Entrance technology
Automatic door access control, integrated properly
Automatic door access control is where two systems have to agree: the reader decides who may enter, and the operator moves the leaf. We specify, install and commission both, so the lock releases before the door pulls and the safety sensors still own the opening.
How it works
From credential to open door
Six links, and the last three are the ones that fail on site. Most automatic door access control problems are not access problems at all — they are sequencing problems between the lock, the operator and the sensors.
A reader that grants access half a second after the operator starts pulling will drive a leaf against an engaged lock. Do that a few hundred times and the belt, the carriage or the lock gives way. Getting the order right is the whole job.
Credentials
Ways in, and where each one earns its place
There is no single right credential for automatic door access control. There is a right one for the door, the people using it and how often that changes.
Where you already run an access platform, we integrate with it rather than replacing it. The entrance side is what we specify: the interface into the operator, the locking, the activation devices and the safety sensing.
Time schedules
One entrance, three behaviours across a day
A retail or office entrance rarely behaves the same way all day. Access control is what lets one door be open on approach at 10am, credential-only at 7pm and locked at midnight.
Exit almost always stays free. Changing when people may come in is an access decision; changing whether they may get out is a life-safety one, and those are not the same conversation.
Failure modes
Load shedding, power loss and the fire alarm
In South Africa an entrance has to be specified for power that is not guaranteed. That changes how automatic door access control is wired, not just what it costs.
Battery backup keeps the operator and the locking alive through load shedding. On a total loss of power the entrance must still permit escape, and on a fire alarm signal the access system releases the lock so the door becomes an escape route. Requirements for powered pedestrian doors in South Africa are published through SABS, and we set the behaviour with your fire and access contractors rather than deciding it alone.
What it fits
Which entrances we integrate
Access control goes onto the entrance you already have, or onto a new one we supply.
- Automatic sliding doors — the most common pairing, on the MC-125 operator.
- Automatic swing doors — the MCW-100 retrofits a door you already have, which makes it the usual answer for a controlled staff entrance.
- Telescopic sliding doors — where the reveal is too tight for a standard slider.
- Hermetically sealed doors — theatres and cleanrooms, where the credential and the seal both matter.
- An existing entrance — adding control to a door that currently just opens for everyone.
Common questions
Automatic door access control, answered
Can access control be added to an existing automatic door?
Usually. If the operator is sound and still supported, adding a reader, an interface and locking is far cheaper than replacing the entrance. Where the operator is obsolete we quote modernisation instead.
Will it work with the access system we already run?
In most cases yes. We integrate with your platform on the entrance side rather than asking you to change readers and credentials across the building.
What happens during load shedding?
With battery backup the operator and locking keep working, or the entrance parks in an agreed safe state. Without it, the door must still allow escape.
Does access control override the safety sensors?
No, and it should never be wired to. The sensors keep control of the opening regardless of who was granted entry.
Can different doors behave differently at the same site?
Yes. A main entrance can be open on approach while a staff door stays credential-only, on separate schedules.
Do you service access-controlled entrances?
Yes — on any major brand. See automatic door repairs.
Options
Which configuration suits the opening
For automatic Door Access Control the decision follows the opening rather than preference. Single sliding is the everyday answer; bi-parting halves the travel on the busiest entrances; telescopic suits a narrow wall; swing operators automate hinged doors; revolving and hermetic entrances answer particular problems and are never priced unseen.
- MC-125: up to 150 kg single leaf or 2 × 120 kg bi-parting, 1450–5000 mm.
- MCW-100: hinged doors to 1,200 mm / 150 kg (interdependent).
- Imported and assembled at Laser Park, Johannesburg, with a 24-month operator warranty.
Survey
What a site survey establishes
Three things decide whether automatic Door Access Control goes in cleanly: the structural opening, what the head can carry, and where the power arrives. We measure the structural opening rather than any existing frame, check whether the head is level and adequately supported, and establish what sits above it, because a bulkhead, a sprinkler line or a services void will all dictate where an operator header can physically go.
Where a quotation is prepared from photographs and dimensions rather than our own survey, the figure is confirmed after measuring. We do not price revolving or hermetic entrances without seeing them, and where a site visit is chargeable we tell you before we attend.
Load-shedding
Keeping automatic Door Access Control usable in a power cut
An optional battery backup keeps the operator running through a slot. Without one, the entrance parks in the fail-open or fail-secure state chosen for the building, and the manual release is demonstrated at handover.
Our programme assumes power is available at the head where the system requires it. Where it is not, we say so at survey rather than improvising on installation day.
How quickly can I get a quotation?
Most quotations go out within two working days of us receiving the opening size and a photograph. Revolving and hermetic entrances are surveyed first.
How often should the entrance be serviced?
Against its cycle count rather than a fixed date. Intervals, response times and what is included are defined in your service level agreement.
What warranty applies to the operator?
The MC-125 and MCW-100 carry a 24-month (two-year) warranty. The warranty that applies to your installation is the one recorded on your quotation and invoice.
Controlling who comes through the door?
Send us the entrance and the access system you run, and we will quote the integration — reader interface, locking, activation and safety sensing.