What is the difference between a CNC  (Controlled Not Classified) area and a cleanroom?

What is the difference between a CNC  (Controlled Not Classified) area and a cleanroom?

  As technology advances and society progresses, the requirements for production or experiment are becoming increasingly stringent. To meet the different control requirements of such critical environments, cleanroom and CNC areas will come to our mind. 

  So, what is a cleanroom? What is CNC areas? What is the difference between them? To figure it out, we need to have a thorough understanding of both. 

1.What is Cleanroom? 
  A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates for scientific research and in industrial production. It is well isolated, well controlled from contamination with cleanliness level, temperature, humidity, pressure, pattern and other parameters taken into consideration, in order to ensure the designed area meet required conditions.

  Nowadays, with the fast-paced manufacturing industry, cleanroom is increasingly being used in production environments across various industries, mainly including:
• Pharmaceutical industry(pharmacy cleanroom): Pharmaceutical production requires sterile and dust-free environments for injection drugs, formulations, and biological products. Cleanroom is widely used in all aspects of pharmaceutical production processes, such as drug preparation, raw material handling, packaging, and quality inspection. 
• Electronics industry(electronics cleanroom): Electronic products need to be manufactured in high-cleanliness environments to ensure that the products are not disturbed by dust and other small particles. Cleanroom is widely used in semiconductor, integrated circuit, screen display and other fields.
• Biological engineering(bio clean room): In biological engineering, cleanroom ensures the cleanliness of the laboratory environment, and prevent contamination and cross-infection of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms.  
• Aerospace industry(aerospace clean room): In the aerospace field, cleanroom is used to manufacture high-precision aerospace components and devices, ensuring their reliability and safety. 

2、What is a CNC  (Controlled Not Classified) area? 
A CNC (Controlled Not Classified) is an area where specific parameters must be controlled, including differential pressure, temperature, and isolation. Many laboratories are considered CNC areas since they can control temperature and differential pressure, and are isolated from other operations (such as manufacturing or transportation). Unlike clean rooms, CNC (Controlled Not Classified) areas do not necessarily have to meet certain criteria for particulate contamination, mainly including.
• Laboratory: Depending on experimental objects, the experiments usually require specific control conditions, such as: life science laboratory, engineering laboratory, laser laboratory, mass laboratory, etc.  
• Additionally, many industries have specific and strict control requirements for production, such as: high-energy physics facilities, hospitals, cultivation rooms, clean production, food processing, pharmacies, etc.

3、How to choose between clean room and controlled areas? 
As mentioned above, a controlled area does not necessarily have to meet certain criteria for particle contamination. However, all requirements for cleanroom is specifically regulated, and clean room must meet designated standards, which may require more energy, airflow, and advanced technology to maintain the conditions of the cleanroom. Therefore, when constructing and designing indoor environments, contractors need to determine the necessary construction materials and equipment based on the industry requirements and comprehensive factors. To ensure that the facilities are equipped accurately and comply with relevant standards, contractors will consider the following:

• Required ISO Class and FDA regulations    
• Type and location of HEPA or ULPA filters 
• Environmental conditions  
• HVAC requirements 
• Building space and material requirements 
• Fire safety requirements 
• Lighting and other electrical requirements
• Pipeline requirements
• Utility requirements, including water, electricity and gas requirements of equipment 
Understanding the differences between controlled area and cleanroom, and taking the above into consideration is crucial to determining the appropriate solution for your specific requirements and industry standards.