What Makes an Automatic Door ‘Automatic’?

We’re all so accustomed to certain aspects of technology that we often find ourselves getting frustrated when they break down. After all, man-made structures like roller shutters and automatic doors need to be regularly maintained and inspected in order to keep them in tip top condition. An automatic door opens by itself without the need for a person to make contact with the door itself, and there is some quite interesting technology at work that allows it to do so. Read on as we explain what exactly it is that makes an automatic door ‘automatic’... When it comes to automatic doors, there are a number of different types on the market that all operate in a slightly different way. For example, sliding doors are designed with different panels that pull away from the centre in order to slot into the edges neatly and folding doors have smaller panels with hinges that allow them to fold into one another whereas swinging doors are designed with a large hinge at the top to accommodate the swinging motion and retrofit swing doors work in a similar way but accommodate a double door opening as opposed to just the one. The way that an automatic door is able to open without a person having to make contact with it can be accomplished in many different ways such as approach sensors, push buttons, access control that requires a code or ID card and pressure mats. The design that a building or business decides to go with will often depend on who will be using them and where they will be suited. For instance, external automatic doors tend to be fitted with approach motion sensors whereas internal automatic doors for staff may require an access code instead. It could be argued that the most common method of giving an automatic door it’s ‘automatic’ qualities is by using approach sensors. As the name suggests, this simply means that there are sensors fitted within a certain proximity to the door that will detect when a person is nearby and send a message to the operating mechanism to signal it to open. In these cases, these types of automatic doors will usually be fitted with safety sensors too in order to ensure that the doors do not close when an obstacle is present. This ensures that the doors can be used safely and that children and/or pets won’t be put at risk. Just like any other piece of technology, automatic doors are prone to faults if they are not maintained. This means that any malfunctions need to be investigated promptly by an experienced technician in order to ascertain what the problem is and ensure that members of the public are not put at risk. Here at ABC Industrial, all of our automatic doors come with a full guarantee and we even offer planned preventative maintenance contracts that serve to keep your industrial products in tip top condition. Get in contact with a member of the team to find out more today.  

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