembly and calibration processes. This space is under even stricter humidity controls to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to electrical components. Laminar flow benches for critical product assembly, and solder stations with HEPA filtered fume extractors are used throughout this space.
PCB expects that the environmentally controlled clean rooms will enhance their pressure and force sensor manufacturing and assembly processes.. PCB Design Engineers are already working on the next generation of sensors, whose design and manufacturing is dependent upon a clean room environment.
