Air Curtains

Air curtains use a horizontal sheet of air, projected downward at 8–14 m/s, to create a thermal and physical barrier across the open doorway. The barrier doesn't stop people or trolleys — it stops uncontrolled airflow. Inside air stays inside, hot and polluted outside air stays outside, and 90–95% of flying insects are deflected before they cross the threshold.

Modern industrial-grade units use cross-flow or centrifugal blowers paired with multi-speed motors and thermal cut-outs. Premium variants add remote control, door-sensor activation (only run while the door is open), heated discharge for cold climates, and stainless-steel housings for cold-storage and food-processing environments.

Restaurants & QSR: Air curtains are the single highest-leverage piece of equipment for FSSAI compliance at the front-of-house. They cut insect ingress dramatically, stabilise indoor temperature, and reduce AC bills by 30–60% for outlets with frequent door traffic. Standard 4 ft and 5 ft units cover most main entrances; kitchen pass-throughs typically take a 3 ft model.

Hospitals & clinics: Pharmacy windows, wards on internal courtyards, and main lobby doors all benefit from air curtains for infection control. The silent series (under 55 dB(A)) is preferred for patient-adjacent spaces; the standard series for back-of-house and emergency entrances.

Warehousing & cold storage: Heavy-duty 7–8 ft industrial units, often paired with PVC strip curtains, retain refrigeration in cold rooms and reduce loading-dock heat ingress. Look for stainless-steel housings, IP54+ ratings, and 380 V three-phase variants for sustained industrial duty.

Retail & malls: Anchor-store entrances, food-court boundaries, and back-office corridors. Sleek aluminium-bodied units in white or stainless suit retail aesthetics; multiple units can be daisy-chained on a single switch for a 12+ ft entrance.

The single most important specification is the unit's effective width relative to your door. The air-curtain blade must cover the entire door width — gaps at the edges defeat the seal. As a rule, choose a unit at least 100 mm wider than the door on each side, or use two smaller units side-by-side for openings beyond 7 ft.

After width, consider mounting height. The discharge velocity has to reach the floor — a 4 ft unit mounted at 2.5 m typically delivers 8–10 m/s at floor level; mounted at 3.5 m the floor velocity drops below 5 m/s and the seal weakens. For high-mount installations (warehouse loading docks at 4 m+), specify a heavy-duty model rated for that height.

Finally, factor environment: cold storage and food-processing demand stainless or food-grade aluminium bodies. High-traffic doors (more than 1 cycle per minute) call for thermally protected, continuous-duty motors. Ask our team for a sizing recommendation if you're unsure — share door dimensions, mount height, and traffic profile, and we'll specify the SKU.

Air curtains are largely maintenance-free. The intake filters need cleaning roughly every 3 months in clean environments and monthly in food-prep or industrial settings — vacuum or wash, depending on filter type. Once a year, check motor mounts, lubricate bearings on serviceable models, and verify the thermal cutout. AERSTER premium-series units carry a 5-year warranty with on-site replacement for verified claims; standard series carry 2 years on parts and 1 on motor.

When a unit eventually fails (typically 7–10 years for premium models in continuous duty), most components are field-replaceable. We stock motors, blowers, control PCBs, and remote receivers for every active SKU. Spare-part requests through your dedicated account manager are quoted within 24 hours.

For Indian deployments, check for ISI marking on the motor, IP55 (dust + jet-water proof) for kitchens or wash-down areas, and a CE-equivalent test certificate for export-grade installations. FSSAI compliance for food businesses doesn't certify the air curtain itself but does require evidence of an effective fly-control measure — a calibrated air curtain plus an insect killer is the standard accepted setup.

Velocity at outlet (m/s) and CFM matter, but the more practical metric is air velocity at floor level, given your specific mount height. A reputable supplier will give you both numbers with the test conditions.