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In the UK now there are so many different types of roller shutter doors available for so many purposes, it can be very confusing to work out what shutter is best for you, your building and the specific application, but there are some simple and obvious pointers to most applications.
Of course the performance of the door is also now a big part of the selection process as so many people just don’t give enough thought to what the door is supposed to do in its role within the building.
Many customers will provide a size and an indication of the method for opening and closing, with electric operation pretty much the normal method anyway. However, the real purpose and features of most roller shutter doors are rarely considered up front to focus on a particular specification and model. The size and colour perhaps has one of the biggest initial influences on the best model to suggest, but then below are the most popular applications we are asked about.
A Basic and Simple General Purpose Roller Door
A simple ‘hold to run’ or ‘deadman’ push button controls, with a wall mounted push button or key switch, with no safety detection systems required and usually quite low usage (less than 10 times a day). Simple controls means less potential issues and a simple but good quality electric motor drive without a high usage or high speed specification. Single phase motor for smaller to medium sizes and three phase motor drive for larger sizes.
Look at our SeceuroDoor 75 single phase or 3 phase electric operated steel roller shutters.
The SeceuroDoor 77 is also a great multi purpose roller door with a double skinned slat construction, offering extra benefits at lower prices.
Security Focussed or Security Rated and Certified Roller Shutter Door
A roller door with a certified rating for proper security, or simply built to a higher specification level to offer greater security. LPS1175 SR1 and SR2 rated doors readily available. Higher specification need a lot more consideration to the controls and installation requirements.
Look at our SeceuroDoor 7501 or 7502 steel roller doors or the double skinned steel 9501 for medium to large size doors or the SeceuroDoor 77 for smaller openings with bullet locks added.
We can offer SR3 or SR4 rated roller shutters too, but these need a detailed discussion for pricing and getting the right final specifications.
Exposed Locations - Roller Doors with High Wind Ratings
Storm proof roller shutter doors are available with prices on application, but generally for exposed locations we recommend double skinned steel roller doors such as the SeceuroDoor 95 or the SeceuroDoor 77 and Seceuroshield 60 for smaller to medium openings. The Hormann Decotherm roller doors are also a good contender for most openings with optional wind protection devices and enhancements available.
We offer the Vortex storm proof roller shutter for very exposed locations and this is a roller door designed to deal with hurricane force conditions.
Fast Opening and Closing Speeds
You don’t necessarily need a secondary fabric, fast action type door for this purpose and you can look at higher speed, normal steel roller shutter doors for your premises to provide the security and the high speed daily operation all in one door. What you do need however is a steel curtain capable of dealing with the more extreme forces of a motor driving harder and faster on the curtain.
Look at our ‘SeceuroDoor Fast’ range with the 77, 95 and 100 models depending on sizes.
There are also some very high performance high speed roller doors from Hormann and Teckentrup with a spiral action for non contact operation and super high speed opening. These might be high prices, but they are also very low maintenance and provide cost saving benefits with high performance too.
For Extra Large Openings: Pack High Speed Fabric Folding Door
For very large openings, a conventional steel roller shutter is not always the best route to faster operation. The Samson Pack high speed fabric folding door is designed for oversized industrial openings, using a reinforced PVC curtain with horizontal steel bars and a belt-driven lifting system to fold the curtain into a compact overhead stack for rapid access and reliable daily use. Standard sizes cover openings up to 20 metres wide and 15 metres high, with larger MegaPack versions available for facilities with exceptional opening requirements.
- Opening speed up to 1 m/s - ideal for busy traffic routes and high-frequency logistics operations
- Wind-resistant reinforced curtain - tested to 160 km/h for exposed loading bays and perimeter applications
- Minimal floor intrusion - overhead folding design keeps the opening clear and maximises usable floor space
- Specialist variants available - including Pack Crane for overhead crane access and airtight models for odour containment and composting facilities
Very Frequent Operations
A roller shutter door with a high rating electric motor drive and the ability for higher speeds of operation is perfect for this requirement. The door also needs to be strong in the curtain construction to take frequent daily operations. Many factories can operate 24/7, so the electric motor drive needs to be rated to deal with constant operation.
