skyfold® classic advantages

Skyfold® Classic™ is a custom manufactured, completely automatic, rigid, flat, retractable acoustic partitioning system that is sure to revolutionize the way you design and work with your space. Skyfold® Classic™ offers several important advantages over conventional systems.

Ease of use

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    A simple turnkey operation and Skyfold® Classic™ opens and closes, requiring no physical effort. Practically anyone can do it! Changes in room configuration are accomplished in minutes instead of hours or even days!
  • Skyfold® Classic™ retracts quietly and effortlessly into the ceiling at approximately 5 to 10 vertical feet per minute.
  • Skyfold® Classic™ has also eliminated the need for manual labor to assemble and disassemble walls. Replacing damaged surface finish on a conventional system requires that the complete wall panel section be removed. This is not the case with Skyfold® Classic™.

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Outstanding acoustics

  • Skyfold® Classic™ has an exceptional STC rating of 51. (Acoustic test results obtained by the Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories in Geneva, Illinois, on a fully operational electric partition, are available upon request.)
  • In addition, Skyfold® Classic™’s end seals are extremely pliable and will seal tightly against most surfaces.

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Exceptional safety features

Designed with safety in mind, the following are just of few of Skyfold® Classic™’s safety features:
  • The partitions are operated by two spring return key switches. Hand pressure must be maintained in order to operate the wall. When either key is released, the wall stops immediately.
  • The cables that lift and support the partitions are aircraft grade wire cable of the highest strength and quality, sized to offer a high factor of safety.
  • Each cable is lifted by a separate cable drum so that in the unlikely event that a cable fails, the other cables will not be affected.
  • The bottom leading edge of the wall is equipped with an obstruction sensor that runs the entire length of the wall, up to 3 inches from each edge.

Cost-effective and lightweight

  • Since Skyfold® Classic™ is a modular system, you can design your space and system in the most cost efficient way possible (refer to the design tips section).
  • As the panels on Skyfold® Classic™ make up a relatively small portion of the overall cost of the wall, removing them and replacing them is much less expensive than with conventional walls
  • Conventional wall systems with the same STC rating usually weigh 10 to 12 lbs per square foot. Skyfold® Classic™ weighs approximately 7 1/2 to 8 lbs per square foot, resulting in substantial savings in structural steel.
  • The load that Skyfold® Classic™ exerts on the roof structure is always evenly distributed over the length of the wall, doing away with load concentrations and shifting loads.
  • What's more, typically the drive system is mounted to the same structure directly above and supporting the Skyfold® Classic™ partition, resulting in further savings in steel costs.

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Convenient and efficient use of space

  • Skyfold® Classic™ partitions fold vertically and store in the ceiling. Most buildings today have unused space in the ceiling in which to store Skyfold® partitions.
  • Skyfold® Classic™ partitions do not use any floor space for storage pockets.
  • Skyfold® Classic™ can be installed virtually anywhere… in between beams, around ducts and pipes.

Durable

  • As panels are never handled during operation, in terms of wear and tear, Skyfold® Classic™ will outlast conventional wall systems.

Aesthetically pleasing

  • Skyfold® Classic™ wall seals are internal, eliminating unsightly wall and floor tracks. With this innovative design, Skyfold® Classic™ walls can be installed to meet at 90°.
  • Skyfold® Classic™ requires no wall storage pockets or closets, thereby eliminating the need for unsightly pocket doors.
  • There are no visible hinges or hardware.

Available in a variety of finishes

  • Skyfold® Classic™ is available in a variety of finishes, including vinyl, fabric, specialty metals, plastic laminates, marking surfaces, wood veneer, and more.

SUMMARY OF SAFETY FEATURES

Skyfold® Classic™ was designed with safety in mind. This is reflected not only in the system’s design philosophy, but also in certain specific sub-systems and components. The following offers a brief overview of Skyfold® ™’s various safety features

  1. Skyfold® Classic™ is operated by two spring return key switches wired in series and operated simultaneously. Hand pressure must be maintained in order to operate the wall. When one of the keys is released, the wall stops immediately, without coasting.
  2. The gear motor that powers the entire system is a heavy-duty, sealed, industrial motor designed for hundreds of stops and starts an hour. It is rated for service several orders of magnitude more rigorous than the service it experiences on Skyfold® Classic™ partitions.
  3. The gear motor has an electromagnetic brake on the opposite end of the output shaft. When there is power at the motor, this brake is energized in the open position. In the case of loss of power, this brake activates instantly and prevents any movement of the motor until power is restored. This brake is rated for 200% of the motor’s full torque rating.
  4. The motor assembly uses a spring-cushioned torque arm in order to soften the system’s starts and stops. As part of this assembly, there is a sensor on the torque arm that detects higher than normal torque levels. In the event of a mechanical jam, or if the upper limit switch fails to operate, this over-torque sensor quickly cuts power to the motor.
  5. The gear motor controls contain the latest in overload protection and other electrical safeguards.
  6. The line shaft that rotates all of the cable drums is continuous throughout the gear motor, without a coupling. This assures a higher degree of safety and the interface between the gear box and the line shaft.
  7. Separate from the gear motor assembly is a closed loop hydraulic checking device powered by the line shaft itself. When the wall is traveling downwards, the hydraulic checking device builds up a certain hydraulic pressure that is dependent on wall travel speed. In normal operation, this pressure is very low and this checking device offers no appreciable braking force on the wall. If, at any time, the wall speed is substantially greater than normal, this checking device offers sufficient braking force to lower the wall at a speed no greater than 150% of normal operating speed.
  8. The cables that lift and support Skyfold® Classic™ are aircraft-grade wire cable of the greatest strength and quality. These cables are sized to offer a high degree of safety.
  9. Each of these cables is lifted by a separate cable drum that is keyed into the solid steel line shaft. In the unlikely event that a cable fails, none of the other cables will be affected.
  10. Each cable drum is supported by two pillow block bearings, one on each side, for maximum safety.
  11. The cable is wrapped over the drum such that at least two full wraps remain on the drum with the wall in the down position.
  12. The bottom edge of the wall is equipped with an obstruction sensor that runs the entire length of the wall. When the obstruction sensor comes in firm contact with an obstruction while the wall is descending, power is cut to the lifting motor, the electromagnetic brake engages and the wall’s decent is instantly halted. This not only protects persons in the vicinity of the wall but also protects the wall itself. If a chair or table has been mistakenly left in the path of the wall, the wall will simply stop when it touches the obstruction.
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