ALUTECH: a reminder for choosing a garage door

Recommendation points

• Types of balancing mechanisms
• Varieties of sectional canvases
• Features of protective coatings
• What you need to know about the rail and mounting system
• How much is comfort
• Optional accessories

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This review will acquaint readers with modern sectional garage doors from ALUTECH. We will tell you what new solutions are used in the products of one of the leading manufacturers, what advantages they provided and whether automated gates have really ceased to be a luxury.

Types of balancing mechanisms

The classic sectional door scheme, which is adopted by most modern manufacturers, includes three components:

• sectional canvas;
• guide systems;
• balancing mechanism.

All elements are technologically separated from each other, which allows them to be easily combined, achieving maximum correspondence of the acquired design to the set goals.

One should start acquaintance with any series of gates precisely from the balancing mechanism – from the most complicated part of the whole complex. There are two types of balancing devices: in one version, the curtain is supported by a cable in combination with blocks and conventional tension springs; in the other, the cable is wound on a drum attached to a torsion shaft, the springs of which compensate for the mass of the door.

The practical difference between the two types of balancing is negligible: the tension springs are hidden in the cavity of the side posts of the gate, and therefore no additional space is required above the curtain. This is very convenient if the top of the opening is close to the ceiling. If there is enough free space in the headroom, then the use of a torsion shaft is recommended. It is also worth considering that the tension springs have significant restrictions on the weight of the door leaf..

When the gate is equipped with a torsion shaft, their cost will be only 5% higher than the initial one, but such a mechanism is quieter, which is especially important if the garage is adjacent to a residential building. In addition, torsion springs allow you to take into account the peculiarities of the room and install the gate on openings with a high headroom or sloping roof. There is no such solution in doors with tension springs..

Varieties of sectional canvases

Garage doors have long ceased to be “rattling cans”. The result of the development of modern designers is dense, durable and rigid panels, combined into a flexible canvas system. And, by the way, with a very attractive appearance.

The assortment of the ALUTECH company includes panels with various types of shaped corrugation, paneled and smooth sections. For each of them, there is the possibility of applying a textured pattern that looks like brushed wood. The doors are painted both in one of the RAL palette colors and in exclusive shades with imitation of valuable wood species. As a result, it is possible to adapt the color and appearance of the door to almost any style of the facade. When choosing a gate design, it should be borne in mind that minor damage will be less noticeable on panels with texture than on smooth panels..

In addition to the appearance, the purely technical characteristics of the sections are also important. For quite a long time, the manufacturers did not manage to solve the issue of the door leaf reliability: it was thin-walled, did not retain heat well, and under physical impact slightly above average and completely diverged at the joints. Today the situation has changed to the exact opposite: in the construction of ALUTECH garage doors we see thickened sandwich panels of 40–45 mm, filled with high density polyurethane foam. The thickness of steel sheets also has a decent indicator – 0.4 mm, and a special system of their joining protects the panel from delamination. According to the test results, all this makes ALUTECH doors resistant to loads equivalent to wind flow at a speed of up to 120 km / h (for doors of the Classic series).

In terms of thermal conductivity, the ALUTECH door leaf is comparable to a brick wall 55–60 cm thick.

Features of protective coatings

The operating conditions for garage doors can hardly be called sparing. They are negatively affected by temperature extremes, high humidity and aggressive automotive chemicals, constant friction in many nodes. But even these factors are partially or completely eliminated due to a number of innovative solutions.

The safety of the metal shell of ALUTECH sandwich panels is ensured by a multilayer protective coating:

• zinc layer – 16 microns;
• primer layer – 14-16 microns;
• polyurethane coating with polyamide particles (PUR-PA) – 20-25 microns.

Separately, it is worth talking about the finish coating: the manufacturer does not disclose a specific formula, but hints that the basis is polyurethane, reinforced with polyamide particles. This combination has proven its durability over decades of use as a tread material for industrial wheels. In addition to its outstanding strength, the material has the ability to adhere to metal at the molecular level, which eliminates delamination and contact of the metal core of the panel with oxygen.

Thanks to these methods of protecting products, the guarantee against through corrosion for ALUTECH sectional doors is currently 10 years.

However, in addition to sandwich panels, the door structure also includes other elements: rollers, hinges, brackets, which are also subject to a high risk of corrosion. In the Classic series of doors from ALUTECH, these parts are made of stainless steel – an excellent example of the manufacturer’s honest attitude to their work. This feature is one of the main criteria that distinguish the Classic series from its analogues.

What you need to know about the rail and mounting system

The third permanent part of the sectional door is the frame made of guide profiles. And this part in ALUTECH products is thought out as well as the design of the drive and the blade. In addition to its high strength and resistance to corrosion, the sectional door frame provides high-quality sealing. Together with the heat-saving characteristics of the panels themselves, this allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the garage without the risk of condensation on the sash and icing of the guide system..

ALUTECH doors are mounted with a full frame of the opening, that is, in the closed position, the sash has a dense rebate on all four sides. All sides of the opening have sealing inserts that are fixed in the grooves of the profiles. Moreover, at Classic gates, double-leaf seals with an additional air chamber to improve thermal insulation.

The mounting system itself for doors of different models and installation methods consists of a unified set of elements. Regardless of the type of balancing mechanism and the location of the shaft, parts with a high degree of compatibility are used. This guarantees the maintainability of the door: a faulty element can be quickly replaced by the code of the assembly diagram. This also demonstrates the transparency of the supplier’s work: the customer pays for the used parts according to the list – no more, no less.

How much is comfort

But why not less? Given that the prices for ALUTECH sectional doors compare favorably with the cost of similar imported products, the manufacturer offers additional opportunities for savings.

You should start by familiarizing yourself with the proprietary cost calculator. In just seven steps the customer can select the suitable series, drive type, frame and sandwich panels, as well as options. The final cost estimate may slightly differ from the real one. At the same time, since the beginning of the spring of this year, there is an unconditional discount on Classic series garage doors, and when manufacturing doors of certain sizes, their cost can be a quarter lower than the standard.

In general, a set of standard-sized doors (3.0×2.5 m) with manual control will cost no more than 900 euros when equipped with a torsion shaft and about 860 euros when using tension springs. At the same time, corrosion-resistant mounting elements, seals and silent rollers, as well as a locking system are included in the standard delivery, you will have to pay extra only for the most significant optional extras.

Optional accessories

For all series of ALUTECH doors it is possible to equip one of the proven brands with an electric drive. Door locking systems, electric locks and jacking protection devices will also help ensure the safety of the vehicle..

The most popular accessory elements of the gate are the built-in wicket and various types of mortise inserts. The latter include windows of various shapes and colors, as well as ventilation grilles, including adjustable ones. Also, together with the gate, PVC protective covers, a built-in installation system and additional locks that are characterized by increased reliability can be purchased.

As a conclusion, we note that such a wide range of parts and mechanisms for the formation of a door assembly kit allows you to determine the characteristics and operating mode with the most accurate correspondence to your own needs. At the same time, the customer practically does nothing himself: a professional manager provides assistance in choosing a series of doors and additional options for them. It remains only to wait for delivery and installation, which, due to the technical perfection of the gate and thanks to the availability of detailed assembly instructions, can be performed by yourself or entrusted to a specialist.