New high specification clean room for William Hughes
Our New Clean Room In Dorset
Since William Hughes, a specialist manufacturer of springs and wire components, acquired AC Services in the summer of 2015, the company has been busy establishing an 80m² high specification cleanroom at its Stalbridge, Dorset headquarters. Rated at Class 7 in accordance with ISO 14644-1, this advanced subcontract cleanroom facility is now open — the only one of its kind in the UK.
"From the outset we wanted to create a facility featuring the latest, modular clean room technologies and furniture," explains Special Processes Manager, Shaun Tattershall. "We have adopted the previous solvent and aqueous cleaning systems - both of which offer ultrasonic capability - used by AC Services, but pretty much everything else is new."
What is an ISO Class 7 Cleanroom?
An ISO Class 7 cleanroom, equivalent to a Class 10,000 cleanroom under Fed Std 209E, provides a highly controlled environment designed to limit particulate contamination. William Hughes' ISO Class 7 cleanroom in Dorset meets stringent aerospace industry standards and is certified in line with ISO 14644-1.
It includes high grade stainless steel furniture that is designed to help minimise particulate levels. What's more, the open plan clean room has been designed for optimum product flow based on the latest lean manufacturing methodologies. It will thus prove ideal for any company looking to subcontract its cleaning requirements, not just from the aerospace and hydraulics industries, but also defence, nuclear, medical, electronics and oil and gas.
"The existing class room specification for these products is ISO Class 8, so our ISO Class 7 facility is more than suitable - it's the equivalent of a Class 10,000 cleanroom using the Fed Stan 209E," says Mr Tattershall.
Clean Room for Component Cleaning in Dorset
The facility is purpose-built for cleaning small batch, high-precision machined components, springs, and fabricated parts. It is currently used for oxygen-related cleaning applications for aerospace giant Honeywell. These include parts used in oxygen equipment such as breathing apparatus, face masks, ducting, and even components for liquid oxygen (LOX) systems.
William Hughes can offer in-house cleaning verification capabilities. Here, samples are taken from batches that have been cleaned. The samples are rinsed with filtered, deionised water over a 0.45 µm filter membrane. Any particulates captured are both counted and examined under a microscope. As a result, customers can rest assured that their components will always meet the specified particulate count. This confidence is vital; after all, a contaminated system component/assembly could result in a chemical reaction, an explosion and/or a total system or device failure.
Inspection and Quality Assurance with UV Light and Microscopy
A dedicated inspection darkroom allows for ultra-violet (UV) light-based examination of components to detect any potential contamination. This is essential for sectors like aerospace and defence where even microscopic impurities can lead to system failure.
William Hughes also offers in-house cleaning verification capabilities. Samples are rinsed with filtered, deionised water over a 0.45 µm filter membrane, and any particulates captured are both counted and analysed under a microscope. These methods ensure the facility's suitability as a cleanroom for small batch precision parts cleaning.
Hermetically Sealed Cleanroom Packaging Process
"We take the utmost care with customer parts and ensure that all cleaning is compatible with the component being processed," says Mr Tattershall. "Cleaned items are placed into hermetically sealed bags that will not be opened again until required for further processing, such as assembly."
Supporting Multiple Industries with Subcontract Cleanroom Services
The ISO Class 7 cleanroom UK aerospace industry clients rely on at William Hughes is also open to other high-precision sectors. The subcontract cleanroom accommodates components up to 300 by 200 mm in size and can clean a wide range of materials including metals, rubbers, plastics, and composite materials. This flexibility makes it ideal for use across industries requiring the highest levels of cleanliness and traceability.