In regulated manufacturing environments like pharma, every component—from HVAC systems to lighting—must meet exacting standards. Lighting, in particular, is no longer just about visibility; it directly influences compliance, airflow dynamics, and product integrity.
In this conversation, we speak with Peter Nadar, Managing Director of Motvic Consumables, a company focused on cleanroom-compatible lighting solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. With years of experience at the intersection of engineering design and regulatory requirements, Peter shares a practical perspective on what it takes to develop lighting systems that align with the precision and reliability expected in regulated manufacturing environments.
When designing lighting systems for ISO 5 or Grade A cleanrooms, what are the key considerations that distinguish them from standard industrial setups?
Absolutely—it’s a different world altogether. In standard industrial spaces, the focus is largely on brightness, uniformity, and energy efficiency. But in ISO 5 or Grade A cleanrooms, the priorities shift dramatically. You’re dealing with aseptic environments where even microscopic contamination can lead to batch failure or regulatory non-compliance. So, the lighting must first and foremost be non-shedding, hermetically sealed, and constructed from materials that won’t degrade when exposed to harsh cleaning agents.
Equally important is the geometry. Fixtures must be flush-mounted into the ceiling grid so that they don’t disrupt the HEPA-filtered laminar airflow. The design must eliminate crevices where particulates or microbes can accumulate. In that sense, we’re not just a lighting company—we’re working at the intersection of optics, fluid dynamics, and contamination control.
On airflow integrity, how do you ensure your luminaires don’t compromise laminar flow in aseptic zones?
That’s one of the most critical and overlooked elements. In a Grade A zone, especially under laminar flow hoods or RABS, even a slight turbulence caused by a protruding luminaire can create recirculation zones. These can trap particles, and if you’re manufacturing sterile injectables, that’s a serious risk.
So, we model airflow using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations during the design phase. The idea is to optimize the curvature and depth of the fixture housing so that air flows uniformly across the surface. The edge radius, mounting angle, and even the way the diffuser disperses heat are all simulated to confirm zero turbulence zones. This is why recessed fixtures with a low-profile diffuser are the gold standard.
Thermal management in sealed fixtures must be tricky. How do you handle LED heat dissipation without breaching cleanroom integrity?
You’ve nailed the paradox—we want airtight fixtures that don’t allow microbial ingress, but we’re also sealing in heat generated by high-output LEDs. From a technology standpoint, we’ve shifted to multi-phase passive heat sinks and thermally conductive enclosures that route heat to the external frame while maintaining surface temperatures within 35–40°C.
We look at it holistically—thermal failure leads to lumen depreciation, which in turn can disrupt standard operating lighting lux levels, especially in visual inspection areas. So we don’t just optimize for performance—we optimize for long-term validation stability.
Cleanroom lighting undergoes constant disinfection. How do you ensure material resilience in such harsh chemical environments?
This is where material integrity meets regulatory compliance. Standard polycarbonate lenses, for example, yellow or crack over time when exposed to vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP), IPA, or quaternary ammonium compounds. We generally opt for PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) with special UV-stabilized coatings or chemically strengthened borosilicate glass—depending on the zone classification and cleaning regimen.
For gaskets and seals, Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymer (EPDM) and closed-cell silicone are preferred. They’re non-reactive and don’t absorb cleaning agents. And all exposed hardware must be stainless steel—preferably AISI 316L—to resist corrosion and maintain sterility. Every material is validated through chemical resistance testing and simulated cleaning cycles before approval.
How do you manage CRI and CCT tuning in pharma zones like visual inspection and blending, where light quality impacts decision-making?
Pharma is unique. It’s one of the few industries where light affects both human judgment and product quality. In visual inspection areas, we use CRI 90+ with 4000K–4500K CCT to ensure subtle defects like particulate matter, seal integrity, or discoloration are visible to operators under batch record scrutiny.
We’ve even developed tunable systems that allow clients to adjust CCT based on the product being handled—some biotech processes require cooler light tones to reduce human fatigue. From a leadership point of view, this kind of adaptive lighting is the future—marrying human-centric design with regulatory compliance.
As pharma embraces Industry 4.0, how is smart lighting being integrated into cleanroom environments?
We’ve entered the era of connected compliance. Our smart lighting systems use DALI 2.0 protocols, allowing for zonal dimming, occupancy sensing, and energy analytics. But integration with cleanroom protocols requires care—EMC shielding, GAMP 5 software validation, and firewalled connectivity to avoid interference with MES or BMS systems.
We’ve deployed IoT-enabled lighting in a major European insulin plant, where lighting now feeds real-time data to the central utility platform. As an MD, this excites me—lighting is no longer passive. It’s becoming an active node in cleanroom digital architecture.
Retrofitting cleanroom lighting in legacy facilities can be daunting. What’s your approach to brownfield upgrades?
Retrofitting is a beast of its own. Older facilities may have plasterboard ceilings, limited ceiling cavity height, or legacy fixtures that aren’t grid-compatible. First, you need to assess compatibility with existing HEPA filter layouts and HVAC ducting. Many older cleanrooms also lack the power infrastructure to support modern LED drivers or smart lighting protocols.
We often work alongside HVAC and validation consultants to co-develop ceiling layouts. Validation becomes tricky because you’re disturbing a qualified space. That’s why modular retrofit kits—with pre-validated luminaires, plug-and-play wiring, and minimal ceiling disruption—are gaining popularity. All changes must pass requalification, especially air velocity and particle count testing.
Finally, where is cleanroom lighting headed in the next 5–7 years, especially in high-compliance sectors like pharma and biomanufacturing?
The future is definitely layered. We’re moving toward multi-sensor lighting platforms—fixtures that not only illuminate but also house environmental sensors (for temperature, VOCs, occupancy, etc.). These can feed directly into MES or BMS systems, creating a tightly integrated ecosystem.
Another big trend is human-centric lighting (HCL) for manufacturing spaces that operate 24/7. By simulating circadian lighting, you can reduce fatigue and improve alertness among operators—especially in visual inspection zones.
On the materials front, antimicrobial coatings and self-cleaning surfaces are gaining traction. And from a design standpoint, we’re seeing increased demand for edge-lit and frameless fixtures that are as aesthetic as they are compliant—particularly in customer-facing cleanroom environments like CDMOs or sterile packaging zones.
So yes, lighting is evolving from a utility to a strategic enabler in pharma 4.0 facilities.
