Automatic charge hearth access door assembly

An automatic charge hearth access door assembly for a melting furnace comprising:

• an access door movable between a closed position for covering a furnace opening located on a face of the furnace and an opened position for providing access to the furnace opening;
• a latch mechanism configured to automatically secure the access door to the face of the furnace in the closed position, the latch mechanism configured to engage the access door in at least two locations about a periphery of the access door creating a seal between the access door and the face of the furnace;
• and
• an open-and-close drive assembly configured to automatically move the access door about a first rotational axis between the closed position and opened position and simultaneously move the access door about a second rotational axis which is parallel to and offset from the first rotational axis.

A method of automatically moving a charge hearth access door for a melting furnace between a closed position for covering a furnace opening located on a face of the furnace and an opened position for providing access to the furnace opening, the method comprising:

• moving the access door about a first rotational axis between the closed position and opened position;
• simultaneously moving the access door about a second rotational axis which is parallel to and offset from the first rotational axis;
• and
• sensing presence of an operator in a protected area associated with the access door and preventing movement of the access door when it is determined that an operator is in the protected area.