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Which Roller Shutter for Your Application?
Samson Doors supply roller shutter type doors for nearly every conceivable application in commercial or industrial environment. The differences in specification are not always apparent but it is essential that any roller door performs as expected and for this to be possible it is imperative many queries are answered in terms of size, usage, operatives, application and environment. Further analysis on essential information such as available power supply, safety, etc is also required once the type of roller shutter has been established
The most common applications we encounter are below with some rough guidance and notes on common issues.
A Basic Manual Operated Roller Door
For many applications where a manual roller shutter door is required in the UK you will find a chain operated mechanism driving a ‘traditional’ galvanised steel roller door, constructed in most cases from curved sections of scrolled steel lath which interlock with each other.
The roller door is opened and closed by pulling the chain which either drives movement through a set of gears, for larger doors, or spring assisted on smaller sizes. Both will be used in certain sizes and applications.
There are some exceptions to the above where a tension spring is used on one side and the roller door is balanced to perfection with easy manual lifting without a chain.
For a basic manual door by definition customers look for the lowest price, but beware of a price too low. With any roller shutter door there are a lot of moving components and in cheaper roller shutter doors compromises will have been made in areas such as the barrel - maybe smaller that it could be, the end locks which hold the curtain together - maybe a low grade easily damaged plastic type rather than steel, the springing for the balance or the cogs for the gearing - maybe again, low grade material and a fast deterioration guaranteed in moist air or aggressive use.
There are many differences between a roller door made to a price alone and one built to last but be sure the low price door will probably cost you a lot more in the long run with repairs and maintenance and this goes for all the roller shutter types.
'Buy too cheap and you will buy twice fairly quickly, guaranteed!'
A Single Phase Electric Operated Roller Door
This type of roller door has taken over in recent years with big advances in design, power and the use of inverters. Far more power can now be given by a 240V single phase electric motor than 10 years ago and this has helped in providing more flexibility in specification on many sites. The single phase drive also enables there use of far more access controls with easier setting up and ongoing maintenance.
Single phase electric roller doors will typically be used for low to medium daily usage in doors up to about 6m wide and 5m high. You can use either a barrel type motor or an external drive motor.
The barrel motor will always have the lower rated daily usage compared to the external fitted motor drive which also is easier to maintain. Barrel motors are typically used for shop security shutters or any application where the roller shutter may be fitted outside the building envelope.
A Three Phase Electric Operated Roller Door
The three phase roller door is used for a high daily usage or where the door is a large size. In industrial applications where 3 phase is available then it is common sense to specify the electric motor as a 3 phase unit. Always externally fitted from the barrel, the 3 phase motor drive options available will provide power for as large as the door can be made to without mechanical and physical limitations on the curtain.
Typically a 3 phase industrial roller door is controlled by a simple internal push button wall mounted system for an operative to open and close from inside the building. The ‘deadman’ operation dictates for safety reasons the operative has to be in control of the opening and closing of the door at all times and in full vies of the door he is operating. Once you stray away from this principal far more safety devices have to be used in the specification.
Modern electric motors can be now specified with varying speed options enabling a typical 5m high door to be taken from a standard 20 second opening time down to around 6 seconds on the opening cycle. Great relief for staff in a busy environment!
Insulated Roller Door
The insulated roller shutter door is increasing in demand faster than any other type of roller door because many people have realised the benefits, not only in the obvious insulation properties but also the curtain strength is far greater than single skin roller doors, providing a far more stable door curtain when closed, with increased security properties too. They are also far quieter during operation and do not rattle when closed which can also be important in built up areas.
Samson can offer a variety of made to order insulated roller doors, either based on the size and frequency of operation or more geared towards the tested U values and high levels of insulation where required.
We offer single phase motor drives in limited sizes and three phase electric motors up to very large sizes indeed, and up to around 6m x 6m we can also supply a motor drive with adjustable operating speeds, a useful facility and also potentially providing an opening speed not far off some of the high speed doors available.
Extra Large Roller Door
Any openings generally greater than about 6m x 6m dictate the specification of a roller shutter can become extremely important. Massive mechanical stresses will be placed on components with these very large roller doors so it is important to not skimp on anything.
Samson can offer industrial roller doors up to a massive 36 metres wide using a split door curtain technology which is in essence 2 roller doors at 18 metres wide with a movable centre rail divider for when the full width is required. Individual doors are offered up to 18 metres wide with a limited wind rating or up to 10 metres wide with a wind rating capable of competing with more standard sizes doors. heights are generally restricted with roller shutter operation as the roll can become too large when opened, sliding or sectional type doors are generally far better for extra high openings.
