What Makes an Industrial Door Suitable for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing?

There is no universal specification for industrial doors for pharmaceutical manufacturing, because what makes them suitable depends on the specific hygiene and cleanliness, traffic, environmental and safety demands surrounding each individual opening. This can make it hard to plan a new pharmaceutical facility, upgrade an existing site or replace an unsuitable door. 

In our 50+ years of delivering intelligent door systems at DMF International, we’ve found every door must be assessed according to its unique cleaning requirements, traffic type and frequency, environmental conditions, access controls and daily operating demands. The application must then be factored in, such as the demands of a production room, laboratory, warehouse or controlled environment, making the function of the doorway the starting point for specification. 

This guide breaks down the five core requirements an industrial door should meet in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. 

Why Does Industrial Door Selection Matter in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing?

Every single opening in a pharmaceutical facility influences hygiene, traffic flow, environmental separation and the reliability of day-to-day operations. It’s not just the airflow and potential contamination that make door selection so critical, but also the access of people, materials and equipment, supporting:

• Faster material handling with fewer traffic bottlenecks.
• Reduced exposure between areas.
• Hygiene and contamination control procedures.
• Safer movement for staff, trolleys and forklifts.
• Secure access to restricted areas.
• Reliable operation with fewer disruptions.
• Greater operational efficiency.

These operational factors can differ between areas and applications, as the following two pharmaceutical projects show.

Different Applications, Different Doors in Practice

Controlled Clinical Environment

DMF supplied EFAFLEX CR Efficient doors for AstraZeneca’s airlock applications. The custom-sized doors were certified to ISO 6 and fitted with electronic interlocking to support the facility’s contamination control between connected areas. 

Warehouse Traffic Control

At a Western Sydney pharmaceutical warehouse, DMF divided a 10-metre opening into controlled IN and OUT routes using two Series RL3000 rapid roll doors. Then, induction floor loops, photoelectric safety beams and custom central supports were selected to allow for frequent vehicle access.

1. Hygiene and Cleanability

Production, preparation, laboratory and other hygiene-sensitive areas follow extremely stringent sanitation and cleaning procedures. Industrial doors with joints, ledges and damaged surfaces can more easily collect dust, product residue and other contaminants, as well as be harder to sanitise consistently, potentially increasing cross-contamination risks.

For heightened contamination control, look for doors with:

• Smooth, with non-porous surfaces
• Minimal joints, ledges and recesses
• Resistance to moisture, chemicals and cleaning agents
• Materials that won’t shed, corrode or swell
• Touch-free activation where contact needs to be reduced

For example, Dortek hygienic doors use glass reinforced polyester with a smooth, seamless surface that’s well-suited to production areas, laboratories and other controlled environments.

2. Speed and Traffic Flow

A slow door can cause a domino effect, creating queues to access areas, disrupting material handling and leaving adjoining areas exposed longer than necessary. Even seconds added to each swing can have a potentially costly effect on facility operations.

Looking for rapid opening and closing doors that can pair with a suitable activation method can improve the flow of traffic without compromising on safe access. EFAFLEX R-Series high-speed doors from DMF are a good example of this, with models opening at up to 2.0 metres per second for high-frequency applications.

3. Environmental Separation

Because an open or sealed doorway can allow conditions or contaminants to transfer between areas, environmental separation is a major concern for industrial door selection for pharmaceutical facilities. Depending on the application, the door may need to help manage:

• Airflow and pressure
• Temperature control and humidity 
• Dust, odours and pests
• Separation between production or operational zones.

Specialist pharmaceutical environments, such as airlocks serving sterile production cleanrooms, may also have additional pressure and sealing requirements. Doors for or in these areas should be assessed alongside the ventilation, room design and operating conditions to determine their suitability. 

“In pressure-controlled areas, like clean rooms and sterile production areas, the closed-door seal is just one part of the performance picture. Opening speed and the time the room takes to recover after each cycle can matter just as much, so the door, ventilation and control strategy need to be considered together.”

