Fabric Curtain Wall Construction

A typical curtain wall is made of fabric panels connected together with Velcro to span the width of a given space, and are not limited by height. The standard fabric is 18-oz. flame retardant vinyl for all products, but heavier weight fabrics or application-specific fabrics can be supplied. Insulated and non-insulated, and sliding or stationary curtain walls are available. Ultimately, the operating environment and site specific factors will dictate the type of fabric wall best suited for a given situation.

Walls with Flexibility

It is this adaptable, modular design that differentiates a fabric curtain wall from a rigid wall. Installing a traditional hard wall locks you into a layout and makes future changes timely and costly. The flexible design of curtain walls gives you the ability to easily reconfigure, relocate, or remove them as your facility needs change. The simple nature of industrial curtain walls also makes it easy to customize them for each application, including three dimensional enclosures. In the end, it is worth evaluating fabric curtain walls for any application where you need a non-load bearing wall for your facility.

In the next Basics post, we will look at the different applications where curtain walls can be used.

The post Curtain Wall Basics: What is a Fabric Curtain Wall? appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Application 1:
Customer had a pull through dock and wanted to stop the outside wind and elements from entering the facility when the door was open. Customer chose to use Zoneworks’ SCL Stationary Curtain Wall. The customer is very happy with the installed loading dock curtain and noted that the facility stays warmer and the employees who work in the area of the curtain are much happier.

Application 2:
Customer’s loading docks are located on the windy side of the building, which pushes the cold air through any small openings at the docks. These loading docks are located extremely close to a packing area so it has been a challenge to keep the area comfortable when the trucks are not at the docks. For this application, 8 foot by 8 foot TZ insulated curtain panels were used as dock covers to minimize the cold air able to enter. The Zoneworks panels can quickly be moved when the dock leveler needs to be used.

Application 3:
Customer needed a wind break to help keep the outside air from getting into the oven areas. Customer could not have anything stationary because they needed to get their raw materials to the oven area. A clear, sliding SCL curtain was installed. The customer is happy with the product and said the loading dock curtain is working exactly as needed.

Related Post: Loading Dock Curtains Provide Temperature Control for Warehouse. Read the case study.

The post 3 Loading Dock Curtain Applications with Photos appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

A farmer in Iowa built a new farm building. Half the shed is insulated and heated, while the other half is not. The shed was a wide open area that was too large to efficiently heat. So he needed the ability to close off the heated/insulated area while he was working in it, but still have the flexibility to move the barrier so he could bring in large pieces of equipment to work on.

For this application, sliding, insulated curtain walls were installed. This allows him to slide open the curtain walls completely to the sides to have full width access, but then can close them and turn up the heat to be able to work in a warm, comfortable area.

The post Farm Building Utilizes Insulated Curtain Walls appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Turn-key Support

Isn’t it great when you are trying to solve a tough problem to have someone come along, an expert, who is able to work through it with you and help you solve it? Essentially, taking something challenging and making it simple.

The thing that makes fabric curtain walls simple is the turn-key support we provide. Let me detail what this means:

1. On-site needs analysis: Once you contact us, a Zoneworks representative will visit your facility, complete a site survey, and make a product recommendation for your application.
2. Application-specific engineering: Our engineers take the information from your site survey and custom-design a solution for your specific application and provide you with all the drawings.
3. Installation support: Fabric curtain walls install quickly and easily so it is possible for you to install them yourself with in-house personnel. If you go that route, we will have a pre-installation meeting with you to go over the process and answer any questions. Otherwise, Zoneworks would be happy to handle the installation.
4. On-going customer service: During the project and afterward, we will make sure our product meets your needs because your success is our success.

Ultimately, understanding what makes fabric curtain walls simple gives you the opportunity to make what could be a complex project into something easy and manageable for you and your people along the way. And, as the expert leaders in the industry, you can rest assured that you’re in really good hands.

The post What Makes Fabric Curtain Walls Simple? appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Less is more. The simplicity of these flexible, modular systems allows you to create, define, or control space in rapid fashion. Industrial curtains are typically comprised of vinyl fabric, insulated batting, and thread, which means a customized fit can be obtained quickly and easily. These simple components culminate in a simple product that doesn’t require a specialized sub-contractor for installation. Additionally, the simple nature of these systems allows for a speedy installation with minimal interruption to your daily operation. Project dollars saved.

More is less. Sizeable projects that would typically eat up dollars at a rapid pace can be completed at roughly 40-60% of traditional construction costs. Industrial curtains are installed from the roof structure down and not from the floor level up, so there is no limit on height and the industrial curtains don’t have to get thicker in profile to carry the vertical height of the project. This not only saves you space and gives you room for additional racking, but it also eliminates the need to provide costly forklift protection at the base of the curtain. Project dollars saved.

Customizable. Utilize in-house engineering to provide a custom solution to your application without having to pay for a design-build contractor or design firm. Why add cost for another party to layout or design your project? Save time with one less phone call to make. Project dollars saved.

Reconfigurable. Curtain wall systems can easily be reconfigured as your process or product flow changes in the future. This means that when you have to make a change, you can do it without demolition costs, demolition mess and, again, do it very quickly. Future project dollars saved.

Save money over the full scope of your project by utilizing industrial curtains. You can’t afford not to.

The post 4 Reasons Industrial Curtains are Affordable appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Industrial curtain walls aren’t really a new concept. They’ve been used for years (decades, actually) in basic applications like separation of refrigerated warehouse space or as sliding barriers around open loading docks. What’s new is the myriad ways these agile, adaptable structures are now being used in industrial environments. They are becoming increasingly popular, largely because of their uniquely flexible nature.

