Walkable ceilings reduce downtime during service and cleaning operations. The primary benefit of the walkable ceiling is that there will never be a need to send a maintenance person into the containment to change a light bulb or calibrate a sensor. As a result there is no need to shut down, clean, and resterilize after routine maintenance. The loss of production following routine maintenance can be carefully designed out of aseptic and clean containment facilities. Walkable steel panel ceilings are far better suited than gypboard or tee grid and lay-in tile ceilings for cleanrooms and clean containment.
Tiles can lift and break sterility, resulting in a total loss of product.
We have seen numerous examples that would not validate. While at first blush this might seem excessive, the benefits in terms of initial constructability and ongoing maintenance cannot be overstated. Walkable ceilings eliminate the need for maintenance catwalks over cleanrooms, and this can help to lower the required height of a new building. Conventional construction, with its spackling, taping, sanding, painting, noxious compounds and waste disposal issues risks building sources of contamination into the room. For example, epoxy or polyester coatings cover gypboard outgas when new, and dry out over time and crack and shed with rather predictable frequency.