— Steve Polak, National Business Development Manager, Premier Door Systems & DMF International

4. Durability and Reliability

Durability of an industrial door is a major consideration because any door faults or failures can interrupt production, restrict access and delay the movement of materials through the facility. 

To assess the durability of the door, consider:

• Expected operating cycles, as higher-frequency openings need motors and components designed for it.
• Frequency and type of traffic, since forklifts and pallet equipment can create different loads and impact risks to pedestrians.
• Exposure to impact, moisture and cleaning agents, which can damage unsuitable door panels, seals and hardware.
• Maintenance access and servicing requirements, as accessible components are faster to inspect and repair.
• Availability of replacement components, affecting how quickly the door can return to service if a fault occurs.

This is why price should not be the biggest determining factor, as even a lower upfront price may offer poor value if the door is unsuitable or difficult to repair. During your comparison, weigh up service life, maintenance needs and the operation cost of downtime to assess the whole-of-life performance.

5. Safety, Access and Automation

For a door to be suitable for a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, the safety and activation features need to be aligned with the people, vehicles and equipment using each opening. For example, a system designed for pedestrian access may not provide the sensing range, visibility or traffic control needed for forklift access.

Where automatic doors are required, you may need to consider: 

• Motion sensors or induction floor loops
• Light curtains and photoelectric safety beams
• Vision panels for approaching traffic
• Touch-free activation
• Restricted access control
• Controlled IN and OUT routes
• Interlocking between adjoining doors

It’s important these features operate as one control strategy rather than as a collection of separate additions. Before programming begins, document how the door should respond during normal traffic, restricted access, an emergency, a control fault and a loss of power.

“A detail that’s often overlooked or left until commissioning is what happens to a door and its functionalities during a power cut or control fault. A loading dock, controlled production area and interlocked airlock may each require a different safe position, manual release or backup arrangements, so it really needs to be agreed with the wider access, fire and building systems before any of the controls are programmed.”

— Steve Polak, National Business Development Manager, Premier Door Systems & DMF International

Matching the Door to Different Areas of a Pharmaceutical Facility

The main operational risks of each opening should be used to narrow down the specification before comparing door models.

How Do You Decide Which Pharmaceutical Door Type You Need?

For help deciding which type of door is suitable, start with the condition the door must protect, then rule out any options that cannot meet the required cleaning, pressure, traffic or access conditions. Answering these questions can help do so.

Does the Opening Form Part of a Cleanroom or Airlock?

If it does, begin with the required cleanroom classification and pressure conditions. A specialist door such as the EFAFLEX CR Series from DMF International may be required where certified cleanroom performance, effective sealing or electronic interlocking forms part of the specification.

Will the Door Undergo Frequent Cleaning or Sanitation? 

Where frequent sanitation is the priority, look for a hygienic door with smooth, non-porous surfaces and materials compatible with the facility’s cleaning agents. Dortek hygienic doors are designed with this in mind for production, preparation and laboratory areas with strict cleaning procedures. 

Does the Opening Carry Frequent Vehicle or Material Traffic?

For busy traffic traffic openings, prioritise operating speed, cycle capacity, visibility and the right activation method. EFAFLEX R-Series high-speed doors often suit production, warehouse and logistics areas where delays and extended exposure between zones need to be reduced.

It’s not uncommon for these requirements to overlap. For example, a cleanroom opening used for frequent material movements may need both certified cleanroom performance and the right speed, sensing and interlocking controls. 

Choosing an Industrial Door for Your Pharmaceutical Facility

Documenting the opening requirements before layouts and control systems are finalised can help prevent late changes to clearances, sealing, power, activation and interlocking.

DMF International has supplied pharmaceutical door systems across Australia and Southeast Asia for more than 50 years. Early consultation helps coordinate the door, controls, sealing and dimensions before the facility finalises layouts.

Speak with DMF about industrial door solutions for your pharmaceutical facility.