Cleanroom pass-thru chamber and method of construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleanroom pass-thru chambers with coved corners are inefficient and costly due to the multi-stage manufacturing process involving welding and subsequent corner rounding.
Innovation Solution
A streamlined method of constructing a cleanroom pass-thru chamber using a single sheet of material bent into a monolithic frame with coved corners, forming an inner shell that is then positioned within an outer frame and secured, eliminating the need for welding and multiple manufacturing stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional welding and corner rounding method is used, then coved corners are achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into distinct stages: forming side walls with coved corners, assembling the frame, and installing panels. This allows each component to be manufactured separately with precise coved corners using simple bending operations, then assembled without complex welding or post-processing corner rounding.
Solution Approach 2:
Coved corners are formed preliminarily during the initial bending of side wall panels before assembly. The panels are pre-formed with coved corners using standard sheet metal bending equipment, eliminating the need for subsequent corner rounding operations after welding.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional welding and corner rounding method is used, then coved corners are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber is divided into separable components (side walls, end walls, frame, panels) that can be manufactured using standard, cost-effective sheet metal forming processes. Each component is produced independently with coved corners formed during initial bending, avoiding expensive welding and post-weld corner rounding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses standard, readily available sheet metal materials and common forming equipment to create the chamber components. The approach favors economical manufacturing methods over expensive specialized processes, achieving coved corners through simple bending rather than costly welding and rounding operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If sharp corners are used in chamber construction, then manufacturing is simpler, but contaminant accumulation increases
Solution Approach 1:
Coved corners with curved surfaces are used throughout the chamber construction. This curvature eliminates sharp angles where contaminants can trap and accumulate, making the chamber easier to clean while maintaining simple manufacturing through standard sheet metal bending processes that naturally form curved corners.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of constructing a cleanroom pass-thru chamber includes bending a single sheet of material into a monolithic frame having a first side, an opposing second side, a third side extending between the first and second sides, an open front end and an open rear end. The first side defines a first lip at a free end thereof and the second side defines a second lip at a free end thereof. The monolithic frame is bent to form four coved internal corners. The first lip and the second lip define an open portion therebetween. A first plate is attached to the two opposing lips and extends therebetween, closing the open portion of the monolithic frame, thereby forming an inner shell. The inner shell is positioned within, and attached to, an outer frame.