How tall can the elements in a bi-folding door be – and how wide? Solarlux has now answered this question with its new Megaline product, which was launched at the start of this year. In keeping with its motto, “Push the limits”, the Megaline can be used to create bi-foldings with glass elements of extraordinary heights and widths. This opens the door to a whole new range of design approaches for building shells, and can be used by planners to further dissolve the boundaries between indoors and the outside.
The new dimensions of Solarlux’s Megaline aluminium profile system, which boasts excellent heat insulation, are impressive: the bi-folding door has a maximum element height of 4.50 m, and can accommodate elements up to 1.50 m wide (at heights of 2.20 m). This enables planners to install glass surfaces of over 3.00 m in size, without compromising in any way on the smooth running or ease of operation of the building components.
The new heights and widths open up a whole range of new design options for planners. For example, the new Megaline can be used to cover two floors with a single bi-folding, or provide options for opening up the facades of rooms with very high ceilings. When closed, the Megaline increases the transparency of the building's shell, letting more natural daylight and solar energy into the room. And when the square-profile aluminium elements – which offer outstanding thermal insulation and a sight line of 132.5 mm in the panel butt joint – are folded open all the way and parked in a bundle to one side, the interior merges together seamlessly with the outdoors. The bi-foldings can open both inwards and outwards, and either to the left or to the right.
The maximum component weight for the system is a whopping 150 kg. For heights of 2.55 mm or more, a horizontal rail is incorporated into the glass element. In addition to this and their outstanding thermal insulation, the aluminium elements are equipped with a multi-functional “bionicTURTLE®” break profile made of fibreglass-reinforced polyamide, integrated running tracks and guide rails, and controlled drainage. Other technical benefits include a stainless steel running track with optimised geometry and a tapered track roller. This allows for the use of unguided carriages, and can be used with many different floor tracks, including accessible variants in accordance with DIN 18040. The requisite stability – even at high wind loads – is provided by system hinges. Depending on the height of the bi-folding door in question, several of these hinges can be fitted above one another. For extremely structurally demanding locations, additional structural profiles in the panel joint areas help take the load off the elements themselves.
With a maximum element height of 4.50 m and widths of up to 1.50 m, the new Megaline can be used to create extremely tall bi-foldings or extra-wide element pairs that no other product on the market can currently match. By way of comparison, the Highline and Ecoline bi-foldings offer planners element heights of 3.50 m and 3.00 m respectively.