High Usage Roller Door
When a very high usage is required such as in a car park shutter or 24 hour busy factory or warehouse the motor drive is key to reliability. High usage 3 phase motors with inverters and extra strong gearing and larger barrels will provide peace of mind for a door in constant operation. Of course regular checks and maintenance will be essential and many modern control panels used will be able to provide live data on the number of operations to keep the manager informed when checks may be required, just like a mileometer on a car does for servicing intervals.
Very Low usage Roller Shutter
Not unusual in farms and secure warehouses, low usage roller doors will probably be required to be a manual operation only as speed of opening will not be important. With this type of request it will either be a low security door as the location will be within private land or it will be a very secure door with the location very exposed and no enclosure so the importance will be placed on the curtain and the guides with the chain operation the same for both. For the more secure door thicker section lath will be used on the curtain with additional locking at the sides and bottom rail which is always the strongest part of any curtain on a roller door.
With electric operated doors it is possible to incorporate additional technical locking inside or out of the door curtain and of course a double skinned steel curtain will also provide lateral strength and resistance to any cutting or ramming attempts.
High Speed Roller Door
The high speed roller door is the most misunderstood of all. For many people they would always want the fastest door possible until they realise the price differences. A traditional ‘rapid roll’ or ‘high speed’ roller door would actually be a door with a fabric curtain used in conjunction with a steel roller door or some other kind of door for security. The high speed curtain door is sued during operation times to ensure the opening is closed as much as possible to control the atmosphere inside, keep dust out, and so on.
Nowadays it is possible to have a ‘higher’ speed steel or aluminium roller door which will probably be perfectly adequate in its speed but save you money as the door functions as 2 doors in one.
Samson offer a range of various steel and aluminium industrial and commercial specification roller doors with adjustable electric motor drives and the difference is amazing. If you have a roller door in your factory at about 5 metres high, check out the opening time right now. For many older type doors it will be greater than 20 seconds, which feels like a lifetime, especially on a ‘deadman’ pushbutton control. Imagine that same height door opening in just 5 or 6 seconds?
If you need the ‘Fast Action’, ‘High Speed’, ‘Rapid Roll’ fabric type doors, opening in about 3 - 4 seconds then we can also supply a range of models too.
High Speed, Insulated and Secure Roller Door
Samson Doors can supply a new type of high technology roller door which offers high speed, security, and insulation, all in one! The door uses oversized double skinned and insulated panel sections and operates within a continuous spiral of aluminium side channel. Sometimes called the ‘spiral’ door it is almost a mixture of a roller door and a sectional type door in one.
The opening speed is dramatic to say the least and the whole curtain has little or no contact like a traditional roller door as the guide mechanism keeps the entire curtain separated when open.
Purpose made, high speed, electric operation, secure and insulated, all in one? What more could you ever want? They are obviously not a low price option, but the ongoing maintenance is minimal because of the non contact technology so definitely worth a look if you require the ultimate roller shutter door for your premises.
Underground Car Park Roller Door
Roller doors used in car parks have to be ultra safe in so many ways if they are to be used by the general public particularly. The number of operations per day dictate the best specification like any other door but as most car park doors are required to have high levels of ventilation the curtain os usually a punched or open lath design so relatively lightweight in reality making it ideal for electric motor drive with single phase inverter type motors.
Samson offer a range of open grille roller shutters for medium usage which have a simple and very reliable safety edge system detecting any power surges through obstruction just like a modern electric garage door does.
For larger 3 phase driven grilles it is essential to have several sets of photo cells, a hood cover over the curtain and loop detectors or radar systems to prevent accidental closure on vehicles or opening with a budding climber hanging onto the curtain.
Radio control handsets, card readers, keypads and other access controls are mainly used depending on the number of vehicles the car park can handle inside and whether it is a private or public car park.
Security Rated Roller Door
Samson offer various security rated commercial and industrial roller doors with certification by the LPCB (loss prevention council board) and a ‘secure by design’ rating.
The doors have been tested and approved with a specification capable of resistance to penetration in a controlled environment with recognised tools and time allocations.
Often required nowadays these ‘Secured by Design’ roller doors will provide greater peace of mind for any premises in exposed or vulnerable locations.
The same options generally apply to other roller doors in terms of access controls and curtain options too. Steel or aluminium.
Open Vented Roller Grille
The open vented roller grille is extensively used for retail security where vision is required at night, car parks (as mentioned above) and often just a small section in a solid roller curtain for vision for security and safety reasons. The smaller commercial shutters are used for serving hatches and public bars to form a soft barrier between the customers and staff at closing times.
Open vented grilles come in a variety of materials and styles, either oblong in line or oblong ‘brick bond’ as well as punched curtain sections with lower vision levels or even perforated curtain lath for maximum security but around a 25% vision.
