Automatic doors are used for customer convenience, to assist disabled individuals, for busy employees, or for anyone who finds a closed door a problem. These automatic doors are powered to the opened and closed position. Automatic doors can be operated by the push of a button, through a sensor or a radio transmittal/receiver.
Doors can be many different types; swinging, sliding, folding, and revolving. The swinging type of door is the most common and can be either a single or a double door. The sliding door does not project out into the usable space but will require wall space to slide out of the way. The sliding door can also be either a single or a double door. The folding door is used to maximize the clear door opening within a confined space. The revolving door virtually eliminates draft and prevents wild fluctuations in temperature.
Another use for an automatic door has to do with meeting the Illinois accessibility code on an existing building. We had a situation where the latch side of a restroom door was positioned in the corner hallway. The latch side of the door was supposed to have 18″ clearance from the corner for proper accessibility but existed with only a few inches clearance. In this situation the local code official accepted our use of the automatic door opener with a button operator. By adding the operator we not only made the door accessible but also saved thousands of remodeling dollars that moving the door for proper clearance would have cost the owner.
Automatic doors are reliable, safe, and a convenient way to provide easy access to buildings for all of us.
