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It actually reminds me of those cable folding doors (http://www.bifold.com/note.php http://www.bifold.com/note.php) which have been around for a while. They are

by pageld 12y ago

It actually reminds me of those cable folding doors (http://www.bifold.com/note.php http://www.bifold.com/note.php) which have been around for a while. They aren't usually used on garage doors though, more for airplane hangers and pole sheds. I guess I'm not seeing the benefits for the extra complexity.

rjdagost 12y ago
Looks like it'd be a real pain in the ass to open when the motor fails.
- lsaferite 12y ago
  Having worked in a warehouse building with massive roll-up doors that had electric motors I would imagine these doors have a backup that uses a reduction gear to make manual operation simple yet slow.
faitswulff 12y ago
Not to mention maintainability.
- PhantomGremlin 12y ago
  I've been too lazy to grease/oil my powered "conventional" garage doors, either the lifting mechanism or the side rails, but they are still working after 15 years of use. I agree with your maintainability concern with this mechanism.
  - fubarred 12y ago
    The springs of most conventional garage doors are a hazard to life (if you have a two-story bldg) and property. When the garage door is down, those suckers are cocked like a pistol with the weight of said door. And when one or more fails spontaneously, they will follow Newton's third law and shoot upwards into whatever or whomever happens to be there, with metal shrapnel going in either direction. I've had to repair a garage ceiling and replace all of those springs (once one spring goes, all of them should be changed.)
    - e2e8 12y ago
      You are talking about extension springs? In my experiance torsion springs break very harmlessly. They just snap and unwind but stay on the shaft. Torsion springs are the only kind I have myself seen used for garage doors.
      - fubarred 12y ago
        No, you had something entirely different so don't try to trivialize something you don't know anything about. Ours fired through the ceiling of the garage and gouged the underside of the roof sheeting because of how the door and springs was engineered. It went off like a slingshot and sent metal fragments upwards at high velocity. Also, they looked like they were from the early 1970's and the springs separated completely as a result of metal fatigue into 3 segments plus some other bits of shrapnel here and there.
        function_seven 12y ago
        > don't try to trivialize something you don't know anything about I think you misread his comment. He wasn't talking about the same kind of spring you are.
      - quesera 12y ago
        Extensions springs are the old way. Common for a few decades at least. Torsion springs are the new way. They're safer, and smaller, and require less maintenance. Unfortunately, they're also a bit more fragile. Speculation (mine) is that the metallurgy required to make a big torsion spring makes the material more brittle than standard spring steel. Or maybe they're just thinner and cheaper. They sure are loud when they snap though.
        fubarred 12y ago
        Loud, yes. Extension springs are still found on single-piece doors.
        12y ago
lsaferite 12y ago
Those doors would need a ton of space between the vehicle and the door though.
- falcolas 12y ago
  They fold outwards, and would require less room anywhere inside the garage, Han the op version.
  - function_seven 12y ago
    I think he means a vehicle parked in front of the garage door.
  - lsaferite 12y ago
    Well, the video I saw at the link provided showed the doors opening inward. If they normally open outwards then it obviously wouldn't have any additional clearance requirement on the inside of the garage. EDIT: I stand corrected. I went back and looked at the image (not video) I saw before. It was deceiving due to the layout but it was folding to the exterior. http://www.bifold.com/assets/slider-37.jpg http://www.bifold.com/assets/slider-37.jpg
- fubarred 12y ago
  Some of these designed wouldn't work in places like San Francisco if you own a vehicle that just barely fits into said garage. The entire interior/exterior operating clearance would need to be available and measured carefully.

by pageld 12y ago

rjdagost 12y ago

Looks like it'd be a real pain in the ass to open when the motor fails.

lsaferite 12y ago
Having worked in a warehouse building with massive roll-up doors that had electric motors I would imagine these doors have a backup that uses a reduction gear to make manual operation simple yet slow.

faitswulff 12y ago

Not to mention maintainability.

PhantomGremlin 12y ago
I've been too lazy to grease/oil my powered "conventional" garage doors, either the lifting mechanism or the side rails, but they are still working after 15 years of use. I agree with your maintainability concern with this mechanism.
- fubarred 12y ago
  The springs of most conventional garage doors are a hazard to life (if you have a two-story bldg) and property. When the garage door is down, those suckers are cocked like a pistol with the weight of said door. And when one or more fails spontaneously, they will follow Newton's third law and shoot upwards into whatever or whomever happens to be there, with metal shrapnel going in either direction. I've had to repair a garage ceiling and replace all of those springs (once one spring goes, all of them should be changed.)
  - e2e8 12y ago
    You are talking about extension springs? In my experiance torsion springs break very harmlessly. They just snap and unwind but stay on the shaft. Torsion springs are the only kind I have myself seen used for garage doors.
    - fubarred 12y ago
      No, you had something entirely different so don't try to trivialize something you don't know anything about. Ours fired through the ceiling of the garage and gouged the underside of the roof sheeting because of how the door and springs was engineered. It went off like a slingshot and sent metal fragments upwards at high velocity. Also, they looked like they were from the early 1970's and the springs separated completely as a result of metal fatigue into 3 segments plus some other bits of shrapnel here and there.
      - function_seven 12y ago
        > don't try to trivialize something you don't know anything about I think you misread his comment. He wasn't talking about the same kind of spring you are.
    - quesera 12y ago
      Extensions springs are the old way. Common for a few decades at least. Torsion springs are the new way. They're safer, and smaller, and require less maintenance. Unfortunately, they're also a bit more fragile. Speculation (mine) is that the metallurgy required to make a big torsion spring makes the material more brittle than standard spring steel. Or maybe they're just thinner and cheaper. They sure are loud when they snap though.
      - fubarred 12y ago
        Loud, yes. Extension springs are still found on single-piece doors.
        12y ago

lsaferite 12y ago

Those doors would need a ton of space between the vehicle and the door though.

falcolas 12y ago
They fold outwards, and would require less room anywhere inside the garage, Han the op version.
- function_seven 12y ago
  I think he means a vehicle parked in front of the garage door.
- lsaferite 12y ago
  Well, the video I saw at the link provided showed the doors opening inward. If they normally open outwards then it obviously wouldn't have any additional clearance requirement on the inside of the garage. EDIT: I stand corrected. I went back and looked at the image (not video) I saw before. It was deceiving due to the layout but it was folding to the exterior. http://www.bifold.com/assets/slider-37.jpg http://www.bifold.com/assets/slider-37.jpg
fubarred 12y ago
Some of these designed wouldn't work in places like San Francisco if you own a vehicle that just barely fits into said garage. The entire interior/exterior operating clearance would need to be available and measured carefully.