See our SeceuroDoor 95 and 100 models with high usage rated motor drives.
Insulated for Maintaining Internal Climate in Buildings
A double skinned roller shutter door and preferably with a higher speed of operation is required here and this is once again the superb SeceuroDoor 77 or 95 range with double skinned foam filled insulated steel or aluminium slats.
The ThermoTeck is also a great insulated roller door for larger sizes.
Insulation is more and more important with climate change and energy costs, but you really have to also understand that an insulated double skinned roller door offers far more than just the insulation with its increased rigidity and strength, providing better security and wind resistance as well as other benefits too.
Remote Control Operation
This isn’t generally recommended for any commercial roller shutter door, ever, simply because you then need additional safety detection devices and more complex electronics.
It is however possible and OK for smaller to medium sized roller shutter doors and any of the electric roller doors we offer can generally have remote controls added to the specification.
Natural Light and Vision Required
Acrylic glazed windows can be added to several of the roller door models to provide natural light and vision to the outside. These are single or double skinned vision sections which are punched into the curtain slats in one or more sections as required.
SeceuroDoor 77 and 95 have these options as well as the Thermoteck insulated door range.
Specialised
Roller shutter doors are used in so many different applications we are constantly asked for new applications and this is simply a matter of getting the right combination of features and specifications correct. For any roller shutter door just call or email us for suggestions or proper guidance on the best solutions.
We're always happy to discuss and suggest the best options for you.
Call us on 01933 274276 or email enquiries@samsondoors.co.uk
Size is usually the primary and initial consideration. Measure your opening and the internal headroom and side room available for the guides and the roller shutter curtain when rolled up fully.
Expectations on performance and what you want this door to actually do?
Closing off the opening to easy access in or out is the basic function of any door, but you can close off an opening with cardboard if you want, but this will almost certainly not fulfill the requirements and also fail very quickly.
Do you want the door to be:
Secure with a higher level of resistance to attempted burglary? Security rated and certified doors offer timed resistance against physical attacks for which you pay for a higher level of specification.
Insulated to provide more comfort, but also remember any insulated roller door is quieter and by definition more secure, as it is double skinned and stronger overall.
Electric or Manual operated, bearing in mind there are often instances where electric is cheaper simply because a manual roller door needs spring balancing internally and locking systems too, where electric tube motors are very low priced these days.
Higher Speed when opening and closing. A budget electric motor drive will operate painfully slowly which might suit some people but in a busy environment the last thing you want is a slow opening and closing door otherwise it will be left open more often than not.
It is relatively easy to add a higher speed and rated electric motor but it needs integrating with the right shutter curtain too.
Colour? More customers want quite specific colours for corporate image co ordination with their buildings. No problem with high quality powdercoating options or laminate finishes and you can have almost any RAL or BS code colours.
Control of the door. The least discussed aspect of many doors when there are so many options available and yet for most customers a button push to open and push to close on a wall station inside tends to suffice. You can have radar control, remote control, key fob control, timed access and so on. Just think what would work best and who will be operating the door.
Fire Rated? Maybe it needs a fire rating, but you should know that already in a commercial building as part of the general fire protocol.
Some vision, or ventilation maybe. No problem on many roller doors with perforated, punched or infill vision sections cut into the slats. Vision slats and open vented slats can be fitted into both single and double skinned door curtain sections. When a roller shutter has open vented sections it is imperative the safety detection systems are very robust to deal with anything which may get caught in the open slat section during operation.
There are many more features which can be incorporated on a commercial or industrial roller shutter door… Above are just the most common ones we hear and deal with every day.
Speak to us on 01933 448850 or email directly with your requirements on enquiries@samsondoors.co.uk
