SOFTWALL CLEANROOMS

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SOFTWALL MODULAR CLEANROOMS: SIMPLE, MOBILE AND COST EFFECTIVE

By Kevin Weist, president Softwall modular cleanrooms are standard 4-by-4-ft units, to sizes as large
Clean Air Products designed for functionality and reduced as 24-by-36-ft. Larger, custom sizes can
cost while providing all the flexible be designed and built to meet customer
benefits of modular construction. requirements. Because of their modular
They are tent-like, lightweight, easy- design, rooms can be expanded or
to-assemble structures that can be reduced in size without taking the entire
installed free-standing or suspended cleanroom down, making it easy to add
from the ceiling of an existing building. or remove sections. Softwall rooms are
also available in a variety of cleanroom
Unlike their fixed-wall counterparts, classifications, but most commonly in
softwall cleanrooms are generally smaller, Class 100,000 to Class 10 (ISO 8 to ISO 4)
portable and can fit into tight spaces. The designs.
portable design enables the cleanroom
A wide variety of industries use
units to be easily moved to another
softwall cleanrooms — medical device,
location or disassembled and stored.
microelectronics and semiconductor
Because of their relative low cost, softwall
manufacturers — as well as electronics
cleanrooms are ideal for small or startup
repair industries where contaminants
businesses, or manufacturers looking for a
cannot be allowed into sensitive areas of
quick, easy way to expand their cleanroom
electronic devices.
operations.

The cleanrooms are available in a variety DESIGNED FOR EASY ASSEMBLY

of sizes and classifications, with options to The basic building block of the softwall
match a customer’s specific needs. From cleanroom’s modular design is a sectioned
ceiling framework made up of tubular
steel beams with T-bar cross members.
This interlocking ceiling grid system
enables easy assembly and cleanroom
A modular softwall expansion. The ceiling is supported by
cleanroom is a low-cost
tubular steel legs at each of the four
investment that provides
a highly functional corners and reinforced with heavy gauge,
cleanroom solution for triangular steel gussets. Powered HEPA
manufacturers. filter units, lighting systems and ceiling
panels are sealed to the grid using gaskets,
providing a zero-leak cleanroom.

Interior height of the ceiling framework

is commonly 8, 9 or 10 feet, although
various heights are available depending on
the customer application. Standard filter
unit height is 14 inches, with a two-inch
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minimum space required between Maximum Number of Particles in Air

(Particles per cubic meter )
the filter unit and facility ceiling. The
common structure height enables the Fed-Std Particle Size
ISO 209E
modular softwall cleanroom to easily fit Class Class ≥ 0.1µm ≥ 0.2µm ≥ 0.3µm ≥ 0.5µm ≥1µm ≥ 5µm

within an existing building. ISO 1 10 2

ISO 2 100 24 10 4
Softwall cleanrooms without a center ISO 3 (Class 1) 1,000 237 102 35 8
ISO 4 (Class 10) 10,000 2,370 1,020 352 83
support have a maximum size of ISO 5 (Class 100) 100,000 23,700 3,520
10,200 832 29
12-by-12-ft with a leg on each corner. ISO 6 (Class 1,000) 1,000,000 237,000 102,000 35,200 8,320 293
ISO 7 (Class 10,000) 352,000 83,200 2,930
Larger rooms can be constructed, but ISO 8 (Class 100,000) 3,520,000 832,000 29,300
additional support posts within the
Cleanroom classification chart
structure are required. For example,
a room 16-by-20-ft would have one
center post or a room 20-by-32-ft
would have three center posts. Other
options are available for clear spans powered HEPA filters, lights and blank
without center legs. For example, ceiling- panels. In contrast, Class 10 (ISO 4)
suspended softwall cleanrooms eliminate cleanrooms require 100-percent ceiling
the need for all support legs and columns. coverage with powered filters in all
This configuration allows the cleanroom to ceiling grid sections.
easily accommodate equipment layout and When ceiling space for lighting is limited
maximizes floor space utilization. due to filter requirements, flow-thru
lights can be used. These are similar
WALL AND DOOR CONSTRUCTION to standard clean room lights with the
The walls of most standard softwall exception that a motorized ceiling HEPA
modular cleanrooms are made of 20 or filter unit is mounted directly on top of
40 mil clear vinyl and are fire retardant the light. This fixture is designed with
with an anti-static additive. Cleanroom- open areas so filtered air is able to flow
grade softwalls with low outgassing and through the light fixture down into the
static-dissipative vinyl are an option. clean room. Flow-thru lights are also
Vinyl strip doorways commonly consist of valuable in situations where concentrated
eight-inch-wide, 80-mil thick strips with “clean areas” and lighting need to be
a two-inch overlap on each side along the achieved within a cleanroom. The filter
length. The strips are pushed apart for unit and light fixture are pre-assembled
entry/exit and automatically reseal as together to form one complete flow-thru
they come back together. The strip doors light unit.
are pre-assembled and are easily mounted Filtered air is exhausted from the
to the ceiling structure. Swinging doors in cleanroom beneath the flexible vinyl
metal frames are an available option when walls. An adequate gap of about 6 inches
acrylic or Lexan walls are used. between walls and floor is necessary for
air to flow through the room and escape.
FILTER REQUIREMENTS Air volume is typically about 200 feet per
The controlled level of contamination minute, and at that rate the flexible walls
will vary depending on quantity and tend to bow outward a little because
configuration of filters. For example, the of positive air pressure created by the
ceiling structure of a Class 10,000 (ISO 7) powered filters. A small amount of wall
cleanroom will have a combination of flex is normal, but if the wall-to-floor gap

