Timber Test - Mechanically Jointed PVC-U Door Passes

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Halo fabricator Aztec Windows has created a fully mechanically jointed door, which has been put through its paces at Veka’s Burnley test centre.

Aztec has been working on this door for more than 18 months, in response to a rise in customer enquiries for ‘timber-look’ PVC-U doors.

 “Despite repeated enquiries for a mechanically jointed door, we haven’t rushed in producing this system. We wanted to make sure we got it absolutely right for our customers.”

– Michael Hagan 

Director, Aztec Windows

Laboratory conditions

"It’s not a novelty or show piece item. We’ve created an exceptional quality door that will withstand the hard knocks of real-life, regular use," continues Aztec Windows' Hagan. “We created an oversized prototype of the door (1100mm x 2200mm) complete with laminated glass, in order to test it at its most extreme and challenging dimensions. We then sent it up to Veka HQ and the ever-helpful technical team put it through its paces in the lab.

“Veka’s mechanical testing rig put the door through 63,000 cycles, which is the equivalent of it being opened and closed for just over 10 years - and it kept going! Nothing moved, nothing shifted, no joints parted. It performed absolutely perfectly. This means our customers can be confident in the immense strength of the joints, especially if they want to glaze on site - which is necessary for a door, due to the weights involved."

Heritage

Along with the mechanical joints, Aztec has also developed a deep midrail at 174mm and a deep bottom rail at 164mm. Both of these features are geared towards making the doors look as traditional as possible.

“We know that it’s now ready to bring to market for prestigious projects that require the look of timber, with the many performance benefits of PVC-U, with no ‘tell-tale’ mitred corners," adds Hagan.  

Bespoke

“These specialist high quality doors will be made to order for our discerning customers. I think we’ll have to create one for our showroom too, to show off the attention-to-detail that can be expected."

Leads & enquiries

Veka UK Sales Director Neil Evans says: “After more than 30 years in business, Aztec shows no sign of slowing down. Using Halo profiles, the team already offer the mechanically jointed FlushSash and Lipped Casement within the Prestige Collection. It’s great to see them utilising the same tooling and machinery to meet rising market demand for a mechanically jointed door. This would seem to be the next logical step in timber-look PVC-U and I suspect they’ll soon be inundated with enquiries."

Picture: Aztec's mechanically jointed door.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
12th April 2020

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