RIBA-accredited CPD : Speed Doors – A Complete Guide
29 February 2024
HAG high speed doors are designed to help minimise heat transfer by providing thermal insulation and quick opening and closing speeds. High speed doors are available in a range of designs, with integrated safety features. Thermal break doors offer a low maintenance solution and provide a thermal barrier for areas in frequent use.
View the five ranges below:
Vertical rolling high speed doors to aid temperature control and reduce air leakage. Fast action 2.5 m/s opening speed via electric operation with comprehensive safety features. Self-repairing guide system. Maximum width 8,000 mm. Ideal for food industries, cold rooms, pharma and electrical sectors.
The VL Doors are vertical lifting PVC high speed doors for use in temperature-controlled rooms where a thermal or acoustic break is required. Designed for high frequency use. Electric operation and comprehensive safety features as standard. Maximum width 20,000 mm. Able to withstand high wind loads.
Shock absorbing PVC crash doors allow for quick entrances and exits in busy industrial premises. Durable, thick material aids temperature control. Transparent PVC allows for through vision. Choose from manual or semi-automatic operation. Recommended maximum width up to 4,000 mm.
Durable PVC strip curtain fixed overhead to allow for quick entrances and exits in busy industry premises. Clear PVC strip curtains allow for through-vision whilee offering a level of thermal protection. Options include removal strips, swing, or side sliding PVC strips. Made to order so will be bespoke to the aperture. Available in any width.
Folding fabric partition with steel framework designed to divide an internal space and soundproof. Robust vinyl fabric, available in a choice of 24 standard colours, allows for frequent use. Room dividers are manually operated, washable and decay proof. Can soundproof up to 15dB, 24dB, or 32dB depending on specification. Available in an unlimited maximum width.
This video provides a comprehensive guide to high speed doors. It will improve your understanding and provide up to date insights on the relevant legislation and regulations.
It will give you the knowledge to specify these products in accordance with your needs and legal responsibilities.
Fast action roller doors, also known as ‘speed doors’, facilitate easy and rapid access to and from environmentally-controlled buildings or rooms whilst minimising temperature changes compared with slower acting doors. They are ideally suited to application such as avoiding heat loss in a warehouse or distribution centres to protecting the refrigerated rooms and the sensitive environments required in the pharmaceutical industry.
For internal use where air pressure differentiation is low, the most common solution is a PVC curtain above the door frame. For external use where the doors are subject to wind load a vertical stacking mechanism is recommended as this offers Standard Class 1 wind resistance.
Since prevention of heat loss is an important reason for specifying such doors, the PVC canvas insulation value and minimising of air leakage around the edge are important. The canvas used on the VR and VL ranges has a density of 0.95 Kg/m² and offer the low heat transfer coefficient (thermal admittance) of 0.045 W/m² ºC (for comparison purposes this is approximately two-thirds the insulating properties of standard double glazing which is rather impressive). Leakage around the sides is minimized by close-fitting nylon brushes. The operational temperature range is important especially when protecting refrigerated premises the standard range is -30 to +70 ºC.
High speed doors can be fitted in conjunction with sectional overhead doors to provide an excellent combination of security, protection and ease of access.
Each door is custom-designed to each application. These are the most common customisations that can be specified
Where wind load resistance is immaterial or minimal, then the aperture may be up to 25 m² in area with the maximum horizontal or vertical dimension each being 5000 mm. This is reduced to 4000 mm where Standard Class 0 or 1 wind load resistance is required.
If you require a door for a larger aperture and or higher wind loading resistance then the HAG VL range is recommended.
Each vertical rolling door is available in 13 RAL colours for the PVC with matching power coating for metal work. Each is specified to M2 self-extinguishing fire resistance. Transparent vision panels can be fitted to allow daylight through the door or when sight through the door is required for safety and security reasons. Doors may additionally be painted with signage or logo graphics.
The door mechanism is powered by a 400 VAC or 230 VAC electric motor and brake. In the event of power failure the door can be opened by manual via a hand-operated chain or crank (depending on specification). Programmable options included the pause time in the open position and two-third’s and partial opening positions.
The doors can be configured to open at up to 1 m/s and close at 0.6 m/s (with a deceleration of 0.6 m/s²).
