3 Ways Flexible Controlled Environments Aid Hazard Containment During MRO

Controlled environments and workflow flexibility: Normally these two phrases would contradict each other when it comes to airborne hazard containment. But flexibility is key to cost-effectively isolating manufacturing processes to keep clean air around each workpiece during maintenance, repairs, and operations (MRO). This is especially the case in high-mix/low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing environments such as aerospace and aviation, where constant changes in workflows make it challenging to meet indoor air quality and safety compliance requirements.

In this blog, we will share examples of how Duroair™ engineers flexible, airborne hazard containment solutions for safe, productive, controlled environments during MRO, including:

Fixed containment: Modular hardwall clean rooms and fixed soft-wall containment solutions
Portable containment: Retractable clean-air workstations and fast-deploy softwall paint booths
Containment for HMLV environments: Challenges of containing HMLV workflows and how flexible solutions from Duroair address these challenges

1: Fixed, Controlled Environment With Flexibility Built-In

Fixed clean rooms are frequently used for controlled environments for MRO, but many traditional clean rooms lack the flexibility to be modified for changing workflows. This is why we developed the modular DuroRoom™ Hardwall enclosure. It’s designed for the hazard containment you need to protect people and processes for large-capacity manufacturing and assemblies. Unlike prefab clean rooms, each DuroRoom Hardwall is completely reconfigurable without sacrificing the durability of a permanent enclosure.

Each DuroRoom Hardwall is combined with customized industrial filtration such as DuroPure™, DuroCap™, DuroDust™, or DuroClean™ to accommodate a wide variety of manufacturing operations and MRO tasks.

For example, if you have large-capacity assemblies, the DuroRoom Hardwall is designed to accommodate wider spans — over 65 feet. And because DuroRoom Hardwall is modular, it’s easy to add, move, and reconfigure walls as needed to accommodate different types of large assemblies and sub-assemblies.

Additional advantages include:3 Ways Flexible Controlled Environments Aid Hazard Containment During MRO

Customizable for controlled, positive air pressure environments for 5 or 6 ISO clean room levels. It’s modular enough to create multiple rooms within the enclosure, even if each room has varying levels of ISO.
Can easily meet temperature and humidity requirements when integrated with DuroClean™ exhaust equipment.
Can be constructed with no exterior windows with limited access and entry points, if required for security and privacy.
For noise reduction, DuroRoom Hardwall meets the Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 48 for a 30-40% noise reduction.
Fire-rated, metal-clad gypsum panels offer high thermal and acoustic insulation with a one-hour fire rating.

Duroair also offers softwall solutions for fixed, hazard containment, such as the DuroRoom™ softwall fixed enclosure. Like our hardwall solution, DuroRoom softwall can accommodate spans up to 60 feet. Both the hardwall and the fixed, softwall DuroRoom solutions can meet ISO clean room requirements for isolating sensitive aircraft components from airborne dirt or particulates in the same facility.

2: Portable Hazard Containment for On-the-Move MRO

While there are many advantages to hardwall workstations for MRO hazard containment, you may need a portable controlled environment for sudden changes in job schedules and materials. Fixed workstations are also not ideal if they need to be accessible by overhead cranes.

Fortunately, the DuroRoom softwall enclosure is also available as a portable solution. It retracts to 20% of its extended length to accommodate overhead cranes and to save space when not in use.

A softwall, portable workstation is also generally less expensive to build and install than a hardroom solution. Yet the DuroRoom softwall clean-air solution can meet your safety and industry-specific requirements for painting and coating, ISO clean rooms, isolation rooms, anterooms or gowning rooms, and non-destructive testing environments.

Additional advantages include:

Minimizes overspray and improves drying times with Taper Draft Airflow Technology that moves air through the enclosure in a cross-draft design.
Available with negative, positive, or neutral pressure rooms, depending upon your manufacturing and MRO processes and needs.
Shortens lead times because it’s faster to install than a hardroom workstation. It prevents workflow disruptions in the same facility because it’s easy to store when not in use.
Solves workflow and footprint problems that cost time and money, thanks to its retractability.
Reduces manufacturing expenses associated with materials, compared to hardwall systems requiring insulation and multiple rooms with hard walls and ceilings.

For even more hazard-containment portability, DuroAir has created the DuroDeployable™ generator-ready paint booth for rapid Plug and Play. It was developed by combining the DuroRoom softwall, retractable enclosure and the DuroPure air filtration system for safe and compliant spray operations. It effectively mitigates exposure to hexavalent chromium, isocyanates, and VOCs.

DuroDeployable is ideal for creating safe, compliant, controlled environments for military maintenance operations in garrison or while deployed. It can be easily moved from garrison in 1-40’ High Cube MILVAN or 2-20’ High Cube MILVANS — anywhere a controlled environment is required.

DuroAir designed this rapid-deploy solution to increase operational readiness and to meet the Department of Defense’s (DoD) maintenance requirements. It only takes 3 to 4 service members to get DuroDeployable operational within one hour, for true mission-readiness.

3: Solving Hazard Containment Challenges for HMLV Workflows

High-mix low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing, also referred to as make-to-order manufacturing, is the process of producing a high variety of products in small quantities. This production method is commonly used to manufacture unique and more complex products with specific quality requirements, such as component assemblies for aerospace and aviation.

If you’re working in an aerospace or aviation MRO environment, you may also need to accommodate the assembly and layup of large-capacity workpieces. There’s also the challenge of foreign object debris (FOD), where dust or debris can wreak havoc on sensitive components in these assemblies. In these cases, it’s essential to isolate and protect these processes.

Fortunately, DuroAir offers both fixed and portable hazard containment solutions to safely isolate MRO processes, even with constant changes in job schedules and materials. Plus, Duroair partners with aerospace, defense, and industrial manufacturers to meet stringent compliance standards while enhancing productivity.

What’s more, our Duroair clean-air experts can use our softwall and hardwall clean-air solutions to increase HMLV efficiency. We can help you:

Create a workflow plan: We can help you align on a product flow plan with a clean-air solution that allows you to better predict outcomes and eliminate failures in production.
Optimize flow: The first step in optimizing operations in low-volume manufacturing is to create a smooth product flow, despite the many product variations.
Uphold flexibility: Every aspect of a factory, from inventory to machines to the scheduling of staff, needs to remain flexible in order to handle the constant changes needed with HMLV manufacturing.

Verified Controlled Environments From Duroair

When you combine retractable enclosures like DuroRoom with engineered filtration such as DuroPure, DuroCap, DuroDust, or DuroClean, you get a winning formula for compliant, controlled environments. Contact us to learn how our compliant, tested, and verified clean-air solutions can cover your compliance bases. Plus, we can help you find cost-saving efficiencies for your manufacturing and MRO workflows.