TG100FS, TG90FS, TSG50FS, SG30FS
Innovation overview and development
An overview of the product
These are the fire product range of doors and screen product. E stands for integrity and ‘i’ is insulation
30 means 30 minutes fire protection for either integrity and/or insulation
60 means means 60 minutes fire protection for either integrity and/or insulation
TG100FS
Twin glazed aluminium internal partition system fire rate range from Ei30 to Ei60
TG90FS
Twin glazed aluminium internal partition system fire rate range from E30 to E60
TSG50FS
Single glazed aluminium internal partition system fire rate range from Ei30 to Ei60
SG30FS
Single glazed aluminium internal partition system fire rate range from Ei30 to Ei60
The screens can go up to 3M high as we are limited to 3M as the fire glass is only certified to 3M
The doors can go up to a height of 3M high
The doors can achieve a maximum width of 3M high x 1.2 M wide
All the system is gasketed and self sealing. There is no need to finish the build with infill fire mastic or sealing around the frame. It has innovative design technology solution of self sealing in the event of a fire.
The system is structurally sufficient and passed certification without the need for any additional fire bolts.
Our system does not require any added mechanical latching device. In the event of a fire the product totally self seals.
Iron mongers options can include mortised in mag-sheer locks , automation, and many handle options. Our technical dept work with the client to support their requirements. The fire doors can be hung on overhead closers or floor springs.
It is the first system designed specifically for the internal partition system market.
Slim contemporary finish powdercoated or anodised to any finish.
Doors are delivered pre-hung into the frame ready for hanging to the distributor.
Fire Doors and Fire screens can have a ‘crittle bar-banding’ added after installation
Clean and crisp lines.
2 to 4 week lead time from approved agreed order confirmation and design review agreement.
How the new product was developed, including effective collaboration, knowledge transfer and partnership along the project team
Dribond have been in the partitioning industry since 1991 and have developed a suite of multi-featured value engineered aluminium systems for the Architectural Partition Market. Our in-house design team is led by the creative and innovative Systems Designer Mr. Alan Wallis . Alan Wallis is historically experienced in this field since 1991 and has always worked solely in the Architectural Glass/Partitioning Industry. The design ethos of a Rolls Royce System that stands out from the crowd and gives Architects and Designers flexibility to create the interior space to match their aspirations. Also design features to conform to regulatory bodies such as building regulations, conformance & compliance and excel at the highest level possible in Db ratings, barrier load ratings,, Fire ratings, etc. Our charter and value statement ‘RAISING THE INDUSTRY STANDARD’ is the principle purpose of our design team. To continually examine and raise the standard of our product and exceed products in the current industry. Previous design innovations holding patent for 20 years was the Dri-Bond joint that revolutionised the industry to a standardised measurable quality obsoleting ‘hand standard spragging and silicone joints in runs of glass’. We had previously won the Gold Award with AIS in 2007 for our Partitioning Product. This fire product has achieved the same success as our previous innovation, ahead of the industry.
In around 2007 onwards our design team started feeling the need for a ‘purpose value engineered fire system’ that functioned at a high level of features, capability, performance and aesthetics. It required a lot of investment so although the design brief was developed and the scheme product was drafted it stayed there on the board. The huge cost, in the millions of product development out to market was not a feasible investment at that time due to the Construction Industry Market falling into a deep recession.
Alan Wallis worked on the ‘new fire product’ solely developing the product and bringing in concepts, re-adjustments, discarding, and finally bringing the piece de resistance for presentation for capital investment phase. Alan Wallis , a perfectionist in design worked day and night to ensure the design met all the criteria of the design brief and surpassed beyond expectation. In later communication you will be able to truly understand why no other product on the market can match the innovation of this product, its features are innovative and no other product known in aluminium can achieve the benchmark standards, the maximum height allowances , size allowances and performance in a pure aluminium system. There is NO WOOD infill in the system and is a sole aluminium fire system. It is claimed that there is no such thing on the market but we can prove them all wrong because we have designed it and it is now achieving market penetration. So the ghost does exist and it is not just speculation. A pure aluminium , thin, streamline, contemporary fire screen and fire door products exists and we sell them. Fully tested and compliant conforming with certification.
The design brief initially covered the existential problems within the industry with existing fire products:-
Competitors tended to ‘claim status’ as a 30 minute fire door, or 30 minute screen by installing a 30 minute fire wood inside an aluminium casing. Others purchased existing certificated steel doors from system houses such as Fosters, Hanson, Schucco having them manufactured and branded into their suite of products under their own branded name. These systems have a maximum limitation on height/size in fire doors/product that is below that required by the industry and thicker profiles.
