FrameSmart Fitting Kit
Innovation overview and development
The Christo Riser Door with FrameSmart® Fitting Kit represent a breakthrough in fire safety and installation efficiency for riser door systems in multi-storey buildings. Tested to BS EN 1634:1 this system ensures fire resistance of up to 2 hours.
The FrameSmart® Fitting Kit allows for precise and efficient installation, ensuring secure fitting even in irregular apertures. The FrameSmart® system differs from other solutions and expanding frame systems as the fitting kit solves the problem of poorly constructed walls.
No other system can accommodate for a badly erected wall.
The FrameSmart fitting kit can also be installed when the wall is being erected to ensure the subsequent door install fits perfectly.
FrameSmart® Fitting Kits were originally developed in response to industry demands for quicker and dry installs with no packers.
Customers were not happy with the alternatives and their feedback was key to the development. Feedback from the on-site installers highlighted the need for a system that could accommodate wall and aperture inaccuracies while ensuring compliance with strict safety standards.
We then stumbled on the best aspect of the FrameSmart system by accident. Our competitors had patented various systems, so we were being forced to explore alternative solutions. It wasn’t until we were installing a prototype that we realised we had solved another problem at the same time.
For us, this revelation was the most important aspect of the product. Whilst the system was intended to just level and plumb the frame into a slightly oversized aperture, the new aspect meant that it compensated for the wall itself to be inaccurate.
Whilst we had solved the fitting element into the aperture, the main reason we are recalled to site is for the operation of the doors. With a 2.5mm door to frame tolerance and with multiple locking points, the operation of the door can be totally ruined if the wall isn’t flat. Doors scrape on frames, locking rods don’t line up and despite us installing adjustment features to compensate, the doors will still be difficult to lock if one corner is sticking out!
Despite being the leading manufacturer in the UK, we are only a small family business with a tight design team. Four of us worked on the project, we patented the concept and fire tested. We then undertook client demonstrations. In the first demonstration, before our salesman had finished his introductions, our installer had finished the install. We had to take the door out again and repeat the process as some of the client team missed it!
How might this product have an influence on the specification
The FrameSmart® Fitting Kit has the potential to redefine specifications for riser doors in multi-storey buildings. We already lead the field in Riser Doors and we are adding this option on as standard. The FrameSmart is a highlight of our CPD and well understood by the specifiers.
It just saves time on site so it’s a no brainer to specify it.
The concept sets a new install benchmark for riser door systems, which at the end of the day all look the same when fitted, so to have a USP in the install, puts us ahead again.
Call backs are the bane of the installer’s life, so anything that aids the fitting process and leads to less call backs, then leads to more retained profit. As we know that getting paid to return to site is difficult and costly both in time and money.
How the product improved productivity in the process and/or quality and performance of the interior system
It’s all in the fitting time. A good fitter can double the number of Risers fitted in a day.
We have proven the compliance with multiple fire tests and the quality of the install now means that the door lines up perfectly, locks and operates.
The FrameSmart® Fitting Kit enhances productivity by streamlining the installation process, reducing time and labour costs. Features such as multiple jacking points for accurate levelling and the elimination of mastic application minimise the need for additional adjustments, accelerating installation while ensuring a secure and precise fit. The Christo Riser Door and FrameSmart Fitting Kit significantly improves fire safety performance, offering up to two hours of resistance tested to EN standards. This high level of reliability ensures long-term safety and compliance, reducing maintenance needs and contributing to the overall quality of the interior system.
In field applications, contractors have reported time savings and improved ease of installation, particularly in challenging environments where aperture inaccuracies are common. These improvements demonstrate the product’s potential to enhance both the efficiency and performance of building interior systems.