The opening and closing can be controlled by a wide range of devices that include:
Safety of operators and users is of paramount importance. Depending on specification, each door is fitted with high visibility lower edge and visible (and optionally audible alarms) beacons that operate two seconds prior to the door opening or closing. In addition there is an ‘anti-drag’ photocell detector as standard. Should one of the specified safety devices on the bottom edge of the door (eg photocell, contact safety edge) detect an obstruction during door closure, it is rapidly braked and reversed. This is sometimes referred to as ‘Crash-out and auto reset’.
With high speed doors, it easier for people and equipment to move more efficiently around the premises. No one is required to wait for doors to open or to manually open heavy doors. They also enhance safety which is vital in any working environment.
High speed doors are designed to reduce noise and odour pollution. This is why they have become so important in recycling and food industries. In these industries, environmental control is of paramount importance.
For many industries, the temperature of a whole building or certain areas of a building must be maintained. Having to heat or cool the area every time a door is opened will significantly increase the operating costs. Due to their speed of both opening and closing, the heat lost from the premises or gained from the outside is minimised. This will increase the efficiency of premises temperature control hugely.
With a high speed door, you don’t have to wait for a slow door to drag itself upwards. This saves a lot of time and energy.
In highly sensitive environments, a speed door will help minimise the impact of dirt or dust that comes from outside into the premises. This will help keep the space clean and anything that is being processed is more likely to be of better quality.
High speed doors, by definition, are designed to be opened and closed rapidly to allow for ease of access in a warehouse or other environment that is subject to frequent vehicle activity. This translates into increased productivity in the workplace as there will be less time wasted during the process of operating traditional doors. Fast action roller doors are particularly well suited to the food and beverage industries because:
Swift activating doors make it easier for frequent personnel and vehicle traffic whilst minimising the time for contamination from dust, litter and the elements. With the flexible curtain being constructed from high-grade PVC, the doors can easily be regularly pressure washed and disinfected to maintain the required hygiene. The VR High Speed Door’s curtain can be specified to FDA standards for food procession environments.
Minimising the time for airflow is especially important in temperature-controlled environments typically used for the storage of ingredients and final products. When shut the high insulation properties of the door provide an effective thermal barrier between different temperature zones. Not to be forgotten, the environment for workers is made substantially more comfortable because of the ability to better regulate temperature and minimise drafts in a factory environment. Both the VR’s and the VL’s curtains can be specified in a 3 mm thick high insulation variant.
Butcombe Brewery’s use of a high speed door to complement with the warehouse’s external roller shutter to cut down on their energy bills.
Warehouse and factories whose production line and contents require precise temperatures need to ensure that their premises use appropriate applications to help maintain temperature consistency.
Reduction in air leakage through installation of thermal doors is key to help preserve the climate of a warehouse or factory and is an effective way to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions.
Knowing the level of accuracy you need regarding the temperature of your warehouse will help determine the type of doors required for your building. Premises that specialise in the manufacture of automobile parts may require a more consistent and precise temperature than a supermarket warehouse that temporarily stores refrigerated goods, and therefore may need more complex methods to help control temperature, including doors that provide a highly effective thermal break.
Internal areas that have high traffic, such as routes between storerooms and loading bays can also benefit from installation of crash doors or EV curtains. The thick PVC material that these barriers are manufactured from help preserve temperature while the design allows for warehouse traffic and goods to pass through with ease.
International packaging company Amcor, improves its energy efficiency and sustainability with high speed doors. Improves operations productivity to.
The door itself is very safe providing all the relevant security features are fitted, such as safety edges, photocells, vision panels, self-correcting curtain mechanism and radar.
High speed doors manufactured from toughened PVC are resistant to wear and tear and offer a temperature resistance over their operating range -30 to +70 °C. An insulated fabric can be chosen which provides high thermal and sound proofing characteristics making them suitable for cold storage applications.
This depends mainly on the size of the door and the motor you are using. A speed door’s opening speed is up to 3 m/s (so a door of 3 metres in height will open in about one second). However, they are usually set to open and close at about 0.8 m/s.
The door itself does not provide security as the curtain is made from PVC. These doors are generally used behind a roller shutter or sectional door, which will be used to secure the premises when access is not required.
So whether you require a high speed door for a chilled room, garden centre, paint room, gantry or food manufacturing plant, HAG’s product range and design and installation expertise is available. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements or seek our advice with specifying.
HAG offers a UK-wide 24 hour high speed door repair service.
To discuss your requirements with a member of the team, please use our contact form or call us on 0800 0723444 and we would be happy to help.
