Juan Manuel Rodríguez (Aprimatic): "Converting a door into an automatic door is not just a matter of installing a motor and a remote control"
Aprimatic's Sales Manager, Juan Manuel Rodríguez, recently took part in the second Espacio NAN // Universal Accessibility fair, an event that featured this company as a benchmark in accessible doors. Aprimatic presented its solutions for a more inclusive world, together with prestigious architectural studios that exhibited some very interesting current and future projects.
José Luis Borau, head of the ONCE Foundation's Department of Accessibility to the Physical Environment, opened the event by explaining the objective of the Accessible EU project. The aim of this project is to support the implementation of the European Accessibility Act in the field of education and training of professionals in proximity to the Action included in the European Accessibility Centre promoted by the European Commission: transport, built environment, information technologies and public policies.
Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Rodríguez, Sales Manager of Aprimatic, gave a presentation on automatic doors in relation to compliance with the Accessibility Act. Rodríguez focused on the current situation: of a housing stock of nine million buildings, only 0.6% comply with the technical accessibility requirements established in the current regulations.
Safety against risks
The risks that an automatic door must avoid are finger entrapment and minimising impact with the user; these risks can be overcome by incorporating a motor, a control and safety devices that allow the door to be opened and closed without touching it.
Rodriguez showed the two motors they are developing for interior doors (OVER MINI) and exterior doors (OVER MAXI) and the safety devices they use: a laser sensor that monitors the sweeping area of the door, the closing area of the leaf and the hinge axis. In the words of Juan Manuel Rodríguez: "Turning a door into an automatic door is not just a matter of installing a motor and a remote control. If we don't put in the safety devices, we won't be complying with the regulations", added the Sales Manager of Aprimatic.