Automatic sliding door operator
MC-125
The sliding door operator behind MC Automations entrances across South Africa. Imported, assembled and supported from Johannesburg — so spares sit on a shelf here and the technician who fits it knows it.
Overview
One sliding door operator, from a quiet foyer to a trading peak
The MC-125 sliding door operator drives a single or bi-parting sliding entrance under microprocessor control, with opening speed, closing speed and hold-open time all adjustable on site.
That adjustability is why one sliding door operator suits a quiet office reception and a shopping-centre entrance at its busiest hour. It is tested to one million cycles and carries a two-year warranty. Half-open mode is worth knowing about on its own: it opens the entrance to a fraction of its full width, cutting heating and cooling losses through a slow afternoon without locking anybody out.
- Brushless DC motor — 24 V, 60–70 W, with an integrated gearbox
- Four operating modes — automatic, hold open, half open and locked
- Power-on self-checking at every start-up
- Two-door interlocking for airlocks and controlled lobbies
- Electric lock support with multiple access-control inputs
- Deceleration mute wheel for a quieter approach to the end of travel
Applications
Where this sliding door operator is specified
Retail and shopping centres
High cycle counts and overlapping arrivals, where the entrance must never become the queue.
Healthcare
Hands-free entry for trolleys, wheelchairs and staff moving at speed.
Hotels and hospitality
A quiet, unhurried arrival, with luggage and guests through the same opening.
Offices and reception
Access control during trading hours, locked and secure outside them.
Industrial and logistics
Wide bi-parting openings that clear fast and take daily traffic.
Public buildings
Accessible entrances that stay usable for everyone arriving.
Technical specification
MC-125 sliding door operator specification
| Specification | MC-125 |
|---|---|
| Leaf weight — single slide | max 150 kg |
| Leaf weight — bi-parting | 2 × 120 kg |
| Leaf width — single slide | 750–1600 mm |
| Leaf width — bi-parting | 650–1250 mm per leaf |
| Clear opening — single slide | 1450–3100 mm |
| Clear opening — bi-parting | 2500–5000 mm |
| Opening speed | 150–460 mm/s, adjustable |
| Closing speed | 130–460 mm/s, adjustable |
| Hold-open time | 0–8 s, adjustable |
| Motor | DC 24 V, 60–70 W brushless |
| Power supply | AC 110–220 V ±10%, 50/60 Hz |
| Manual opening force | <40 N single / <50 N bi-parting |
| Operating temperature | −20 °C to +50 °C |
| Service-life test | 1 000 000 cycles |
| Installation | Surface mounted, solid level header required |
| Battery backup | Optional |
| Warranty | 2 years |
Figures are taken from the manufacturer’s documentation. Where a specification is not listed here it is because we do not hold it in writing — ask and we will confirm it properly rather than estimate.
Activation and safety
What opens it, and what stops it closing
An entrance is only as good as the devices around the sliding door operator. Activation is normally a microwave motion sensor above the opening; safety is a presence sensor or photocell that holds the door while somebody stands in it.
The principle is not negotiable — the door must detect a person in the opening and hold, rather than close on them. Sensors drift, get knocked by trolleys and dust over, so on every MC-125 we service, sensor testing is routine work at each visit rather than something looked at after a fault.
Requirements for powered pedestrian doors in South Africa are published through SABS.
Assembled in Johannesburg
A narrower claim than most, and one we can stand behind
The MC-125 sliding door operator is imported and assembled at our Laser Park facility. We do not claim to manufacture the components. What local assembly actually buys you is simple:
- Spares on the shelf — belts, rollers, floor guides, sensors and controllers, not a six-week container wait
- Our own technicians install, commission and service the product
- Support in your time zone, from people who can come to site
- Access control and glazing specified together, in-house
Specifying and service
Four things settle the job before anything is installed
- Clear opening width — size it for how arrivals and departures overlap at your busiest hour, not the daily average
- The header — the operator is surface mounted and needs a solid, level fixing across the full span
- Power at the opening — AC supply at the head of the door; if it is not there, an electrician brings it
- Access control — decide up front, because it changes the wiring rather than bolting on afterwards
Wear tracks cycles rather than the calendar, so a shopping-centre entrance and a back-office door on identical hardware need very different service intervals. We also service and repair automatic doors from other manufacturers, which means one supplier can look after a mixed estate. See spare parts and multi-brand service, automatic sliding doors, or the 2026 price guide.
Questions
Frequently asked
What size opening does the MC-125 sliding door operator suit?
A single sliding leaf covers a 1450–3100 mm clear opening; a bi-parting pair covers 2500–5000 mm. Leaf widths run 750–1600 mm single and 650–1250 mm per leaf bi-parting.
How heavy a door can the MC-125 sliding door operator drive?
Up to 150 kg on a single sliding leaf, or 2 × 120 kg bi-parting. Glass specification and framing usually push the weight up, so confirm the leaf build before ordering.
Is the MC-125 made in South Africa?
It is imported and assembled locally at our Laser Park facility in Johannesburg. We do not claim to manufacture the components.
What happens during a power failure?
With the optional battery backup the entrance keeps operating for a period, or can be set to fail safely open. Without it the door stops and can be moved by hand — under 40 N single slide, under 50 N bi-parting.
Can this sliding door operator work with access control?
Yes. It supports card readers, keypads, remotes and intercoms plus an electric lock, so one entrance can be open during trading hours and controlled outside them.
Comparing quotes
Reading a quotation properly
Compare the scope rather than the total. A quotation for mC should state the opening it was priced against, the equipment it includes and the items it excludes — builders work, structural alteration, electrical supply to the entrance and making good are excluded unless the quotation says otherwise.
Changes after acceptance, to size, configuration, finish, controls or activation, are quoted as a variation before we proceed.
Safety
Sensors, safety and commissioning
Motion sensors open the door as somebody approaches and see movement rather than a standing person. Presence sensors hold it open while somebody is in the opening, which is what stops a door closing on a person who has paused. Safety beams and a force limit reverse the leaf if something is in the way.
We commission the door on completion and demonstrate its operation, including how to release or isolate it. Commissioning ends with the settings written down: opening and closing speed, hold-open time, force and the sensor layout. That record establishes the state the entrance was handed over in.
Aftercare
Servicing, spares and agreements
Service intervals should follow cycles, not the calendar: a mall entrance can do more work in a month than an office door does in a year. A visit checks and realigns sensors, inspects belt, rollers and guides, re-checks opening and closing force and replaces wear parts before they strand the door.
Consumable and wear items, including belts, rollers, floor guides and seals, are replaced as part of servicing rather than under warranty. A service level agreement runs alongside the product warranty; it neither replaces nor extends it.
Does the entrance work during load-shedding?
With a battery backup it keeps operating through a slot. Without one it parks in the fail-open or fail-secure state chosen for the building, and the manual release is demonstrated at handover.
Are the operators made in South Africa?
The MC-125 and MCW-100 are imported and assembled at our Laser Park facility in Johannesburg, where spares and technical support are held locally.
Specifying an MC-125 for your building?
Send us the clear opening width and height, what sits above the opening, whether power is available at the head, and any access-control requirement. We will come back with the configuration, installation and commissioning quoted together.