Automatic door installed by DT Services

Types of Automatic Doors

Automatic doors are available in a range of styles, all with their own benefits and use cases. Learn about types of automatic doors here, to help decide which style of automatic door you need for your business.

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What Styles of Automatic Doors are available for my Business?

Our customers often come to us with many questions regarding automatic doors. Usually, they know that they need some form of automatic entrance, but are unsure of the differing types of doors that are available. Here we will clarify the various types of automatic doors that are available for your business, and help you to decide which is the right one for your premises.

Automatic Swing Doors

Automatic swing doors are an efficient and inexpensive way to get through a busy building, for both employees and customers.

Swing doors are a popular choice as they give full width access, allowing users to fully maximise the space they have available. Because of this, automatic swing doors can often be found in areas where wider goods may need to enter or exit the building:

  • medical facilities where beds and wheelchairs need to be accommodated
  • commercial buildings, such as shops, for trolley or goods access
  • sporting facilities which may see a high volume of traffic in a short time period.

As well as providing a great access solution, this style of automatic door can usually be fitted to your existing opening. Depending on your requirements, they can also be retrofitted onto an existing manual door, making them a great cost-effective way to improve access to the premises that will offer years of use.

automatic swing door installed by DT Services Ltd

Fully Automatic Swing Doors

As the name suggests, these automatic doors operate without the need for a person to perform any action. If you're wondering how automatic doors work, it is most commonly achieved by the means of a sensor which detects the approach of a person.

The automatic swing door will then open by itself, allowing the user to enter without needing to push any buttons and cause bacterial contamination, or needing to manually open and close the door. A fully automatic swing door is therefore perfect for high traffic areas.

You will most often see a fully automatic swing door used on shop shops, office entrances, airports and leisure centres.

Semi-Automatic Swing Doors

A semi-automatic swing door is operated by the use of a button, key fob, push bar, or some other form of access control. When it is activated, the automatic door will open and allow access.

There are several advantages to having a door operate in this way. Unlike a fully automatic door, they will not open by somebody accidentally triggering the sensor, for example by walking too close to the door. They require a deliberate action to open. This can save your business money on energy efficiency, as they will not open and close unnecessarily. They can also help with heat retention compared to fully automatic doors.

Semi-automatic swing doors are commonly used on busy street locations, to prevent the large numbers of pedestrians from opening them needlessly. Other frequent uses for semi-automatic doors are for areas with restricted access requirements, such as school sites, which have high traffic volumes but need to keep out unauthorised personnel.

automatic doors installed by DT Services in Hull

Automatic Sliding Doors

Automatic sliding doors are a fantastic solution in areas where you need to keep foot traffic moving. Like swing doors, a sliding door system will detect the approach of a person, usually through a sensor. However, an automatic sliding door will not open into the space that pedestrians approach from. This is handy for places with a high volume of cross traffic.

Sliding doors also offer greater automatic door safety. Because the doors slide open horizontally, there is less opportunity for accidents involving pedestrians getting stuck, trapped, or struck by the opening and closing of the door. This can be a primary concern in busy areas, where there are likely to be a number of people passing on the door's opening side.

This is why you often associate automatic sliding doors with the entrances to supermarkets and airports.

Telescopic Sliding Doors

Telescopic sliding doors are utilised in areas where the opening isn't wide enough to accommodate a traditional sliding auto door. They can also provide a great access solution where there is limited space behind the door leaves for opening.

For buildings requiring automatic doors in a small space, the telescopic sliding door meets that need. They have multiple leaves, with the inner retracting behind the outer, to create an opening in a restricted space. They are often used in areas which have high volumes of foot traffic, such as shops, doctor's surgeries and hotels, but which don't have a wide enough entrance opening for traditional sliding doors.

Automatic Bi-Folding Doors

Bi-folding doors have become a popular choice in the home, replacing traditional French doors or patio doors in many cases. But did you know that automatic bi-folding doors also have a place in commercial or industrial locations too?

Just like automatic sliding doors, this style is a great solution when you need automatic doors in a small entrance. Sometimes a narrow opening cannot accommodate a sliding door, which requires space for the door to slide into. There are also times when a swing door would cause on obstruction or blockage into the opening area. An automatic bi-folding door is the perfect choice for these situations.

These automatic doors can often be retrofitted, making them an efficient solution for many businesses who need a job completing quickly or with a more limited budget.

Their space-saving nature means that they are often used where a divider is needed in a narrow area, for example in a corridor, or passageway. A bi-folding door will allow the panels to fold on top of each other, giving the user an almost full width opening. They are often used in schools, shops, hospitals and office block entrances.

Automatic revolving doors in an office entrance by DT Services

Automatic Revolving Doors

Revolving doors are a real centre piece of a building, giving an elegant and upmarket finish to any entrance way. Because of this, they are often the automatic door of choice for luxury hotels, banks, large department stores, and large office buildings.

Not only do they look great, but automatic revolving doors also have practical benefits too. Their revolving style creates an air seal, meaning that the building is never opened up the outside elements. This allows the building, and its users, to remain warm and dry in poor weather. Not only that, but they also help with energy efficiency, potentially offering lower energy bills.

However, unlike other styles of automatic doors, revolving doors do not offer full-width access. This can make them unsuitable for sites that require a wider entrance. They are also slower than other automatic doors, so can cause congestion in higher traffic areas.

If you are thinking of installing automatic revolving doors, you need to consider whether these limitations will have an impact on disabled access. Generally speaking, we do not recommend revolving doors apart from specific circumstances.

Automatic Doors from DT Services

DT Services installs and maintains a range of automatic doors for any entrance need. With over 20 years' experience, we can help you decide on the right type of automatic door for your premises and offer competitive pricing.

All you need to do is get in touch to start the ball rolling.