A softwall cleanroom uses clear vinyl curtains hung from painted steel or aluminum frame with HEPA fan filter units mounted on top. For smaller softwall cleanrooms it is not uncommon for the cleanroom to be mounted on casters so it can be moved around.
Figure 2. Softwall cleanroom components
Softwall cleanroom components:
Aluminum or painted steel frame.
Ceiling mounted HEPA fan filter units.
Clear vinyl curtains.
Ceiling mounted LED flat panel lights.
Casters.
Softwall cleanroom air flow is one pass so the HEPA fan filter units pulls air from outside of the cleanroom, filters into and pushes it into the cleanroom. The air then exhausts under the vinyl curtains out of the cleanroom.
Figure 3. Softwall cleanroom air flow simulation
Advantages of softwall cleanrooms:
Easy Assembly.
Mobility: Smaller softwall cleanrooms are often mounted on casters.
Temporary: They can be easily assembled, used, then stored away for later need.
Building permits not needed.
Disadvantages for softwall cleanrooms:
Not as clean as recirculating cleanrooms since they are one-pass.
Cannot be air conditioned.
Figure 4. Softwall cleanroom inside pharmaceutical modular cleanroom Figure 5. High bay softwall aerospace cleanroom Figure 6. Softwall Cleanroom at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Figure 7. Laser blackout softwall cleanroom
Summary: Softwall cleanrooms are an alternative to stick built or modular cleanrooms. They are built using aluminum or painted steel frames, clear vinyl curtains, and HEPA fan filter units. Advantages are fast installation and no building permits. Disadvantages include the one pass air flow means softwall cleanrooms are not as cleanroom modular recirculating cleanrooms and air conditioning is not possible.
Property American Cleanroom Systems 2023
The author Anthony Chien has worked at American Cleanroom Systems for more than 10 years . He has more than 40 years of cleanroom experience. Anthony has a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering specializing in semiconductor manufacturing from the University of Illinois. American Cleanroom Systems is a design build modular cleanroom manufacturer based in Rancho Santa Margarita CA. It is expert in ISO-5 thru ISO-8 (class 100 to class 100k) modular cleanrooms for nutraceutical cleanrooms, pharmaceutical cleanrooms, medical device cleanrooms, and industrial cleanrooms.
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