How Do Rolling Shutter Work?

You have that neighbor whose garage door opens whenever he appears or when he presses a button form a remote control device and you wonder how he does that? Well, you dont have to worry anymore as we share with you how the rolling shutter works? 

A Closed Roller Shutter Door

How Does A Rolling Shutter Work?

This can also be referred to as a roller door or a sectional overhead door. This is a type of door made up of horizontal metal slats guided in a track operating by raising to open it up and lowering to close it. This can be manually or automatically operated. They are applied in garage doors, keeps most stalls safe, protect windows from extreme weather conditions like hailstorm and even any form of burglary.There are also just as many varieties of rolling shutters in the market.

What Are The Components Of Rolling Shutter?

1. Cheek plate - Secured to the building structure, they support the roller holding the curtain in place is supported by two load-bearing cheek plates (also known as end plates).

2. Flag post - The cheek plate is either welded to a vertical angle or directly to the top of the guide giving the look of a flag post. This is secured to the building structure to give additional support and aid the installation of the shutter.

Cheek Plate And Flag Post

3. Roller assembly - The shutter curtain is held in place by a full width roller, which is supported at each end by the cheek plates. The roller comprises of a steel tube with a tubular motor fitted at one end and a shaft at the opposite end.

4. Tubular Motor - A tubular motor is fitted into the shutter's overhead barrel assembly. Protruding from the barrel is the motor head which incorporates a manual override eye (when a manual override facility is included), the electrical wire feed, and a pair of limit switches to control the maximum travel distance of the shutter curtain. The motor is fitted with an operational brake to hold the shutter stationary when it is in its upper position.

5. Safety Brake -  This centrifugal brake arrests the descent of the shutter if there is a failure in the motor. If the motor's operational brake fails to hold the shutter stationary when it is in its upper position, or the shutter descends at an uncontrolled speed, the safety brake will activate and bring the shutter to a complete halt. Some units also have a micro-switch that will disconnect the motor from the electrical supply. The brake, once activated, will need to be reset or in some cases, replaced. An experienced shutter engineer must carry out resetting or replacement. In addition, U- Cup or Bearing is fitted to the cheek plate to support the barrel.

6.Guides - The curtain runs up and down through two side guides. These are 'u' shape in design.

7. Curtain - The material that shuts off the area between the guides. This is generally made of steel or aluminium lath that interlock together. Tube and Link grilles are held together by horizontally-positioned rods.

Materials Used To Make The Roll And Shutter

8. Bottom Rail - The final bottom section of the curtain and is often 'T' shaped or 'L' shaped to give additional rigidity.

9. Canopy Cover(the hood) . The fitting of this is generally optional. It is made of galvanised steel and is supplied folded to wrap around the cheek plates protecting the curtain and barrel from the rain and dust. It is also a safety requirement when the roller mechanism or motor is below 2500mm high.

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