Swing doors are often used in hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, laboratories, scientific institutions. Swing doors are very convenient, as they quickly open and organize a free passage. For the installation of swing doors we need special door elements – electric actuators, without which the door panel simply cannot perform its functions.
What are actuators for swing doors?
The actuator for swing doors is a small mechanism that helps you open and close the door easily. When choosing an actuator, you must pay attention to its compatibility with a certain type of door, as well as the weight and height of the door panel, which it should hold.
Swing doors with an actuator have 2 operating modes: door closer mode and automatic mode. When operating a door closer, you must manipulate the door panel physically, pushing it. The difference is the door will open easily and smoothly, returning to its original position. In the automatic mode, in order to open the doors, you must press the button or set the motion sensor, which will respond to people coming, thereby sending signals to the system that it should open the door. The actuator ensures smooth and silent operation of the doors.
Actuators for automatic swing doors are distinguished by the permissible weight and size of the leaf. The standard kit includes the actuator for only one leaf, which can be installed both outside and inside the door. There are actuators of upper and lower (in the floor) installation. To activate the opening, you must buy motion sensors or activation buttons separately, as we have mentioned before.
We advise you to pay attention to the following points, especially if you are looking for an actuator for an external door in a place with an intense passage of visitors:
- The country of the manufacturer of the actuator for the automatic door, as well as the availability of a test certificate and a quality management standard, for example ISO 9001. European manufacturers of automatic doors are a guarantee of quality and long years of operation.
- Warranty period of operation or number of opening / closing cycles. The most popular warranty period is 2 years, but there are manufacturers who provide 3 and even 5 years of warranty.
- Technical parameters of the automatic door (matching the weight of the sliding doors for this actuator, the speed of opening / closing the door, the ability to adjust the coverage and sensitivity of motion sensors). Ideally, if the weight of the sliding doors is up to 70% of the maximum permissible, and the opening / closing speed should be maximum (there are automatic door drives working at speeds up to 2 m / s). The speed of opening / closing will depend on the amount of air coming from outside and as a consequence your heating / air conditioning costs.
- Mechanical parameters of the automatic door actuator (number and diameter of rollers, availability of a replaceable roller rail, the possibility of programming the parameters of the door from the selector, the error code should be also displayed on the selector). The large diameter of the rollers allows to increase their service life, the availability of a replaceable roller rail will reduce your costs when you replace it (you will not need to buy a more expensive carrier), the possibility of programming the door operation mode via the selector which allows you to change Automatic door operation parameters: speed, opening width, delay time, etc. If you display the error code on the selector, you will be able to find out the cause of the failure of work of the automatic door (and in some cases fix the failure by yourself).
When comparing the cost of automatic doors, consider the cost of further maintenance and the cost of spare parts.