Article: Semiconductor Fire Safety Systems
When is Fire Safety Equipment Obsolete?
Some things get better with age. Fire safety equipment is not one of these things. Obsolete fire safety equipment is no cause for nostalgia. Blindly believing that one’s rusty fire safety system will be there when you need it, is not a recommended EHS protocol. Check your fire safety systems, and check them frequently. A non-functioning fire safety system is sometimes worse than none at all. If you have no fire safety system, at least you have that awareness, and know that you are in danger. A non-functioning fire safety system lends the illusion of safety, in the face of potential danger.
Chronos Takes a Toll on Everything
In time, all machines fail their masters. In a semiconductor manufacturing operation, there are environmental parameters that sometimes speed that failure along. The integrity of flame detectors can be affected by the semiconductor process environment. Heat, vibration, and process chemicals can all take their toll on flame detectors. Connections get loose. Nozzles become ravaged by process chemistry fumes. CO2 cylinders leak. You need to pay attention to your critical safety systems. Even a fire safety system that has been designed for longevity needs to be periodically inspected. Don’t leave yours to the ravages of Father Time!
Don’t Fake Safety!
Do yourself a huge favor and perform proper periodic inspections on your fire safety systems. We don’t mean “walk around with a clipboard, signing off a paper so that you comply with the rules”. We mean, perform proper periodic inspections to determine the integrity of every potential failure point in your system. And, what’s the point of having somebody who doesn’t really know what they are doing, decide if your fire safety system is working or not? Considering what’s at risk in even a small fire in semiconductor process equipment, the price of an updated fire solution is minuscule compared to the severe cost of production downtime.
KFPI is internationally recognized as the proven leader in the semiconductor industry. We understand that the cleanroom environment is unique in today’s manufacturing, and the requirements for cleanliness, performance, and business continuity are critical to the success of any semiconductor operation. KFPI is 100% dedicated to solutions for clean room manufacturing, including semiconductor, LCD-TFT, FPD, and photovoltaic, with services and support worldwide.
KFPI has expertise in design, engineering, consulting, installation, maintenance, repair, and certification of semiconductor equipment fire protection systems. Our experience includes protection of new original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tools, and retrofit of end user tools, with individual and complex bulk protection systems. All of our fire protection systems are designed with the end user in mind, to ensure compliance and protection adequacy, along with reliability, performance, and longevity.
The KFPI Experience
KFPI employs licensed, factory trained, NICET certified, and clean room qualified professionals to work in your facilities. Our Project Managers & Field Engineers work closely with the tool engineers to minimize tool downtime by expediting tool installations inside the clean room. KFPI staff has an average tenure of 20+ years in the semiconductor industry, and we ensure our installations are to the highest degree of quality and efficiency. KFPI’s global service teams, along with strategic partners around the world, can handle your global needs consistently from site to site. We work with our partners to ensure global compliance and service that exceeds our customer’s needs.
KFPI employs licensed, factory trained, NICET certified, and clean room qualified professionals to work in your facilities. KFPI is internationally recognized as the proven leader in the semiconductor industry. KFPI understands that the cleanroom environment is unique in today’s manufacturing, and the requirements for cleanliness, performance, and business continuity are critical to the success of any semiconductor operation. KFPI is 100% dedicated to solutions for clean room manufacturing, including semiconductor, LCD-TFT, FPD, and photovoltaic, with services and support worldwide.