Flexibility feature #1: Fabric curtain walls can be used for just about anything. Temperature separation, heat containment, odor control, dust or fume containment, privacy, sound attenuation, wash-down…there really are very few environmental issues that cannot be addressed with these simple, cost effective solutions

Flexibility feature #2: Custom design and engineering allow industrial curtain walls to be configured in virtually any size, shape or dimension – making them rich with potential for varied applications. Constructed in modular panels of industrial vinyl and various insulating materials, they can be used in virtually any non-loadbearing situation.

Flexibility feature #3: Industrial curtain walls aren’t permanent. They can be quickly and easily reconfigured, relocated or removed as facility needs change. You sure can’t say that about a permanent rigid wall!

Consider the possibilities for building flexibility into your facility. Fabric curtain walls truly do represent “A Better Way. A Better Wall.”

The post Industrial Curtain Walls: Flexible Walls? appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

For businesses, change can come in many forms. Perhaps the sales force has had a banner year and your company is taking on new accounts; or maybe some other division has been relocated to your facility; or better yet, your engineering group has invented the next super gizmo and you are ramping up for the future launch of a soon-to-be madly successful product.

These are all great changes, but you are the guy or gal on the front line that has to make this all possible, which means you need to put up some walls.

But STOP!

This is the point where most facility managers think they need a traditional rigid wall and this can be an expensive, long-term mistake.

Before you go any further, make sure you consider adaptable, modular industrial curtain walls.

Here are 3 quick reasons why:

1. Fabric curtain walls offer flexibility. (Learn more)

2. Curtain walls are an affordable solution that can save you time and money.

3. Industrial curtain walls are simple (because we make it easy for you).

In the coming weeks, we will go into more depth on each of these points. But the take-away for today is: Don’t change your mind about building a wall… consider changing your wall. Begin looking into curtain walls and see if they are a good solution for your application.

The post 1 Costly (Common) Mistake Facility Managers are Making appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Answer: Custom curtain walls.

In this blog post, we will look at five examples – big and small – of custom solutions our engineering team has designed.

#1 – Curtain wall enclosure for heat containment
Customer wanted a way to contain the heat around the area where its employees run machinery to palletize product. Our insulated curtain wall enclosure greatly reduced the use of gas heaters in this area and allowed employees to work comfortably and productively throughout the cold winter season.

#2 – Heavy-duty exterior sliding curtains
Cabinet manufacturer needed to close-off the open side of the raw timber prep area so its employees could continue to work and operate machinery during winter or inclement weather. The custom curtain walls split in 3 places and total 80′W x 26′H.

#3 – Portable machine shields
Customer wanted portable, folding enclosures to park in front of its machines that create a lot of dust and debris at floor level. Units are wheeled into place as needed and the vision panels allow the machinist to keep an eye on the machinery.

#4 – Custom curtain walls to reduce doorway size
Customer needed to close down a large door opening, but didn’t want to modify it permanently. Insulated curtain walls and a traffic door were installed. This solution gives the customer the flexibility to remove everything if or when changes are needed.

#5 – Huge privacy curtains
Privacy was needed to keep visitors from seeing projects in development. Our engineering team designed a curtain wall system that is fixed on two sides and had a sliding front curtain that was alone 125′W x 65′H. The sliding curtain stores on the side of the enclosure via a radial track system and contains heavy-duty pipe staffs for strong wind retention. (Note the people in the lower right corner to get a feel for the size and scale of this project.)

Thanks for stopping by our blog. Feel free to ask any questions you have about these applications in the comment section below.

The post 5 Examples of Custom Curtain Walls appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Simply ask yourself:

Rigid or flexible?

Change happens. After all, it is because of a change at your business that you are even looking for a wall. The truth is more changes will happen and putting up a traditional solid wall or rigid panelized system locks you into a layout and can limit your ability to adapt to these changes. Yes, you can demolish this type of wall down the road, but at a significant cost and time commitment.

Fabric curtain walls are very different because they offer a high degree of flexibility. Their modular design allows them to be quickly and easily installed, dismantled, or reconfigured at an affordable cost.

Industrial curtain walls can be used in place of a conventional wall in virtually any non-loadbearing application. Typical curtain wall applications include dividing spaces, temperature separation, containing heat, providing sound attenuation, controlling humidity, dust, and fumes, enclosing open loading docks, or wash down applications.

Solid Wall Example: Drywall

Flexible Fabric Curtain Wall

Time is up.
My one minute is up. I hope you’ve been able to evaluate your situation while reading this and are now able to go forward with a clear idea of which type of wall is right for you.

If you want more information, I encourage you to browse our case studies that show how others have used and benefited from a fabric curtain wall. We also include great project photos with each case study. Of course, you can also visit zoneworks.com. Thanks for stopping by our blog.

The post How to Know if a Fabric Curtain Wall is Right for You in 1 Minute appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.

Application #1: Temperature Separation
Wholesale distributor of beer, water, and other beverages needed to separate a temperature-controlled keg room to allow for different temperatures in different parts of the room. A Zoneworks® TZ Insulated Curtain Wall was installed providing the solution the customer needed while offering the flexibility traditional rigid walls cannot provide.

Before and After Photos:

Application #2: Dividing Areas
Customer needed a way to separate their manufacturing process from their waste/recycling process to become more compliant with food grade inspections. For their application, Zoneworks SCL clear vinyl curtains were hung from two separate mezzanines to separate the waste area from the rest of the plant.

Before and After Photos:

See more great photos featured in our curtain wall applications blogs or by checking out our case study blog posts.

The post Before and After Photos: Two Industrial Curtain Applications appeared first on Zoneworks Blog.