MK Plastics Blog

Founded in 1963, MK Plastics is a global leader in the production of corrosion resistant industrial and commercial blowers, fans, and ventilation systems. Patented in several countries, our products are AMCA Certified for Air and Sound Performance.
We offer the broadest and most complete line of quality industrial and commercial corrosion-resistant fans and blowers. Our innovative ventilation technologies are patented in several countries.

Dampers & Louvers

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We're a corrosion resistant fan manufacturer, and we also make dampers and louvers out of fiberglass for various corrosive applications. They fall under the title of air control and movement. They're not fans, but they work in conjunction with vans and ventilation.

Gravity Backdraft Dampers

End pivoted automatic shutter dampers, more commonly known as gravity backdraft dampers, are used in ventilation systems to allow airflow in one direction and prevent airflow in the opposite direction. They are also sometimes used as pressure relief or barometric.

The models that we use for gravity are called K-GD. They are square/rectangular, but they can come in different sizes and lengths. The limitation in one section is 36 inches, but you can stage them in multiple sections that are joined together. We've made them fairly large, spanning 20 feet on potash applications in Central Canada.

Gravity backdraft dampers can be mounted in different orientations. The most common is vertically mounted where the airflow goes through horizontally. We can also put them on the outlets of fans.

Control Dampers

Manual balancing dampers regulate the flow of air but are not intended to be used in applications such as positive shutoff or automatic control. On the other hand, control dampers regulate the flow of air in the same manner as a balancing damper, but they can also be used as a positive shutoff or automatic control. (We offer them in fiberglass, too.)

Control dampers are the same type of concept and design as gravity backdraft dampers in terms of shape. They come in two different configurations in terms of the blade orientation. One is parallel blade, which requires the damper blades to rotate in the same direction, parallel to one another. This orientation is typically used when the damper operates in two positions (open or closed).

The other type is opposed blade orientation. This is where the blades are adjacent to each other, each rotating in the opposite direction. Unlike gravity dampers that use counterweights or the velocity of the air to open, opposed blade dampers are usually controlled with an electric actuator or sometimes a pneumatic actuator. It's basically a small motor that's mounted on the side of the damper frame, which opens/closes or modulates it.

We also offer round fiberglass control dampers, which can be used for round duct applications. They can range from a tiny 4 inches in diameter all the way up to 60 inches in diameter. We offer them in many different configurations/styles, but they're all corrosion resistant, made out of fiberglass, and suitable for applications where there's corrosion in the exhaust system.

Fixed Blade Drainable Louvers

Although fixed blade drainable louvers look similar to dampers, you actually use them in conjunction with dampers. They are recommended for use in air intake, exhaust, or pressure relief. These louvers prevent debris, rain, or outside particles from entering into a system. (They sometimes come with screens.) We offer these in fiberglass as part of our air control movement products.

To learn more about the dampers that we offer, visit our Damper Product List. If you'd like to learn more about using dampers in conjunction with the fans we offer, contact us or request a quote today.


Fiberglass Louver
Fiberglass Backdraft Damper
Round Control Damper
The Application of High-Temp Exhaust in Healthcare
The Impact of FEGs on Induced Flow Fans