HARDWARE
Fold and Slide with HOPPE
Fort Atkinson, Wis.-based HOPPE North America has available a line of top-hung, fold and slide hardware. Compared to bottom rolling products, with this hardware line the wheels aren’t exposed to debris and elements, which the company says can cause premature wear and decrease performance. 

The fold and slide hardware also features a concealed bottom channel for a smooth transition between spaces and passivated stainless steel components for corrosion resistance. 
www.us.hoppe.com

DOORS AND WINDOWS
Custom Combinations
A new mulled door and window system from Solar Innovations Inc. combines a series of operable windows and swinging doors to create one cohesive system without additional rafters or framing, while still maintaining consistent, minimally interrupted site lines. According to the company, this new system provides flexibility in design by integrating awning, casement, hopper, fixed, tilt-turn, and egress windows (depending on local code) all within the same unit. In addition, the option to select both in-swing or out-swing windows within the same system is also available. In-swing and out-swing terrace doors, with ADA compliant sills, can be mulled into the window system, and fixed transoms can also be added over both windows and terrace doors.

The new system also features insulbar technology for thermal performance, and the units are available in wood veneers, various claddings, and standard or custom color finishes. A variety glass types are also available, including low-E, decorative, laminated and tinted glass options. Shade systems can be added as well for additional light control.
www.solarinnovations.com

Double Up
Ply Gem® Windows based in Cary, N.C., has introduced the Builder Series 4780 pocket door, which the company says mimics the look of a high-end glass wall to open an outdoor space. The first of its kind from the company, this low-maintenance extruded aluminum door is ideal for new homes in southern and western U.S. markets, according to the company.

The new door is designed to recess into a pocket, expanding the opening between indoor and outdoor space. The product panels are available in 2-foot 6-inches, 3-foot, and 4-foot widths and 6-foot 8-inches and 8-foot heights and can be configured in one, two or three-panel groupings for maximum door coverage of 12-feet wide by 8-feet tall. Custom sizing is also available.

The Builder Series 4780 pocket door is available with a pocket configuration on either the right or left side and in three colors—white, bronze and adobe gray—and can be further customized with eight grille patterns. It also comes standard with warm-edge insulating, clear tempered glass. Alternative glass packages are also available. The series is Florida Building Code approved for all counties except Miami-Dade, and can be configured to meet southern zone Energy Star® requirements.
www.plygemwindows.com

Core Performance
A new line of doors and windows designed for optimal energy efficiency and performance is the latest development from MI Windows and Doors (MIWD). Called the EnergyCore™ Window System, the company says its high performance is derived from a combination of patented AirCell PVC frame technology, TMAX insulating glass, and a design that incorporates numerous physical barriers against air and water infiltration.

The line provides a complete, cost-effective family of products to meet the next phase of Energy Star requirements and to qualify for the Department of Energy’s High Performance Windows Program.

The frame is manufactured with a patented AirCell™ PVC material that is co-extruded and thermally bonded. This creates a fully insulating, corner welded frame, which can also incorporate oversized balance pockets and optimally placed internal webbing. The company notes this can handle the weight of 1 1/8 OA triple-pane insulating glass across the entire size catalog, including any grid or glass combination. Numerous air and water barriers are engineered into the panel and frame interface, including multiple contact points of weather stripping and/or compression bulbs, reinforced/interlocking meeting rails, and a pocketed sill with a sloped drainage path.

In addition, the company has added a French rail patio door, which it says offers thermal performance. It is built using MikronWood, a solid core thermoplastic material.
www.mienergycore.com

Glass
Guardian Launches ClimaGuard IS
Guardian Industries has introduced a new family of fourth-surface coated low-E glass, ClimaGuard IS-15 and IS-20. These two coated glass products are designed for residential applications and to help meet new codes and Energy Star standards while giving window makers easy fabrication options.

ClimaGuard IS-20 offers residential window makers the possibility to meet current code requirements for U-values without the use of argon gas or a third lite of glass while providing a smooth and clear and easy-to-care-for package, according to the company. Guardian officials say that its ClimaGuard IS-15 is a fourth-surface glass with even higher thermal performance and will help many windows hit R-5 ratings without the need for a third lite of glass.

ClimaGuard IS also is durable and scratch-resistant, cleanable with standard household products, usable in monolithic applications (such as storm windows), and available in full truckloads, less-than-truckloads, or case quantities.
www.guardian.com

DWM
© Copyright 2011 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.