The present disclosure is generally directed to a cleanroom pass-thru chamber.
A cleanroom is a controlled environment, contained space that has a low, or controlled, level of contaminants/pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles, and chemical vapors. A cleanroom pass-thru chamber is an enclosed chamber with a door on a cleanroom side and at least one other door on another side. The pass-thru internal chamber operates as a vessel for the transfer of materials between the cleanroom and another space while minimizing contaminant transfer to help maintain the cleanroom environment. Accordingly, it is imperative to maintain the cleanliness of the pass-thru internal chamber. One hotspot for trapping and accumulating of dust, germs, other contaminants or a combination thereof within a pass-thru chamber is along the sharp, i.e., generally 90°, corners of the chamber. Therefore, pass-thru chambers may include coved, i.e., rounded, corners, which are more easily accessible for cleaning, e.g., such as by manual/hand cleaning of the corners.
One drawback of conventional cleanroom pass-thru chambers employing coved corners is that the chamber is first formed in a conventional manner by bead welding adjacent sides of the chamber together, thereby forming a sharp corner, and, thereafter, rounding out the welded corner to form the coved corner. Such a manufacturing method is inefficient and costly.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to develop a streamlined manufacturing process for cleanroom pass-thru chambers employing coved corners within the internal chamber.
Briefly stated, one aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method of constructing a cleanroom pass-thru chamber including the steps of: (i) 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 defining a first lip at a free end thereof and the second side defining a second lip at a free end thereof, the first lip and the first side being bent to have a first coved corner therebetween, the first side and the third side being bent to have a second coved corner therebetween, the third side and the second side being bent to have a third coved corner therebetween, the second side and the second lip being bent to have a fourth coved corner therebetween, and the first lip and the second lip defining an open portion therebetween; (ii) attaching a first plate to the first lip and to the second lip, the plate extending, and closing the open portion of the monolithic frame, therebetween, and, in turn, forming an inner shell having a continuous periphery; (iii) positioning the inner shell within an outer frame, the outer frame having an open front end and an open rear end; (iv) attaching the inner shell to the outer frame; and (v) attaching at least one of a front door to the open front end of the outer frame and a rear door to the open rear end of the outer frame.
Briefly stated, another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a cleanroom pass-thru chamber including and inner shell and an outer wrapper. The inner shell includes a single sheet of material bent 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 first lip and the first side are bent to have a first coved corner therebetween, the first side and the third side are bent to have a second coved corner therebetween, the third side and the second side are bent to have a third coved corner therebetween, the second side and the second lip are bent to have a fourth coved corner therebetween, and the first lip and the second lip define an open portion therebetween. A first plate is attached to the first lip and to the second lip, the plate extending, and closing the open portion of the monolithic frame, therebetween, such that the inner shell defines a continuous periphery. The outer wrapper includes an outer frame having an open front end and an open rear end. The inner shell is positioned within, and attached to, the outer wrapper. At least one of a front door is attached to the open front end of the outer wrapper and a rear door is attached to the open rear end of the outer wrapper.
The following description of aspects of the disclosure will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “lower,” “bottom,” “upper” and “top” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “upwardly” and “downwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the pass-thru chamber, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.
It should also be understood that the terms “about,” “approximately,” “generally,” “substantially” and like terms, used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component of the disclosure, indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.
Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout, there is shown in
In the illustrated configuration, the first side 14a is a substantially vertically oriented left side of the monolithic frame 14 and the opposing second side 14b is a substantially parallel right side of the monolithic frame 14, but the disclosure is not so limited. The third side 14c is a substantially lateral base side of the monolithic frame 14, extending substantially perpendicularly between the first and second sides 14a, 14b and the first and second lips 14d, 14e, positioned at the respective upper ends of the first and second sides 14a, 14b, are each oriented substantially parallel with the third side 14c, but the disclosure is also not so limited. As one alternative configuration, for example, the third side 14c may be a substantially lateral top end and the first and second lips 14d, 14e may be positioned at respective base ends of the first and second sides 14a, 14b.
