Bi-Fold Doors vs. Reverse Bi-Fold Doors
- Determine the amount of space available inside the arms room with an Armory Site Survey
- Review the weapon density list against Weapon Rack Storage Capacity.
- How many weapon racks do I need?
- Contact us for GSA weapon rack pricing or review NSN Weapon Racks for supply system purchases.
- Ask about how to utilize DLA TLS (Tailored Logistics Support) contract.
We detailed how High Density Weapon Storage Systems are configured in a previous post: See High Density Weapon Storage blog post for more details.
Once the system is installed and is in use, system functionality comes into play. There are four types of door systems available with weapon racks.
- Fully Hinged Doors
- Bi-Fold Doors
- Retractable Doors
- Reverse Bi-Fold Doors
This post is going to compare Reverse Bi-Fold doors vs. Bi-Fold Doors on high density weapon storage systems.
Reverse Bi-Fold doors fold in half on the face of the weapon cabinet, allowing carriages to be rolled without fully closing weapon rack doors. This also keeps the aisle clear for armorers to store and retrieve weapons and gear.
By minimizing their storage footprint, Reverse Bi-Fold doors inherently increase production in the armory and minimize their storage footprint.
Bi-Fold doors fold in half and stick out from the two outside corners of weapon cabinets when open. When two racks face each other with an aisle between the racks, facing bi-fold weapon rack doors take up 9.5″ of aisle space on each side of the aisle, effectively reducing aisle spacing by 19 inches.
With a standard 36″ W aisle as a minimum aisle for egress, this creates a pinch point between weapon racks for armorers with the armorers forced to constantly open and then close weapon rack doors.
High density weapon storage systems are plagued by this issue, with the lock rods wear and tear also causing issues for the racks.
COMPETITOR
High Density Mobile
Weapon Storage System
- Bi-Fold Doors fold in half off of corners of cabinet 9.5″ sticking straight into the aisle.
- Bi-Fold Doors on opposite racks also take up 9.5″ of aisle space.
- Facing weapon racks with Bi-Fold Doors lose 53% of aisle spacing to open doors, severely restricting workflow for armorers.
- Bi-Fold Doors require constant opening and closing to clear aisle space and to collapse aisles for armorers.
- Bi-Fold Doors require doors to be closed to collapse aisles and open any adjacent aisles.
COMBAT
High Density Mobile
Weapon Storage System
- Reverse Bi-Fold Doors fold in half on front of weapon rack, minimizing aisle obstructions and allowing for more storage in less physical floor space.
- Access to half of the weapon rack interior without touching a door.
- Reverse Bi-Fold Doors fold in half allowing carriages to be collapsed to open adjacent aisles without locking each rack door.
- Mobile Carriage bumpers keep Reverse Bi-Fold Doors from being damaged when carriages are collapsed to open aisles.
- All doors can be opened in mobile carriage systems without obstructing aisles or workflow.
Weapon Storage Space & Workflow
Why Workflow Matters?
Bi-Fold doors open straight out off the corners of the weapon rack, sticking out into the aisle unless the doors are fully closed. When placed on top of mobile carriages, this presents a major spacing issue as the doors when open do not allow carriages to be rolled without obstructing and reducing aisle access and also potential damage to doors.
This requires armorers to constantly open and close doors, drastically reducing workflow in the arms room. Opening and closing doors increases the amount of time armorers need to issue weapons.
COMPETITOR
High Density Mobile
Weapon Storage System
- Competitors Bi-Fold Doors CANNOT be left open to move carriages as it restricts access.
- Workflow and aisle space is restricted and reduced with bi-fold weapon rack doors obstructing doors.
- Constant opening of closing of doors wears out locking mechanism on bi-fold weapon rack doors.
COMBAT
High Density Mobile
Weapon Storage System
- All Reverse Bi-Fold Doors can be folded open on every weapon rack & NOT restrict access or reduce system aisle access.
- Workflow is increased without having to constantly open and close weapon rack doors every time an aisle is access.
- Weapon rack storage capacity is increased, requiring less overall floor space for the weapon rack system.
