TURNKEY CLEANROOM & LABORATORY DESIGN & INSTALLATION
Modular Cleanrooms
PETI: A Design Build Contractor and Manufacturer of Cleanrooms and more
PETI is a design-build specialty contractor for Controlled Environmental Rooms (CERs), which include cleanrooms, laboratories, dryr ooms, walk-in cold storage and other CERs.
When speaking about a modular system, we are referring specifically to modular wall systems, which comprise the envelope and framework of the controlled environment. As such, PETI designs, engineers, and constructs using both modular wall systems and conventionally constructed systems for its cleanrooms, laboratories, dry rooms, and other CERs.
Skilled Professionals &
Industry Experts for Over 35 Years
SOLUTIONS THAT WORK AND CONTINUE WORKING
PETI was borne of a problem wanting a solution: A fire destroyed a cleanroom fabrication facility and the experience started. Attention to detail, reliable solutions, managing the project, learning and solving problems and more as the new facility took shape and was commissioned.
Millions of square feet and hundreds of cleanrooms later, PETI can provide a solution to your problem, whether it’s fixing an existing cleanroom or planning for a new one. Start your journey today.
Extensive Capabilities
We're Application and results oriented,
not product oriented
Are you looking for someone who can provide more than just the cleanroom envelope with some HEPA filters? See what extensive capability looks like by giving us a call or sending us an email. Start your journey now!
With experience in most industries, we can help you with more than the envelope, see our capabilities page, project references, and see how we are application and results oriented, not product oriented.
Full-Service Solutions
Providing design-build services for turnkey cleanroom and laboratory facilities
Design Engineering
Ancillary Support Systems
Plan Check & Permitting
Construction & Manufacturing
Consulting Services
Certification & Validation
What Type of Modular Wall System is Best for Your Project?
We offer custom turnkey design & installation services
This will depend on the number of factors.
- Aesthetics
- Does your cleanroom require validation?
- Do you need insulated wall panels because the area surrounding the cleanroom is not air-conditioned or heated?
- Budget
- Do you need flexibility to expand in the future
- Your application for the cleanroom? Medical device, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace, Semiconductor, Life Sciences USP 797-800 pharmacies
- Timeline for construction
- Is it advantageous to put equipment on the deck of the cleanroom?
- Is this a long-term investment or part of a startup process?
Following is a discussion on the categories of modular wall systems.
Modular Cleanroom Wall Systems
fall into 5 categories of wall panels
Panel-batten system
The panels are built from a facing material (metal, plastic laminate, metal, vinyl); sometimes a stiffening sheet (hard board, gypboard) and then laminated over a core material (styrene foam, urethane foam, paper honeycomb, aluminum honeycomb). The panels, typically 4’ x 8’ or 10’, are held in place by an aluminum or steel stud with a snap or screwed-on batten, which hides the panel’s raw edges. The stud may be wide enough to hold electrical boxes or piping for compressed air or a thinner “H” stud.
Additional steel may be required to support heavier ceiling or deck loads. The R-values of the panels and the system are low, which dictates if they can be used as a demising wall (wall between air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned space). If the core material is foam plastic, the panel may require a ⅜” gyp board layer in the lamination to provide a thermal barrier for the foam. These are usually the least costly of modular wall systems.
metal insulated panel system
These panels are constructed of a kiln-dried wood or high-density foam frame (visualize a picture frame made out of kiln-dried 2 x 4s. (Note the 2 x 4 or high-density foam rail is totally encapsulated after the wall is erected. A metal skin (aluminum, SS, or galv-alum coated steel (smooth or stucco embossed) is formed into a pan and then stapled to the frame. The cavity, formed by the assembly, is injected with urethane foam, which swells to fit and hardens in the cavity.
The density of the foam is quite high, and since it is urethane, the resultant R-value is quite high ~ R-6 per inch. The panel can be structural in nature, supporting reasonable loads and lateral loads. Some manufacturers will pre-embed conduit and j-boxes into the panels or frame openings.
Typically, the panels will meet the thermal barrier requirements because of the metal skin, and several manufacturers offer test reports and LARR reports for structural engineers. The panel can be fabricated into 3.5” thick panels nominally 47” w x up to 22’. Panels are joined using either an internal cam lock or a tongue and groove with screws in the top and bottom track to lock panels together.
The panel can also be used as a deck panel where a smooth surface for the ceiling is desired. A 4” thick panel can span 19’. A 5” thick panel can span up to 20’ with 10lb/sf LL. These panels are a good choice when an insulated panel is required and structural loads are involved. All systems may require additional steel supports and beams if larger loads or spans are required. The downside to these panels is that they are not easily modified to add additional flush-mounted electrical boxes or replaced if damaged. These panels are used in modular cleanrooms, walk-in cold storage, and in other applications requiring a high R-value and structural capacity.
Continuous line panel (CLP) system
These panels are made on a continuous production line as the name indicates. A metal skin (with mesa style ribs and stucco embossed) is laminated to each side of a continuous extrusion of styrene foam and cut off to the desired length up to ~ 45’. Panel edges feature a tongue and groove shape that locks adjacent panels together.
