Concept study of a new drive system for industrial folding doors

Abstract: As technology advances and population rises, requirements for everyday doors change. In the industrial sector, companies have to keep up with the increase in supply and demand. A well-functioning industrial folding door contributes to a steady flow of goods. Folding doors come in many different sizes and are often installed in narrow spaces. In order for any door supplier to stay competitive, offering a cheap, compact and adjustable drive system for electrically operated industrial folding doors is crucial. ASSA ABLOY is one of the world's largest suppliers of industrial folding doors. The company currently uses a drive system that takes advantage of a transmission rail to transfer the motor's rotational motion to the movement of the door sections. Although the solution is elegant, it might be hard to fit where space is very limited. The aim of this project is to develop a new drive system that minimizes installation dimensions and focuses on reliability, robustness and cost while staying adaptable for different folding door types and sizes. To achieve this goal, the report follows a custom-made product development plan based on the Ulrich & Eppinger methodology. This includes concept generation, development, prototyping and testing. The concept generation incorporates a full evaluation of competitors products in order to acknowledge and evaluate existing drive systems to attain an oversight of the market. The result is an unique new drive system that consists of a rack-pinion inspired solution, where the rack is bent to stay within the door’s opening space. The drive system neither requires extra headroom nor side space and has the same installation dimensions as a manually operated folding door. Through testing it was discovered that the drive system's opening speed and current consumption was reduced significantly in comparison to the old drive system. Previous power spikes were eliminated with the new drive system, resulting in smoother operation. The report concludes that the new drive system might very well be a part of the company's future assortment of products and particularly attractive for customers with very limited installation dimensions.