Case Studies

The Problem

As a result of increased market demand, a manufacturer of medical devices needed to increase the square footage of their cleanroom manufacturing space. The expansion needed to be done quickly with minimal disruption to production and offer enough cleanroom capacity for the increased fabrication, cleaning and assembly.

The Solution

Weaver Technologies designed and proposed a 20' expansion of their 25' x 33' ISO 8 cleanroom (fka Fed Std 209E Class 100,000) using the modular Simplex AirLock cleanrooms enclosure system. Fortunately, the customer had chosen this system originally, so this expansion was quick, simple and clean.

To start, Weaver Technologies made an onsite visit to learn what the customer wanted to do and discuss ideas. After some collaboration on the basic design, a 3-walled concept was achieved. Within a few days, a complete proposal was provided using the Simplex AirLock wall and ceiling system. This system uses an erector-set type aluminum frame with clear, flexible PVC wall panels that create the sidewalls of the enclosure. These new wall panels were attached and sealed to the existing side of the customer’s portable cleanroom. Then, an extension of the 2" extruded aluminum ceiling grid was secured and sealed to the existing grid, providing a continuous HEPA-filtered ceiling to the cleanroom. This ceiling grid consists of 2' × 4' openings to drop in 2' x 4' motorized HEPA-filtered fan units, 2' x 4' cleanroom light fixtures and 2' x 4' vinyl-coated ceiling tiles. These were all mounted on top to create a complete cleanroom ceiling.

The best part of the Simplex Airlock enclosure system is the ease of expansion and assembly. All wall panels, ceiling grid and structural components are prefabricated to the customer-specified sizes. It just fits together. All attachment hardware is included, even the Allen wrench. Assembly is simply removing the parts from the plastic wrapping, setting them in place and tightening the exclusive latch and screw connector, with an Allen wrench. There’s no cutting, sanding or grinding. This assembly took 2 days and was completed on a weekend, so work resumed on Monday without a disruption to production.

The Result

The customer was very happy as the portable cleanroom not only operated to design specifications; it also presented a clean professional appearance to their customers and employees and was installed without disruption to their production.