The evolution of the high-speed door

The oldest British manufacturer of the high-speed is Hart Doors Systems (Hart Doors) of Newcastle upon Tyne. Its chairman, Doug Hart, says he had been looking at his own factory where access was via hand operated roller shutters. “Every time access was required it took several minutes to open/close the shutters during which time the outside world blew in. This was bad for heating costs and especially bad for the working environment,” says Doug Hart, chairman, Hart Doors.

“It was almost Dickensian. If only we could develop a high-speed, automatic doors where the opening/closing cycle was just a very few minutes. From initial thoughts to developing the first Speedor as a test-bed took several weeks but once installed heating costs plunged and the working environment was considerably improved. We have moved on considerably since then.”

He adds: “Now pushed by carbon reduction targets, global warming and the challenges of climate change industry has started the crusade towards greater automation, slicker procedures where fewer people are employed but where the fundamentals of each business remain the same.

“Deliveries will still take place and products will still leave factories and warehouses which means where there is increasing automation, the high-speed door has a vital part to play. Typically the automated warehouse is the current challenge, where very large buildings rely on state-of-the-art technology, software, computing robotics and wider automation across every element of the warehouse. Naturally the automated, high-speed door is a part of this process.”

Hart says automation is an important element of manufacturing but recognising that the economy comprises hundreds of industrial categories where there are complex issues, the common dominator for Hart is the need for advanced automatic door systems.

For example at Nissan’s Sunderland plant Hart has significant number of doors some to ATEX standards in the case of a new paint plant. In a fast-moving environment, with the need for a reliable and dust reducing solution, Hart installed ATEX-rated Speedor Cleanrooms to maintain strict air leakage limits and to ensure maximum protection for personnel.

Safety & reliability

At nearby Komatsu, the challenge was safety and reliability in a highly efficient 200,000 sqm facility. Here each Speedor was made-to-measure with devices and activators fitted to suit specific areas, giving Komatsu a safe and secure working environment for its employees.

With hygiene at Arla Foods a priority and food production areas requiring specialist doors to promote cleanliness and avoid contamination, Hart replaced unreliable aluminium bi-parting doors with stainless steel with Speedor Minis. Made to measure the high speed roll up Speedors had multi-layer PVC fabric which are thicker and less prone tears and splits. The stainless steel allows for easy cleaning and contamination prevention.

There can be no more frantic an environment than at international airport where Hart has worked on over 40 across the globe. At Heathrow the demanding specifications and operating requirements due to the high frequency of pedestrian traffic and the necessity to continuously work with minimal downtime, Hart needed to supply reliable doors capable of handling thousands of bags per hour while providing a seal in the event of fire.

Hart designed, manufactured and installed 50 specialist and unique Speedor Conveyor automatic smoke screen systems capable of handling 6000 bags per hour, while providing a seal for 30 minutes in the event of fire.

For Veolia, Hart was faced with difficult conditions on site including dust, dirt and moisture. Door failure could affect compliance with local authority regulations. The solution was to install 8m x 8m Speedor Storms, an extremely robust door capable of withstanding wind class 5 due to its unique guide system.

Using multi-layer PVC fabric which is thicker and less prone to tears and splits and moisture-controlled electrics the Speedor Storms, through their high-speed action, control the escaping dirt, odours and noise.

Chris Dobson is editor-in-chief at ComPropNEE 

www.hartdoors.com