This type of gate does what no other gate type, like fixed gates or roller shutters, can do. When opened, they can almost disappear completely. When a retractable gate is opened, it can disappear, folded sideways, to as little as 10% of the span of the gate opening. For large entrances at places like factories, being able to have complete unobstructed access can be a big deal.
Retractable security gates are commonly used at the entrances to shops, factories, and secure vehicle parking lots. They are becoming common in the residential domain, such as retractable gates for garages, secure house access entrances, and secure side gates in places where it is not reasonable to place a gate that swings or slides.
How They Compare to Roller Shutters
Roller shutters are often positioned alongside retractable gates in their market segment. Roller shutters block a storefront completely. While this may meet some customers’ needs, it renders the shop completely closed and is less than ideal for some applications.
Shutters, by their nature, require more overhead clearance, as the shutters must retract completely into a box mounted above the opening. In contrast, retractable gates need a track on the floor and a guide above the opening, which is a fraction of the required clearance needed for rollers. This characteristic makes retractable gates an appropriate solution in applications that are unsuitable for shutters.
Construct Quality and Safety Grades
Steel is the primary material used for retractable gates. The steel is treated with galvanization and powder coating to improve durability. The powder coating can be applied in many RAL colors. The gates will be more visually appealing, and customers are less likely to request their gates be replaced for design reasons over the following decade.
Evaluating the security rating can be helpful when purchasing the appropriate product for your commercial premises and insurance. Certification of attack resistance is demonstrated through rigorously tested products along the LPS 1175 framework. Ratings progress through the levels, starting with SR1, which demonstrates resistance through even the most rudimentary, brief, and opportunistic tools, and leading to the upper ratings that apply to the most high-value installations. Although it is neither required nor commonplace in most residential installations, setting an attack-resistant benchmark to the system from a rated product can be beneficial when products appear to be comparable on paper.
The Space Question
It is necessary to assess the retractable gate system and determine how much space it will use when the system is fully extended. Stack depth is influenced by a design’s total gate width and bar pitch. In most cases, a design that has bar pitch with minimal distance at the lattice and a wider gate system will extend at least 600mm or even more, which needs to be accounted for. Most suppliers will provide an estimation of the space used for stacking during the request stage. It will be beneficial to ask for the estimation before the survey and not afterwards.
Understanding the Specification
When beyond the stack calculation, the most important variables are infill style and bar design, and electric vs. manual operation. Most commercial applications prefer vertical bars. They are also the cleanest sight lines. Expanded infill mesh is a stronger deterrent for the same opening width. Electric operation is a good choice for gates that will be opened and closed frequently. For a garage that will be opened twice daily, an excellent quality manual lock will integrate with the system adequately and is one less thing that can malfunction.
Usually, the combination that works is not the most expensive. It is the combination that efficiently delivers what is needed.