Plastics for cleanroom technology

Plastics for cleanroom technology must meet high requirements for purity, surface quality, chemical resistance and dimensional accuracy. Depending on the application, low particle emission, low outgassing, electrostatic properties or resistance to cleaning and sterilisation processes may also be required.

Martan Plastics supplies engineering plastics and high-performance plastics as semi-finished products, cut pieces and individually machined finished parts. We support you in selecting the suitable material based on your cleanroom requirements, operating conditions and component geometry.

What requirements must plastics in cleanroom technology meet?

The requirements for a plastic always depend on the specific cleanroom application. A material for a wafer holder in semiconductor manufacturing must meet different properties than a transparent protective cover, a seal or a guide element.

When selecting the material, the following criteria should be checked in particular:

• Low particle formation: Abrasion and particle release should be as low as possible in moving and mechanically loaded components.
• Low outgassing: Particularly in sensitive production processes and vacuum applications, the outgassing behaviour of a material can be relevant.
• Chemical resistance: The plastic must be resistant to the process chemicals, cleaning agents and disinfectants used.
• Smooth and easy-to-clean surfaces: A suitable surface quality facilitates cleaning and decontamination.
• Dimensional accuracy: Precision components must reliably maintain their geometry even under temperature changes and mechanical load.
• Temperature resistance: Process and cleaning temperatures must lie within the permissible service limits of the material.
• Sterilisability: In medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare applications, resistance to repeated sterilisation processes may be required.
• Electrostatic properties: In electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, ESD requirements may make a special material grade necessary.

Cleanroom classification according to ISO 14644 refers to the particle concentration of the room air. It cannot automatically be deduced from this that every material is fundamentally suitable for a particular cleanroom class. Suitability must be checked on the basis of the specific material, the material grade, the component and the respective process.

Which plastics are suitable for cleanroom technology?

Various engineering and high-performance plastics are available for cleanroom applications. Which material is suitable depends above all on purity requirements, chemical contact, temperature, mechanical load and the required surface quality.

Material	Typical strengths	Typical cleanroom applications
PEEK	high temperature and chemical resistance, high strength and dimensional accuracy	precision parts, wafer handling, guides, structural parts
PTFE	very high chemical resistance, very low friction, non-stick surface	seals, sliding elements, media-conveying components
PVDF	high chemical resistance, good mechanical properties, low water absorption	pump components, valves, piping, plant components
POM	high dimensional accuracy, low water absorption, good sliding properties	guides, bearings, mechanical precision parts
PP	good chemical resistance, low weight, economical	containers, covers, plant and structural parts
PC	transparent, impact-resistant and dimensionally stable	viewing panels, protective covers, transparent housing parts

This overview serves as initial guidance. The specific material grade should always be checked on the basis of the actual operating conditions.

PEEK for demanding cleanroom applications

PEEK plastic is particularly suitable for components in which high mechanical load capacity must be combined with temperature and chemical resistance.

The high-performance plastic offers high rigidity, good dimensional stability and very low moisture absorption. This makes PEEK particularly interesting for precision components whose geometry must be maintained even under demanding operating conditions.

Typical applications are:

• wafer holders and handling components
• guide elements
• precision components
• insulating components
• valve and pump components
• components for vacuum and process equipment

PEEK is particularly interesting when standard engineering plastics reach their limits due to temperature, chemical contact or mechanical load.

PTFE under high chemical exposure

PTFE is characterised by very high chemical resistance and particularly low friction. At the same time, the material has a non-stick surface.

In cleanroom technology, PTFE is used among other things for seals, sliding elements and components with contact to aggressive media.

Typical components are:

• seals
• valve seats
• sliding elements
• bearings
• media-conveying components
• chemically exposed components

For mechanically heavily loaded structural parts, it must be taken into account that PTFE is considerably softer and less rigid than PEEK, for example. The material selection should therefore always be adapted to the actual load.

PVDF for chemically exposed plant components

PVDF plastic combines high chemical resistance with better mechanical properties than many softer fluoropolymers.

As a result, PVDF is suitable among other things for components in plants in which aggressive media are transported or processed.

Typical applications are:

• pump components
• valves
• piping components
• containers and plant components
• chemically exposed structural parts

PVDF can be particularly interesting when both chemical resistance and comparatively high mechanical stability are required.

POM for precise mechanical components

POM plastic has low moisture absorption, high dimensional accuracy and good sliding properties. The material can also be machined very well.

POM is therefore suitable among other things for:

• guides
• rollers
• bushes
• bearings
• gears
• mechanical precision components

However, for particularly high purity, outgassing or temperature requirements, higher-performance materials such as PEEK or suitable fluoropolymers should be checked.

Polypropylene for economical plant components

Polypropylene (PP) offers good chemical resistance with low density and can be used economically for numerous structural applications.

Possible cleanroom applications are:

• containers
• cladding
• covers
• laboratory and plant components
• structural parts with chemical contact

Whether PP is suitable for the respective cleanroom application depends on the material grade used and the required purity, temperature and surface properties.

Polycarbonate for transparent protective components

When transparency and high impact resistance are required, polycarbonate can be a suitable solution.

Typical applications are:

• viewing panels
• transparent protective covers
• machine enclosures
• housing parts
• partition and protective elements

In case of contact with cleaning or process chemicals, media resistance should be checked in advance, as polycarbonate can be sensitive to certain chemicals and solvents.