It provides a low-cost approach where an insulated panel is required, and aesthetics are not a primary driver, as the surface is not smooth but consists of mesas and valleys.
Modular honeycomb core panel system
There is a category of modular panels that use metal skins on either side of an aluminum or paper honeycomb core. Edges are rolled to provide a clean, smooth knuckle joint. Panels are locked together with a separate metal spline that is not visible from the outside once installed.
They can come with electrical-plumbing raceways when required. Panel widths are nominally 47” x 10’. Some manufacturers offer FM approval, which is important to customers that use FM for their insurance. The Panels have a low R value, making them unsuitable for use as a demising wall. Structural support value is low.
Their primary attractiveness is ease of installation and a very smooth finish (no battens) with minimum joints that can be easily sealed. Pharmaceutical and Health Science companies are the primary users. The price per sq ft would be at the high end of modular panels.
¼” modular wall panel system
This system uses metal studs (aluminum or galvanized steel) covered on one or both sides by a ¼” (6mm) wall panel. The panel is smooth aluminum clad on both sides with a core of aluminum honeycomb or polyethylene. The panel is held in place by a batten, which has a plastic spline to cover mechanical fasteners. The panels are nominally 47” x 120”.
This system is ideal for semiconductor fabs and health science applications. If used in a two-sided application with, say 6” deep studs, a return air cavity is created, which can be used in ISO 7 cleanrooms and labs where low wall returns are required. It is also relatively easy to replace due to damage or modify for more electrical outlets.
It can be used in semiconductor facilities where a service chase is created and needs to have racks of piping and utilities that serve the cleanroom. It has a very low R-value, so an insulated demising wall is usually used around the entire clean room. Price per sq ft is moderate.
Get a Free Quote for Your Cleanroom, Laboratory or Specialty Room Needs
With over 35 years of experience in projects ranging from large turnkey facilities to portable modular cleanrooms and containerized solutions, we are your single-source solutions provider.
Modular Cleanrooms
How are they different from other construction materials and methods?
Modular cleanroom construction has differences and commonalities with non-modular or stick-built construction:
Advantages:
- Manufacturing can be proceeding prior to the start of onsite construction, while other aspects of the project are going (construction documents, plan check and permitting), thus saving some time.
- Once on site, the panels can be erected quickly and with little-or-none of no mess associated with conventional stick-built construction (drywall, metal studs).
- Can be added to or modified with less interruption to ongoing production.
- When damaged, it is less likely to generate contamination.
- Clean high-tech look
- There may be some tax advantages in the write-off period.
Disadvantages
- Usually costs more than conventional construction.
- More joints should be sealed to prevent capture or infiltration of contamination.
- Sometimes comes under more scrutiny by building departments with regard to flame and smoke ratings, structural issues (e.g. load rating and lateral bracing).
- Some systems will require a layer of metal or drywall to meet the requirements for foam plastic insulation.
- May not have a major savings when tearing down and relocating to a new location because of the cost of dismantling, cleaning (caulk etc.), labeling, and packing.
Modular cleanroom construction has differences and commonalities with non-modular or stick-built construction:
Differences:
Modular cleanrooms are most easily distinguished by the use of modular wall panels. These are prefabricated off-site and erected on-site.
The differences mostly disappear beyond the modular wall system:
- Construction commonality, all cleanrooms use the same types of the following, regardless of construction type:
- Doors, door frames, and hardware
- Flooring covering
- Suspended T-bar ceiling
- Electrical components and wiring (modular systems may have some advantages with regard to adding outlets in wall studs, especially outfitted for electrical devices)
- HVAC system
- Plumbing fixtures
- Pass-throughs, gowning benches, and other cleanroom furnishings
Types of Cleanrooms & Laboratories We Design & Build
turnkey design & installation
modular labs
Modular labs which use modular wall panels and ceiling components. Advantages are the ease of installation and the absence of drywall dust and mess found with conventional construction.
"Stick-Built" cleanrooms
Conventionally constructed “stick-built” cleanrooms which use metal studs and drywall to construct the walls resulting in a more permanent installation. The cost per square foot of the stick-built walls is usually less than modular. They are more readily accepted by building departments. The walls have fewer joints making them easier to clean and sanitize.
mobile labs
Mobile labs, meaning that they can be transported and they can be designed in a couple of different flavors.
- They can be built inside of containers and custom enclosures such that they can be transported on a flatbed truck trailer and moved from site to site or shipped overseas on a container ship.
- They can be built into the trailer of a highway tractor-trailer and then towed from location to location.
- They can also be built inside of motorized vans such that they are driven from location to location.
Cleanroom or Laboratory Cleanroom
specifications used in the design and build
PETI designs and builds labs to meet the ISO standards , Federal standards and European standards.