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Softwall cleanroom design

and components

is too small, the air will push the panels along the outside perimeter of the
outward to an unacceptable distance cleanroom for adaptation or modifications
and inhibit good laminar airflow. If the to manufacturing processes.
gap is too large, the cleanroom will not
If needed, softwall cleanrooms can be
keep enough positive pressure to push
mobile. When equipped with optional
contaminants out.
braked casters, they can easily be moved
to a different location within a facility
OPTIONS FOR SPECIAL or stored. Casters are used for smaller
REQUIREMENTS
cleanrooms, and customers who wish
Like their hardwall counterparts, softwall to install casters on rooms larger than
cleanrooms have a large number of 12-by-12-ft should seek advice from
options available depending on customer their supplier.
needs. Anterooms or gowning rooms can
Optional acrylic or Lexan panels provide
easily be added to the cleanroom. They,
a flexible, yet sturdy and attractive wall.
too, are portable and can be relocated
alternative. Product pass-throughs can

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Softwall cleanroom also be included in the design. Additional ensure optimum performance. Powered
options include: special room heights, filter units use a prefilter and these must
maintenance is solid doors, yellow or opaque sidewalls be visually checked on a regular basis.
simple, but requires for ultraviolet light filtration and security, If the filters are dirty, they must be
stainless steel frames, building suspension changed. The HEPA filters are somewhat
regular cleaning to
brackets and ionization equipment. maintenance free, but it is recommended
ensure optimum they be re-certified by a third party every
Modular softwall cleanrooms are pre-
performance. year. All interior surfaces and floors must
fabricated at the factory for quick
be cleaned on a regular basis.
installation. Customers can easily install
standard rooms onsite within one-to- A modular softwall cleanroom is a
two days. All elecrical connections are low-cost investment that provides a
simplified using a continuous series of highly functional cleanroom solution for
plug-together pre-fabricated wiring manufacturers. The flexible structure
system. Starting at the room’s electrical creates a controlled environment that is
junction box, power cable segments able to meet the needs and requirements
are connected to each ceiling light and of small- to large-sized companies.
powered filter unit. This allows the user Softwall cleanrooms are designed
to connect any number of lights or filter with the customer in mind, covering
units within their circuit. a wide range of industries and diverse
applications.
Softwall cleanroom maintenance is
simple, but requires regular cleaning to

About Clean Air Products

Since 1969, Clean Air Products has been designing and manufacturing
high quality cleanroom systems, components, equipment and supplies
for the semiconductor, medical, pharmaceutical and aerospace/military
manufacturing industries, among others. Clean Air Products offers a
broad line of horizontal- and vertical-flow clean benches, with multiple
standard and custom options from temperature control options to
table-top designs. Applications engineering assistance is available for
designing and specifying cleanroom solutions. For more information,
visit www.cleanairproducts.com.

www.cleanairproducts.com
8605 Wyoming Ave. N. • Minneapolis, Minnesota 55445
763.425.9122 • 800.423.9728 • fax: 763.425.2004
e-mail: [email protected]

© 2017 Clean Air Products. Specifications subject to change. Please contact factory for details. SC-3002