Steris Isomedix Expansion Completed in Ontario, CA

Fullmer Construction recently completed a 7,214 square foot building expansion at the Steris Isomedix facility in Ontario, CA. It is one of Fullmer’s most complex and unique projects to date.

The project consisted of constructing a concrete containment bunker, which was added on to the existing facility and contains a state-of-the-art electron beam system for use in product sterilization, primarily for products in the medical field. Thick concrete walls allow radiation to dissolve within the bunker, or be disbanded by the time it passes through the intricate venting system.

The bunker was created to house Steris’ new product conveyor system, which inside is mounted on a newly constructed mezzanine that brings the untreated product into the “Treatment Level.” This is where pre-packaged products are treated from above and below through ports where an electron beam is discharged through two identical “Accelerator” guns; these two $1 million-plus machines are located on the first and third level, with the product passing through on the second. The treated product then continues through the conveyor passageway, where it is sorted, wrapped, and ready for shipment. Also included within the bunker are a dosimetry room and two control rooms for monitoring all conveyors, elevators and moving parts.

Project Details:

• Three-level poured-in-place concrete radiation containment bunker: 46’W x 90’L

• 3,200 cubic yards of 4,000 PSI concrete totaling 12.8 million lbs.

• 252 tons of rebar

• Concrete walls range in thickness from 2’ to 10’

• Second and third level concrete decks with 3’ thickness

• Two $1 million-plus electron beam accelerator guns