To move heavy loads in and out of an industrial facility, a monorail crane system is sometimes employed. These systems use a stationary overhead track and a trolley that runs on it, shuttling payloads back and forth. When the payload needs to go in and out of a building, it utilizes a specialized door known as a “monorail door.” These can either swing or slide, and they include a cut out “notch” for the track, allowing the trolley and its payload to pass in and out (the monorail door is opened and closed to let it through) without creating an unprotected opening in the facility for extended periods of time.
The Facts:
A monorail is a unique system that requires a unique door. Most industrial facilities simply cannot have a massive opening without a door. Not only would this leave the operation inside unprotected from the elements, it would provide easy access for unwanted wildlife like birds.
Monorails do a very specific job for a variety of industries, including those dealing with chemicals, metal processing, pulp and paper, waste management and more. It is a valuable tool that greatly improves productivity, but it also creates a unique set of needs that not every door manufacturer can handle.
The Challenge:
As heavy material is moved in and out of an industrial facility with a monorail crane, a door is necessary to secure the opening before and after passage. An average door is insufficient, however, as the rail itself must be accommodated, as do the special requirements created by the location and industry itself. For example, high winds often batter these doors, bending, denting and ultimately revealing the shortcomings of weak construction. If a monorail door isn’t built to incredibly high standards, it will fail and productivity will suffer as maintenance or repairs are performed.
In addition, almost every monorail system is unique, requiring custom-made doors to accompany it. In particular, the busbar or electrical rail that accompanies the primary rail virtually always requires a custom-shaped notch. It requires experience and expertise to create a door that fits properly and works with the monorail crane rather than slowing down its ability to do its job. A process is only as efficient as its slowest element, and the best monorail doors take this into account.
The Solution:
Bi-Part Sliding Monorail Doors and Paired Swing Monorail Doors are both available from PS Access Solutions™. These unique doors are engineered to function properly even under adverse conditions and built to last, even as wind, weather and high usage seek to wear them down. At higher elevations or in situations where high wind is especially pronounced, Bi-Part Sliding Monorail Doors are recommended, as they eliminate the possibility of a swing door being thrown open.
Both of these doors feature a fully welded, structural internal framework that is engineered specifically for the application’s opening size and wind loads. They feature a notch that seals around the monorail beam / busbar, and their door panels are insulated and sheeted with a minimum of 16 gauge sheeting. They can be manufactured in mild steel or stainless steel, and their hinges are heavy duty, welded in place and sized for the door size and weight. Each of these doors includes a heavy duty frame and can be made in a variety of styles to meet your unique design requirements. In fact, virtually everything can be customized.
This commitment to long-lasting construction means that these doors from PS Access Solutions require less maintenance and are unaffected by high winds and continuous use. Finally, the Bi-Part Sliding Monorail Door can be operated manually, electrically or using a hand chain, while the Paired Swing Monorail Door is operated manually.
Learn more about the Bi-Part Sliding Monorail Door here.
Learn more about the Paired Swing Monorail Door here.
Manufacturing dependable monorail doors requires expertise that is beyond a typical door company. PS Access Solutions understands the unique engineering challenges associated with monorail cranes, and we build doors that do their jobs with less downtime for maintenance and upkeep. Put that expertise to work for your operation – contact PS Access Solutions today.