Dry room environments for moisture-sensitive production
In a dry room, humidity is the critical control parameter. Dry environments are essential in industries such as lithium-ion battery manufacturing, where conditions often require a dew point of −40°C or lower.
Dry rooms are closely related to cleanrooms, but the focus is on dehumidification systems and ventilation requirements. Several factors significantly impact cost, including:
Air tightness of the building shell
Controlled air volume
Ventilation efficiency
Dehumidification and cooling system efficiency
Local climate
AirSon’s engineering solutions are tailored to specific project requirements. As an independent engineering partner, we evaluate and design the most suitable solution without being tied to specific suppliers.
Dry rooms, controlled environments for demanding industries
Dry rooms are controlled environments used in demanding industries. In modern high-tech manufacturing, humidity control is as critical as particle control. A dry room is a specialised facility where relative humidity (RH) is maintained at very low levels, often below 1%. This is essential to protect hygroscopic materials and moisture-sensitive processes.
AirSon specializes in designing, building, and maintaining dry rooms that meet the strictest industrial requirements. Our dry room solutions ensure that your production can continue with the highest possible quality and safety, whether it involves advanced batteries or sensitive electronics.
Moisture can cause serious problems, which is why dry rooms are essential
Dry room environments prevent corrosion and oxidation, as moisture accelerates the degradation of sensitive materials. Hygroscopic materials may absorb moisture and expand, leading to defects such as delamination and swelling.
Battery performance and lifetime can be significantly impaired by moisture exposure, which also introduces safety risks. Certain materials may react violently when exposed to moisture. Dry room environments eliminate these risks by maintaining an ultra-low dew point.
Dryroom applications
The demand for dry rooms has increased significantly with the development of new materials and technologies. Key application areas include:
Battery manufacturing: Especially for lithium-ion batteries, where even trace amounts of moisture can lead to serious performance issues and safety risks. This includes the production of battery cells and battery packs.
Pharmaceutical industry: For the production and packaging of moisture-sensitive pharmaceuticals and hygroscopic powders.
Electronics industry: Manufacturing of semiconductors, circuit boards, and optical components where moisture can cause short circuits and malfunctions.
Materials research: Development and testing of new moisture-sensitive materials under controlled conditions.
Lithium processing: Handling of lithium and other moisture-reactive metals.
Energy-efficient design of dryrooms
High requirements often necessitate large air volumes, resulting in high energy demand. A strong focus on energy efficiency helps reduce operational expenditure (OPEX).
Energy demand in controlled production environments depends on multiple factors. One of the most important – and often overlooked – is the actual process requirement. Overly stringent requirements result in unnecessary energy use, while insufficient requirements may compromise functionality.
The size of the controlled environment and the airtightness of the building envelope are also key factors affecting operational costs. In some cases, isolator or microclimate solutions may provide more efficient alternatives. AirSon supports the evaluation of production processes and develops tailored solutions in dedicated testing environments such as the AirShower and Air Lab.
