Introduction

The Fidelity Hydraulic operating system has revolutionised the way Door and Dock levellers are installed and operated.

Its reliability is far superior compared to the traditional systems, boasting a 5 year or 500,000 cycle warranty. When installed as a pair of Doors complete with Dock levellers it can provide a 70% saving on power consumption, a saving in addition to any new installation costs due to its single phase power requirements.

Comparison

The traditional system generally consists of an electro hydraulic dock leveller with an under slung motor, complete with a spring balanced overhead door with manual or motor driven operation.

The Fidelity system consists of an electro hydraulic dock leveller with a centrally mounted console which powers the dock leveller AND the door.
The Traditional system requires the Dock leveller maintenance to be carried out within the confines of the pit, which is uncomfortable, awkward for mechanical replacement and in some instances will require confined space training and relevant permits. The debris which gathers in the pit provides the habitat to rodents, namely Rats, which carry diseases such as leptospirosis.

With the centralised console all maintenance is carried out above ground, mounted at eye level the console provides simple and easy inspection in clean, hygienic conditions. This system dramatically reduces risk of accidents due to the Engineers not being required to enter underneath the machine.

A traditional spring tensioned door has an average of 15,000 cycles before the springs lose their memory and require re-tensioning, this requires an Engineer to work at height to remedy this problem, usually with a colleague. The damage caused by weakened springs is evident in the bottom door panel, which due to its inability to travel past the door header, is often struck by traffic below. In the scenario of a manually operated door, the weakness of the springs can dictate whether the operative can open the door or not. The use of coned cable drums on the traditional door is the biggest single cause of call outs to sectional doors within the industry, due to the fact that the cables will overrun the drum and will require resetting each time this happens, at cost to end user if out of warranty.

The Fidelity system has no springs or drums, and with its gravity down closure system, prevents crushing and trapping. Each Fidelity door system has a manual hand pump for opening the door in the event of an emergency which can also be operated by a battery powered drill. The door closure can be obtained by merely opening the hydraulic valve.

Costs

A Traditional system consisting of 2 adjacent loading bays will require 2 0.75kw supplies, 400v, three phase for the Dock levellers. Add two 0.5kw door motors and you have a power requirement of 2.5kw used by FOUR motors.

The Fidelity system with a centralised console consisting of 2 adjacent loading bays only requires a single phase 240v supply to power the single motor required to power BOTH doors and BOTH Dock levellers, with a power consumption of 0.75kw.

Installation costs are vastly reduced on a new build due to the minimal amount of demand required and using 50% less cabling.

Reliability

By the end of 2005 some 35,000 Fidelity systems were in intensive use worldwide and during that year, the after sales department only sold 11 replacement console units, 8 of which were damaged by collision and 3 of which were burned out due to the incorrect supply of 400v power instead of the required 240v. This is the perfect testament to the reliability of the Fidelity system, which 100% factory tested.