Energy efficiency, safety and productivity are some of the biggest issues facing today’s industrial plants. Much to the surprise of some plant owners, doors play a big role in all of these factors. The right doors will save plants money and improve operations, while also lowering safety risks.
Energy costs for food manufacturers were up 30 per cent in 2016 when compared to 2010. And with increases to wholesale gas prices in 2017, it is only getting worse – for all industries. These costs are putting industrial businesses at risk, meaning that plant owners need to carefully consider how their plants’ elements can help them save on energy.
Industrial cooling is actually one of the biggest potential areas for energy savings, with doors being a big source of energy loss. Indeed, internal temperatures can drop by as much as 10 degrees Celsius when a door is opened. This is because infiltration, the leakage of outdoor air into a contained space, causes air conditioners to work extra hard to maintain the temperature. This can be especially costly for cold-storage warehouses, walk-in coolers and blast freezers.
In order to minimise energy loss, it is important to have a door that is high-speed and easily repaired. The less time the door is open, the less energy the cooling system will need to expend. High-speed doors are non-residential powered doors, characterised by a rolling or folding action, that are high-cycle. Their fast opening and closing times work to reduce energy loss, avoid airflow and allow a smooth operating procedure, while also creating an effective barrier against outside elements.
With these types of doors, safety is paramount. This means preventing the entrapment of workers, as well as lateral impact with vehicles and other equipment. Much like in the residential garage door, these issues have been addressed with reversing mechanisms. This mechanism is activated by an electric safety edge, or any additional safety sensors that work to detect an obstruction and reverse a closing door back to the open position.
Some doors even take things a step further by incorporating lightweight, soft and flexible leading edges. The flexibility of these edges helps to prevent entrapment, and their softness means they strike with lower force than doors with hard edges, which helps to prevent injury. This is a good feature to have in case safety switches, photo eyes, and warning signals fail.
Lateral impact can also be prevented by increasing visibility with vision panels or plastic windows that are built into the door.
All of these features and more can be found in ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems’ RapidRoll 500, which is a medium-sized high-speed, high cycle industrial door for internal and external applications. The door combines a soft leading edge and a touch-sensitive safety edge, for maximum protection, as well as class leading sealing and wind loading capabilities. It also has self-reinserting side guides which do not protrude into the doorway, allowing full access to the facility’s daylight opening sizes.
While the RR500 can be used in a wide range of industries, it is particularly suitable for customers who need to close large openings in industry and logistics. It offers durability and minimal maintenance, while also reducing energy loss and posing no risk of worker injury or damage to goods.
For more information about the RR500 and how it can be used in your industrial applications, click here for the whitepaper.
ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems
1300 131 310
www.assaabloyentrance.com.au