Glass Reinforced Polyester Doors Offer Advantages for Cleanrooms

Dortek is calling on companies to move towards specifying GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester) doors in their cleanrooms, or risk contamination from poor hygienic door performance. Les Blennerhasset, Technical Director of Dortek, explained: “We supply both steel and GRP doors to the pharmaceutical industry, but in areas where hygiene is important, there is really no comparison between the two. In every aspect, GRP doors perform much better than their steel counterparts.” GRP doors comply to all latest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) requirements in pharmaceutical and nutritional facilities, and thanks to their smooth, seamless construction, are easy to clean and will not harbour bacteria. GRP doors are completely water resistant, and will not warp, rust or rot when exposed to the prolonged use of disinfectants, chlorine releasing agents and VHP (vaporised hydrogen peroxide).

GRP doors are also easier to use on a day-to-day basis than their steel counterparts. Whether fire rated or not, GRP doors typically weigh half that of steel doors, and differential air pressures have little effect on their ease of use if they are installed with the correct closing mechanisms.

GRP doors are also cheaper than steel doors, when lifecycle costs are factored in. Depending on the type of structure, steel doors will often require additional heavy steelwork to reinforce the door opening before installation. In busy settings, doors are subject to a lot of wear and tear. Door openings for GRP doors require lining as with any door, but no additional steelwork is required. They do not need decoration, and suffer less wear on hinges. Similarly, GRP doors flex under impact and do not dent. If damaged, they can be easily repaired whilst still in place, and are extremely unlikely to need replacing during a normal lifecycle.