Which plastic is suitable for which cleanroom application?

The selection cannot be made on the basis of the designation "cleanroom-suitable" alone. The starting point should always be the actual operating conditions.

Under high chemical exposure: Check PTFE or PVDF.

Under high mechanical and thermal load: Check PEEK and other high-performance plastics.

For precise guide and functional parts: Check POM or PEEK.

For transparent covers and viewing panels: Check polycarbonate.

For economical container and plant constructions: Check PP.

For applications in semiconductor manufacturing: In addition, particularly high requirements for purity, chemical resistance, outgassing behaviour and electrostatic properties must be taken into account. Further information can be found under Plastics for the semiconductor industry.

Material selection according to operating conditions

For a reliable material decision, you should define the most important requirements as early as possible.

Requirement	Criteria to be checked
Purity requirement	cleanroom class, permissible particle emission, contamination risk
Chemical contact	medium, concentration, temperature and contact duration
Temperature	continuous service temperature, peak temperature, cleaning and sterilisation processes
Mechanical load	pressure, tension, bending, friction and wear
Dimensional accuracy	tolerances, thermal expansion and moisture absorption
Surface	roughness, cleanability and required surface finish
Electrical requirements	insulation, conductivity or ESD requirements
Documentation	required material certificates, conformities or project-specific evidence

The more precisely these requirements are defined, the more specifically a suitable material can be selected.

Typical plastic components for cleanroom equipment

Engineering plastics and high-performance plastics are used in cleanroom equipment among other things for the following components:

• wafer holders and wafer handling components
• guides and plain bearings
• rollers and transport elements
• seals and valve seats
• pump and valve components
• spacers and insulators
• grippers and workpiece carriers
• housings and protective covers
• viewing panels
• piping and media components
• precision components to drawing

Particularly in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, medical and electronics industries, material properties and manufacturing quality must be considered together.

Precise plastic parts for cleanroom technology

In addition to the material, machining also influences the quality of a cleanroom component. Surface quality, burr formation, dimensional accuracy and contamination caused by manufacturing can be relevant for the subsequent application.

Martan Plastics manufactures individual plastic parts to drawing or technical specifications. Depending on the material, geometry and quantity, different methods of plastic machining are used.

These include among others:

• CNC milling
• CNC turning
• drilling
• waterjet cutting
• cutting of plastic semi-finished products to size

For precision components, material selection, semi-finished product quality, manufacturing method, tolerances and surface requirements should be coordinated with one another before production begins.

Cleanroom technology and the semiconductor industry

Particularly high requirements for plastic components arise in semiconductor manufacturing. Even minor contamination can impair sensitive processes.

Depending on the process, the following are required among other things:

• high material purity
• low particle formation
• low outgassing
• chemical resistance
• high dimensional accuracy
• suitable electrical or ESD properties
• precise surfaces

For such applications, selected high-performance plastics and fluoropolymers in particular come into consideration. A more in-depth overview is available on our industry page for the semiconductor industry.

Plastics and finished parts for your cleanroom application

Martan Plastics supports you in the selection and machining of engineering plastics for cleanroom and process equipment. Depending on the project, we supply plastic semi-finished products, cut pieces or individually machined finished parts.

For a technical assessment, the following details in particular help us:

• area of application and cleanroom requirement
• required cleanroom class
• contact with chemicals or process media
• operating and cleaning temperatures
• mechanical load
• desired dimensions and tolerances
• requirements for the surface
• required quantity
• required approvals or evidence

Send us your drawing or technical requirements. Together we will check which plastic and which manufacturing method are suitable for your cleanroom application.

Request your plastic solution for cleanroom technology now

Frequently asked questions about plastics in cleanroom technology

Which plastics are used in cleanrooms?

Depending on the application, PEEK, PTFE, PVDF, POM, PP and polycarbonate are used among others. The selection depends on purity requirements, temperature, chemical contact, mechanical load and surface requirements.

Which plastic is suitable for aggressive chemicals?

Under high chemical exposure, fluoropolymers such as PTFE or PVDF are frequently checked. Which variant is suitable depends on the specific medium, its concentration, temperature and contact duration.

When is PEEK useful for cleanroom technology?

PEEK is particularly suitable for demanding precision components when high temperature resistance, mechanical strength, dimensional accuracy and chemical resistance are required at the same time.

Is POM suitable for cleanroom applications?

POM can be suitable for mechanical components such as guides, rollers and bearings. For particularly high requirements for purity, outgassing, temperature or chemical resistance, it should be checked whether a high-performance plastic or fluoropolymer is better suited.

Which plastics are suitable for viewing panels in the cleanroom?

Polycarbonate can be used for viewing panels and protective covers due to its transparency and high impact resistance. Resistance to the cleaning and process chemicals used must be taken into account.

Can plastic parts be manufactured to drawing?

Yes. Martan Plastics manufactures individual plastic parts to drawing and technical specifications. Depending on the material, geometry and tolerances, different methods of plastic machining are available.

Which details are needed for material selection?

Details on cleanroom class, chemical contact, operating and cleaning temperatures, mechanical load, dimensions, tolerances, surface, quantity and required approvals or evidence are helpful.