Our designs meet strict regulatory classifications and design standards such as required by:
- CLIA
- cGMP
- BSL
- FDA
- CDC
- OSHA
- CMS
- ISO
Options & Additional Scope
For your lab to consider
PETI is a turnkey solution provider. As such we can and do get involved in many aspects of your facility. We offer the following and other ancillary support systems:
- Modular wall system options
- Drywall coverings
- Suspended T-bar ceiling options
- Lighting options
- Floor covering options
- Air filtration options
- Electrical systems
- Standby emergency power systems
- Exhaust ventilation systems
- Life safety systems
- HVAC systems
- Process piping systems
- Specialty systems
- Dust collection systems
- Water (RO-DI, WIFI, USP) systems
- Certification & validation
- Startup test and balancing
- Commissioning
- Training
- Consulting services
- Preventative maintenance programs
What PETI Brings to the Table
some of our strengths on modular wall systems
- PETI has over 35 years of experience designing and engineering, constructing and manufacturing cleanrooms and laboratories of all types and sizes, including chemistry, physics, biology, microbiology, and medical labs.
- We design laboratories using modular, conventional and specialized construction materials.
- We can provide turnkey solutions covering all aspects of your project including process piping, ventilation, control-monitoring systems and special environmental conditions.
- We design and install small QA laboratories to large R & D lab facilities and Biosafety labs.
- Most of the design and engineering is done in-house; we are responsible for all of the design. Of course, you, our customer, dictate the scope of our work.
- We work domestically and internationally
(see our who we have done work for page). - Our designs are cost-effective and robust.
- We self-perform the critical parts of the installation, such as controls, HVAC duct and equipment, hepa filters, air balance and startup.
- We can generate the protocols and perform IQ, OQ and PQs on our scope of work if you require validated systems.
- We are experienced in all types of controls from stand-alone to building automation systems.
schedule a Discussion
Let’s start your project quote together. Give us a call at (951) 582-9306 to get the conversation started and schedule a discussion today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find helpful answers to the questions we hear most often
In most cases yes. In our experience, and we design using both systems, the cost of the materials and to prefab and ship the modular components is greater than the cost to have drywall and metal studs delivered and erected.The other components and systems are essentially the same regardless of the wall system type.
In general, once on site, the modular wall system installs quicker and without the mess of stickbuilt (drywall metal stud) systems. It has a clean modern and high tech look to it.
A real bonus if you have a current operation. It is more flexible in the sense of expanding or rearranging walls again without the standard mess of the stickbuilt system. Depending on the modular wall panel construction, the quantity of seams can vary widely. FDA regulated facilities generally like to have fewer seams as it makes cleaning easier and may reduce the number of sampling points for viables. When a modular wall is damaged it is less likely to shed particles, however it can be more difficult to repair.
Additionally, the wall system can be disassembled and relocated, however, there is an additional cost to the disassembly, cleaning, labeling and freight which may reduce the benefit.
The materials and components of a stick-built systems can be readily purchased and delivered to a job site. The installation process can be begin when permits are close to being issued. There is not a lengthy manufacturing-delivery cycle.
Depending on the plan check-permit issuance duration this may or may not be an advantage. Plan checkers at your city building department will probably be more familiar with metal studs and drywall than a modular wall system. They may also ask less questions shortening the plan check process.
When installed and finished, it can have seamless surfaces and inside/outside corners that are easy to clean and lack the joints and crevices that could harbor bacteria and molds-spores. Return air paths are easier to create and may take less materials (read: cost) than a modular system. Having a hard-lid ceiling from metal studs and drywall is more easily achieved for laboratories. Metal stud systems usually can accommodate various R value, fire ratings and structural requirements easier than modular systems.
Yes, PETI is willing to handle this aspect of your project.
No, it is not required in most cases. PETI can handle most architectural requirements for the cleanroom facility and if you have requirements for other architectural services, we have Architects that we work with who can provide these services, keeping the project as a single point of contact and responsibility. However, we do not provide architectural services for green-field and new buildings.
No, we will do the parts of the project that make sense from your perspective. As an example, you may have an electrician you would like to use or a painting contractor. We can coordinate with them to bring about the successful conclusion of your project.
Give us a call or send us an e-mail. We will discuss or review your requirements and find out some information about your project.
We will ask questions such as: is it budgetary for planning or it has been approved for capital expenditure? What is the timeline for getting a quote? What is your desired construction timeline? What ISO classes do your require? In general ,what process will occur in the cleanroom (we will sign an NDA when your are ready to give more detailed information). Where is the project site located. What electrical power do you have available?
What are the process heat loads from your equipment? What are your other performance requirements e.g. T/RH and +/- tolerances, room pressure monitoring-controls, lighting levels …? What other systems do you need us to look at to support your project such as water (domestic, DI/RO, USP, wifi), drains, exhaust systems, compressed air systems and process gases?
If your question isn’t covered here, contact us, and one of our experts will be happy to assist.
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Get a Free Quote for Your Cleanroom, Laboratory or Specialty Room Needs
With over 35 years of experience in projects ranging from large turnkey facilities to portable modular cleanrooms and containerized solutions, we are your single-source solutions provider.