'Small sliding doors, reliably mechanically closed'

With the DICTAMAT 50, DICTATOR Productie BV, specialists in the noiseless opening, securing, closing and trapping of doors and gates, offers a reliable mechanical locking solution for small sliding doors up to a maximum door weight of 100 kg. Fully mechanical, eliminating the need for pulling power cables.

The DICTAMAT 50 was developed in 2006 in response to a request from a door manufacturer looking for a modular system to make its sliding doors self-closing, says Harry Werkman, commercial director at DICTATOR Productie BV.

"The system was then further developed by us and widely introduced to the market in 2010." With DICTAMAT 50, both the closing force and the closing speed of the sliding door can be set very precisely, he says. "Thanks to the door closers, the sliding door is closed at a controlled speed over the entire sliding path (max. 1.5 m, depending on preload and spring strength). This means optimum protection for people and materials. In addition, with DICTAMAT 50 we guarantee a complete closure of the door, without the risk that - as often happens with manual closing - it still jumps open a bit."

Optionally, a fully mechanical closing retarder can be attached to the system, which holds the door - depending on the closing force - for another 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

The DICTAMAT 50 is available in several versions. "In addition to the modular system, we supply compact systems for mounting below or above the rail," said Werkman. "This makes the DICTAMAT 50 adaptable to almost any door situation. The system can be used for both single-sash and double-sash sliding doors. For double-leaf sliding doors, the version with the circumferential cable is often used. This allows a single DICTAMAT 50 to close two door leaves simultaneously."

Operation of the system

The main components of the DICTAMAT 50 involve a spring cable roller, which serves as the closing device, and a radial damper (LD50), which provides controlled control of the closing speed. "When the door is opened manually, the spring of the spring cable roller is tensioned," explains Werkman. "When the door is released, this spring cable roller automatically pulls the door closed again by means of the pull cable. In the process, the cable is guided over a radial damper, so that the door is always closed at the preset closing speed."

With DICTAMAT 50, both the closing force and the closing speed of the sliding door can be set very precisely.

The DICTAMAT 50 can be attached to various rail systems. "If required, we can also supply specially matched mounting accessories for this purpose."

For every door situation

The DICTAMAT 50 lends itself perfectly to application in production areas, storage areas, hotels, restaurants, residential buildings, museums, companies, server rooms and schools and is supplied as standard in galvanized steel. For application on ships, in the food industry or in hospitals, the mechanical sliding door closer is also available in corrosion-resistant materials (stainless steel 304/316).

"Customers have a choice of a closing force (spring strength) of 50 N (standard) or 20 and 80 N," says Werkman. "Optionally, a fully mechanical closing retarder can be attached to the system, which holds the door - depending on the closing force - for another 30 seconds to 2 minutes."

Besides the modular system, DICTATOR Productie BV supplies compact systems for mounting below or above the rail. This makes the DICTAMAT 50 adaptable to almost any door situation.

Because the sliding door closers automatically close sliding doors, they are applicable in all situations where, from the point of view of sound insulation, dust transmission, draught and/or fire safety, an automatic door closure is desired. "DICTAMAT 50 has been tested and certified for application on fire doors, in accordance with EN 1191, EN 12605, EN 1634-3 and EN 1154 standards. These tests were carried out by the 'Prüfzentrum für Bauelemente' in Germany, answering a frequently asked question in the market."

At the request of a fire station, DICTATOR Productie BV recently implemented the system in reverse as well, so that when fire alarms are received, the sliding doors are actually pushed open automatically. So the firefighters can run to their closets and fire engines without any extra actions, Werkman said. "In short: the DICTAMAT 50 is a versatile system that has already been used in many industries and has often proven to be a real problem solver."