Hermetically sealed doors
MCL-165
A sliding door that seals when it closes. Built for theatres, cleanrooms and any room where controlling air leakage matters more than convenience.
Overview
Hermetically sealed doors: shut versus sealed
An ordinary automatic sliding door closes. Hermetically sealed doors close and then seal, which is a different job and needs a different track.
The MCL-165 uses a patented track system that draws the leaf against the frame as it finishes closing, so the gap that a normal sliding door leaves is closed. That is what lets a room hold its air rather than exchange it with the corridor every time somebody walks through.
It matters in two ways. Air handling is expensive, and a room that leaks costs more to condition than one that does not. And where the point of the room is to keep what is inside separate from what is outside, an entrance that does not seal undermines everything else you have specified.
The system is designed for normal service as an automatic pedestrian sliding door, and for sealing in dry rooms. It is not a fire door and it is not a substitute for one; where a fire rating is required that is a separate specification and we will say so.
Everything else about the entrance still applies. It is still a powered door in a busy human-impact position, so the activation and safety devices around it matter as much as they do on our automatic sliding doors, and it still needs a service interval set against the cycles it actually carries. See spare parts and multi-brand service for how we look after doors after installation.
- Patented sealing track — the leaf seals against the frame when closed
- Windproof and dustproof when sealed
- Quiet running under normal pedestrian service
- Hands-free activation — elbow or foot switch, hands-free sensor, radar or remote
- External power beam option
- Lead-lined leaves available where radiology shielding is required
Applications
Where hermetically sealed doors are specified
Operating theatres
Hands-free entry with the room’s air held rather than exchanged with the corridor.
Cleanrooms
Controlled environments where air permeability is part of the specification.
Laboratories
Separation between spaces held at different conditions.
Radiology
Lead-lined leaves where shielding is required alongside the seal.
Intensive care and isolation
Entrances that must seal reliably and open hands-free.
Food and pharmaceutical
Production areas where dust and draught control is part of the process.
Specification
MCL-165 hermetically sealed doors specification
- Type — hermetically sealing automatic pedestrian sliding door
- Sealing — patented track system, seals against the frame when closed
- Environment — designed for sealing in dry rooms
- Performance — windproof and dustproof when closed; quiet in normal service
- Activation — hands-free switch, elbow or foot push button, radar or remote
- Options — external power beam; lead-lined leaves for radiology
Hermetically sealed doors are specified per room. Leaf construction, seal arrangement, activation, interlocking and any shielding are decided against the room’s requirements, so we confirm the specification from a site assessment. We do not publish laboratory certification or pressure-differential figures for this door because we do not hold that documentation — if your project requires certified performance data, tell us at enquiry stage and we will obtain it in writing or tell you we cannot.
Hygiene and activation
Nobody should touch the door
In a theatre or a cleanroom the handle is the problem. Hermetic doors are activated hands-free as standard — an elbow or foot push button, a hands-free sensor, detection radar or a remote — so the person going through does not contact the door at all.
Interlocking two hermetically sealed doors is common in these rooms, so an airlock cannot have both leaves open at once. That is a wiring and control decision, which is why it needs to be settled at specification rather than added later.
Requirements for powered pedestrian doors in South Africa are published through SABS.
Questions
Frequently asked
What makes hermetically sealed doors different from ordinary automatic doors?
The track. Hermetically sealed doors draw the leaf against the frame as it finishes closing so the gap is sealed, where a standard sliding door simply stops in the closed position.
Where is it used?
Operating theatres, cleanrooms, laboratories, radiology, isolation rooms, and food or pharmaceutical production — anywhere the room’s air needs to stay separate from the corridor’s.
Can it be opened without touching it?
Yes, and normally it is. Elbow or foot push buttons, hands-free sensors, detection radar and remotes are all standard options.
Is a lead-lined version available for radiology?
Yes. Lead can be built into the leaf where shielding is required alongside the seal. The shielding specification is confirmed per project.
Can you provide certified performance data?
Not from this page. We do not publish certification or pressure-differential figures we do not hold in writing. If your project requires certified data, raise it at enquiry stage and we will obtain it or tell you plainly that we cannot.
Do you service hermetically sealed doors you did not supply?
Yes. We service and repair automatic doors from other manufacturers as well as our own.
Specifying hermetically sealed doors?
Send us the room, the opening size, whether the door forms part of an airlock, the activation you need and any shielding requirement. We will come back with a specification, installation and commissioning quoted together.