As the government and Health & Safety Executive were examining conformity more diligently and especially with the forewarning of the ‘BUILDING SAFETY ACT’ certified conforming products were taking precedence in clients mind in the fear of liability risk. Clients purchasing and Construction Company Policies were adjusted to ensure that the products they were using in their buildings truly performed and needed ‘certification’ ‘proof’ ‘confidence’ in those who supply products to ensure they have acted in all due dilligence to avoid liability in putting products in their buildings for the next 30 years. Risk of imprisonment and liability right up to the client were a real risk.
All of this was anticipated by us in 2007 in the design brief and our initial risk identified that far back is now a reality as much as the day they decided float glass in windows should be safety glass. Now buildings must be FIRE SAFE and CLIENTS IN THE WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN HAVE CONSEQUENTIAL LIABILITY from the decision of any one of the buyers in the supply chain client right down to sub-contractor installer.
Initially we started examining with material scientists how we could get a fire door or fire screen materials to meet specification of 30/60 Insulation and Integrity while keeping the market price competitive and matching the look of our existing partition product range. Materials were examined, tested, built , analysed, reported and re-worked. This took a number of years. Coatings, inserts, environmental considerations, recycling, safe materials in burning. Once the materials were selected for their compliance and performance we then had to design the system to suite in with our existing slim line profiles and system features. Doors had to look aesthetically slimline, matching thickness of the existing DRIBOND product ranges.
Testing stage, drawing the profiles, sampling in die development and section samples to build. Re-working to finesse the product. This was on the design team desk analysing and looking to improve even after the first design was built. Numerous dies were purchased, material sampling pulled at huge cost and investment.
Finally the ‘prototype was ready’ from the aluminium profile. We then went out to market to ‘partner’ with a fire glass supplier. We had already been in meetings during our design brief with SCHOTT Glass and needed them to help with the investment. The huge cost of taking the prototype to testing labs was huge. As anyone in the market will know how expensive Fire Glass is per sq.m . Putting it into a built mock up frame for the testing centre bed and putting in fire glass just to burn is like taking a pile of money, putting it on a bonfire and setting a match. The first testing we undertook to the BS standard conformance requirements cost £30,000 in raw material alone and we burned through many of these in the testing journey. Each testing cycle required a budget of six figures. SCHOTT were so impressed with our product and the business opportunity of partnering their glass in our product that they invested into us and provided all the fire glass FREE OF CHARGE for testing. This was a huge help and critical to our investment journey.
We had to set up the ‘supply chain’ for all of the components that made up the fire door, the processes involved. Some of these supply chains helped us in our journey and we are forever grateful for their support. Through this journey we set up a fire glass processing plant to ‘speed up production lead time’ and are now the authorised dealer in the UK of SCHOTT FIRE GLASS and act as their agent. This one innovation helped us take lead time down for fire doors from 12 weeks to our now production from order 2 to 3 weeks as usual.
We have to be careful in dissemination of information due to the ‘secrecy and confidentiality’ of how this product works, how it is built in our factory and how it achieves the phenomenal performance and features in an aluminium fire frame or door.
Confidentiality agreements are always required.
We are now working with Architects and interior specialists to communicate the features.
We work on value engineering with them and collaborate with supportive integrated design drawings and product data sheets with technical NBS data to gain product specification on projects.
Slowly we are gathering ground using ‘distributors that are trained and certificated to install the fire rated products through the UK and Ireland.
We are collaborating with our digital transformation IT specialists to create a fully integrated software package that will run production, order processes, product criteria, right through to delivery. It is currently at an investment stage of £500,000 and hope to have this operational in the future. It is a grand innovation but this particular one is in the future.
This digital tool will allow us to collaborate using this tool with the supply chain clients and supply chain suppliers and delivery logistics. Hopefully we will create SOP and policies into a digital system for greater communication and collaboration.
To ensure that every installation is installed to fire conformance a collaborative procedure operates within the supply chain. In protection of the whole supply chain client a certificate conformance system operates. The install team must email photos of the installation and complete a procedural document. These are checked as installed correctly for fire conformance and then a serial numbered certificate specific to that works is provided to the project team, client through the distributors.
This is filed in the clients file for verification of compliance to building regulation and other bodies as required.
The whole supply chain therefore engage and collaborate to ensure ‘fire protection performance ‘ operates on the project.
Dribond then hold a register of the site and project that has our installed product that we as a manufacturer support.
