Storage/Staging: Curtain walls perform under pressure

Gearbox Express is one of the first companies in the United States to remanufacture wind turbine gearboxes using an exchange inventory model. The company’s remanufactured components must be kept clean and dust-free even as workers nearby get their hands dirty repairing the equipment. By installing sliding curtain walls, the workshop is able to reconfigure around variable-sized gearboxes while maintaining a division between the shop’s “clean” and “dirty” areas.

The clean area of the 43,164-square-foot industrial building in Mukwonago, Wisc., houses finished inventory and a testing area for the gearboxes, which can weigh upwards of 16 tons. A single gearbox may have as many as 10 pallets of parts when disassembled, and Gearbox Express might have between three and 15 gearboxes at any time.

“I originally looked at building hard partitions, but then started feeling a little uneasy about how much space we had to work with,” says COO Brian Halverson.

The 59-foot-wide north bay uses three clear curtains for enhanced visibility and safety, while the 39-foot-wide center bay uses two curtains, all of which are 21-feet tall and feature a floor sweep to block dust from sliding underneath. The motorized curtains roll up compactly and independently to allow an overhead crane or lift trucks to pass from area to area.

Because dust, dirt and other contaminants can cause premature wear in the high-tech gearboxes, the clean area must be kept under positive air pressure. The curtain walls maintain that seal, and a 10 x 10-foot, high-speed solid vinyl door raises and lowers at a rate of 36 inches per second, or up to 12 times faster than a conventional overhead door. As personnel and lift trucks pass through this door, high-speed operation helps minimize the time dirt can blow through. A remote control that functions like a garage door opener also allows drivers to stay in the lift truck.

Goff’s Curtain Walls
800-234-0337
http://www.goffscurtainwalls.com