Within an aggressive six-week schedule, DPR doubled the size of an occupied research and testing laboratory, upgraded electrical services and expanded a high-purity gas system for Motorola, all without disruption to ongoing operations.

Although typically not considered large in size at about 9,000 sq. ft., the project included daily technical coordination between Motorola and DPR to enable work at the plant to continue during construction. The lab, which shares a wall with a Class 10,000 manufacturing cleanroom, also processes chemical emissions and relies upon a complex exhaust system that required extensive precautions to ensure a safe environment throughout the project.

Coordinate and Communicate

“Safety was the focus of every stage of this complicated job, where we were adding new ductwork and doing tie-ins right on top of a functioning laboratory,” said DPR Superintendent Randy Gordon. “We were also working in panels in which we had an extensive lock-out, tag-out system that could potentially ruin a chip they had under production.”

In the existing portion of the laboratory, new process exhaust ducts for the high-purity gas system were run through the ceiling grid, directly above individuals working with multi-million-dollar tools that utilize a variety of chemicals, including acids. The exhaust system pulls the toxic fumes released from the acids during production.

To create a safe working environment, DPR implemented a cleanroom protocol protection system during installation. When Motorola workers moved off of a tool during a scheduled shutdown, DPR began installing fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) and galvanized 18-inch and 20-inch diameter lines through the ceiling, while crews continuously vacuumed and cleaned while work was being performed.

“We held detailed coordination meetings with Motorola to arrange times when they could shut down a particular tool with minimal impact to production and move workers off so that we could quickly move in to do our job,” said Gordon.

The tie-in of the gas and electrical systems also required a similar high level of coordination with the lab and cleanroom. There were a total of four major electrical panel tie-ins and 20 tie-ins of various gases, gas piping and process exhaust ducts. To allow the adjacent cleanroom and research operations to continue uninterrupted, the majority of the tie-ins were performed during a marathon weekend session. With the entire area completely offline, 60 workers started at 4 a.m. and worked until 8 p.m. to complete the process.

All the Way Live

In one instance, however, DPR determined that to further minimize impact on ongoing production and keep the project moving on schedule, one tie-in to the exhaust duct, which captures toxic fumes, needed to be performed live. A protective environment was set up to ensure no hazardous fumes escaped during the procedure, including HEPA filter smoke eaters to exhaust the area and full protective clothing for workers.

“Our strong collaborative relationship with Motorola was a contributing factor in the success of this project. We were able to schedule construction around ongoing research and chip production and perform critical procedures safely and without disruption,” said Gordon.