How might this product have an influence on the specification
Attributes to specification
1. Self-sealing
2. 3M high door & Screen Option (can extend higher with the use of transoms in design review)
3. Slimline contemporary glass visually pleasing screens & doors
4. Accoustic performance up to 65Db
5. Fire rating flexible upgradable options after installation. So a 30min, 30E can be upgraded at a later date to 30Ei without
changing the door installation. 30 to 60 E & i options upgradable even after installation. So economic to cope with future
regulation changes without the cost of replacing the door. FULLY UPGRADABLE AFTER INSTALLATION.
6. Screens and doors are fully demountable and relocatable
7. Can operate on overhead closer or floor mounted spring
8. Can be automated
9. Can be fitted with mortised in mag sheer
10. Add on Crittle bar aesthetic detail
11. Never have to use mastic, totally mastic free
12. Continuous runs of Fire Glass BUTT JOINT WALLING glass to glass capability using the innovative design
DRIBOND FIRE-JOINT TECHNOLOGY
13. Easy installation and quality is naturally easy to achieve
14. Quality finish from the factory to site. Doors are factory manufactured ensuring high quality mitred joints
15. Can follow a 90 degree fire glass walling using our Multi function Fire Post
16. Capable of exceeding 1.5kn/m2 barrier loading especially specified on fire wall atrium glazing options
17. Due to slimline contemporary finish it is being used in new build executive apartments looking for that modern look and making best use of light into buildings while still conforming to building regulation fire performance
How the product improved productivity in the process and/or quality and performance of the interior system
1. As the doors are fully built in the frame from the factory it installs very quickly on site without any messy mastic. This ensures the standard of quality is the same on every build and not reliant on the fitters capability. The client can rely on a constant standard on every project without fail along with a fast site installation programme.
2. There is no ugly hand finished mastic around the frame that can attract dust or grime so avoid maintenance problems in the future. Our product has a clean hard finish edge of material for the decorator finish . A cleaner, quality finish for the client. The same applies to runs of fire glass walling edge to edge clean line finish without the use of mastic.
3. As we have a ‘fire glass processing plant’ no longer waiting for fire glass on long lead times. We stock the glass continually and process it with the doors and glass wall screens . Just in time processing so quicker lead times to the client.
4. Lead-in times are much quicker for the client for the product to site. 2 to 4 weeks.
5. Clients can achieve a higher height and width range for fire doors and frames competitors can’t achieve gaining an
advantage in specification and site programmes.
6. Environmentally friendly demountable and relocatable. Aluminium & glass capable of recycling
7. Flexible and upgradable from lower specification fire rating to a higher fire rating after installation. Potential long life cycle gain for the client.
8. The DRIBOND FIRE-JOINT in glass walling can be installed at a fraction of the time in comparison to competitor systems
improving leaner competitive programme advantage and quality finish.
9. The DRIBOND FIRE -JOINT gives a standard clean perfect finish in measurable quality tollerance time after time
The client knows what he expects on finish in time and quality process. The programme can be properly predictable and
improves time and quality productivity.
10. Crittle finish is achievable on the fire product on all options, single, double twin wall options giving the client better capability and competitive edge in design capability.
11. The overhead of frame manufacture, stock hold and fire glass processing are all carried out in the same overhead from the manufacturer so costs savings are passed in the price of the product.
12. Price competitive.
13. Framing is our own systems design so no longer waiting for a system supplier like Jansen lead times. Our product is stock held and available continually for call off allowing the client to improve their programmes.
14. Aluminium has a lower carbon footprint than steel supporting our social & environmental policies. (Steel being the main competitor system). We are aiming for a carbon neutral policy and work with our clients to achieve this.
15. Slimline so using less Aluminium per door than steel further enhancing the our environmental policies.
16. The System functions in seamless runs whether accoustic, standard partition or fire partition…it flows the same systems throughout without trying to match the system. It is designed for this feature. A DRIBOND aluminium /glass door in the partition systems can look exactly the same as a DRIBOND FIRE DOOR you would not be able to tell the difference looking at it. Only when you open the door in weight can you tell the difference. This allows an Architect or design team to create the vision seamless look while still adhering to conformance and compliance.
17. The Dribond Partitioning Systems and Dribond Accoustic Systems and Dribond Fire Systems has been specifically designed for the Partition market.
18. The client can order knowing the system has valid historical credibility in prime installations such as Virgin Head Office, DZ Bank, Barclays Bank, Everton Football Ground VIP box, Ernest & Young Director Suite, Queens University Belfast, Alona Rose (Faith & Dean) London, Amazon Warehouses, etc.