The single sheet of material is purposefully bent to form a first coved corner 16a, i.e., a rounded/concave corner having a radius, between the first lip 14d and the first side 14a, a second coved corner 16b between the first side 14a and the third side 14c, a third coved corner 16c between the third side 14c and the second side 14b and a fourth coved corner 16d between the second side 14b and the second lip 14e. In one configuration, the coved corners 14a-d each define a one-half inch (½″) radius, but the disclosure is not so limited. Coved corners are advantageous over sharp edge corners in a cleanroom pass-thru chamber as sharp edge corners are more susceptible to trapping contaminants, whereas coved corners are more easily accessible to remove contaminants during a cleaning process. Forming the monolithic frame 14 of a single sheet of material purposefully bent to form coved corners between the adjacent sides/lips is particularly advantageous from a manufacturing efficiency and cost perspective. That is, the monolithic frame 14 is formed in a single stage bending process, rather than a multi-stage process involving welding or otherwise attaching sides together, and, thereafter rounding out the corners. Eliminating manufacturing steps also eliminates otherwise unnecessary machinery while increasing output.
After formation of the monolithic frame 14, a first plate 18, e.g., a metal plate or the like, is permanently attached to the first lip 14d and to the second lip 14e. As should be understood, permanent attachment/securement indicates that the components are not disconnectable/separable/removable without causing damage to at least one of the components or otherwise to the cleanroom pass-thru chamber 10. For example, without limitation, the first plate 18 may be placed upon the first and second lips 14d, 14e, forming respective butt joints therebetween, and the first plate 18 may be welded, e.g., continuously welded, i.e., spanning substantially the entire length of the joint, to each of the first and second lips 14d, 14e along the respective lengths thereof. The first plate 18 extends between the first and second lips 14d, 14e, closing the open portion 15 of the monolithic frame 14, and, in turn, forming the inner shell 12 having a continuous periphery formed of the sides 14a, 14b, 14c and 18 defining an internal chamber 13. As shown, the inner shell 12 (and the internal chamber 13) includes an open front end 12a and an open rear end 12b, but the disclosure is not so limited. That is, the inner shell 12 (and the internal chamber 13) may define only one open end or more than two open ends. Additionally, or alternatively, where the inner shell 12 includes two open ends, the open ends need not oppose one another, but may, for example, be ends adjacent to one another, such as, for example, perpendicular to one another.
The inner shell 12 is thereafter positioned within an outer frame 22 of the outer wrapper 20. The outer frame 22 includes a first side 22a, an opposing second side 22b, a third side 22c extending therebetween and an opposing open end 22d. In the illustrated embodiment, the first side 22a of the outer frame 22 is a substantially vertically oriented left side of the outer frame 22 and the opposing second side 22b is a substantially parallel right side of the outer frame 22, but the disclosure is not so limited. The third side 22c is a substantially lateral top side of the outer frame 22, extending substantially perpendicularly between the first and second sides 22a, 22b and the opposing open end 22d is a base end, but the disclosure is also not so limited. As one alternative configuration, for example, the third side 22c may be a substantially lateral base side and the opposing open end 22d may be an open top end. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer frame 22 also includes an open front end 22e and an open rear end 22f, but the disclosure is not so limited. As should be understood, the outer frame 22 includes open end(s) complementing the open end(s) of the inner shell 12. That is, if the inner shell 12 defines only one open end, more than two open ends, and/or differently oriented/positioned open ends, the outer frame 22 will define corresponding open ends.
The open end 22d is dimensioned relative to the inner shell 12 to receive the inner shell 12 therethrough when the inner shell 12 is positioned within the outer frame 22. The inner shell 12 is positioned within the outer frame 22 such that the open front end 22e of the outer frame 22 is in registry with the open front end 12a of the inner shell 12 and the open rear end 22f of the outer frame 22 is in registry with the open rear end 12b of the inner shell 12. Afterward, the inner shell 12 is permanently secured to the outer frame 22. In one configuration, the outer frame 22 may be constructed of metal. Accordingly, where the inner shell 12 is also constructed of metal, the inner shell 12 may be welded to the outer frame 22. For example, an outer peripheral edge of the inner shell 11 may be welded, e.g., continuously welded, to an inner peripheral edge of the outer frame 22. As should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, however, the inner shell 12 may be attached to the outer frame 22 via other methods currently known, or that later become know, in order to secure the inner shell 12 within the outer frame 22.
The outer wrapper 20 further includes a second plate 24. After the inner shell 12 is positioned within the outer frame 22, the second plate 24 is permanently attached to the outer frame 22 to close the open end 22d thereof, such that the outer wrapper 20 obtains a continuous outer periphery (see
At least one door is attached to the outer wrapper 20 to at least one of the open front and rear ends 22e, 22f thereof. In the illustrated embodiment of
As shown schematically in
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20110053486 | Holtz | Mar 2011 | A1 |
20130086860 | Solomon | Apr 2013 | A1 |
20160010884 | Holtz | Jan 2016 | A1 |
20180043347 | Holtz | Feb 2018 | A1 |