Vision lite kits and louvers.

AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE ARE MANY SPECIFIC PARTS AND COMPONENTS USED THROUGHOUT THE DOOR and hardware industry on both hollow metal and wooden doors to complete the appearance and requirements of that specific door for any given opening.

In conjunction with that, there are as many code restrictions, rating classifications and test compliance approvals that need to be adhered to. Manufacturers of vision lite kit frames and louvers, although a relatively small part of each door opening, need to be sure that their products meet all of the above criteria as a number one priority. Secondly, appearance plays a large part in this market as well as quality, price and delivery.

As many of you have experienced over the past several months, rising metal costs has been a major obstacle, which has plagued the construction industry. At times, it has seemed like there is no end in sight to this weekly and / or daily escalation in costs. Although end-users and owners of the finished buildings have understood and accepted these increases as just a part of doing business, it would be a plus for them to visibly see significant quality in products of this nature rather than just an increase in the makeup of material.

Have you ever stopped to think about what your eyes focus on when approaching a door? When it comes down to a door with a vision lite installed, your attention usually goes to the lite and what is beyond that into the next room or hallway. The lite kit and glazing material are an intricate part of the focus of that door and opening. Whether the glazing material is clear glass, ceramic or polished wire glass, or whether the vision frame is square or has rounded corners, all of these visible features are noted in the subconscious area of our brains. One way or another, an impression is being made in the mind of the person about to walk through that doorway.

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Most lite kit and louver manufacturers offer a square lite kit that is generally raised off of the door as much as 1/4". There are some lite kits available, however, that protrude no more than 1/16" off the surface of the door. In addition to this product laying flat to the door, it may also feature rounded corners that help reduce or eliminate the chance of injury to installers or end-users such as children in school classrooms and hallways.

In today's market place, not only do we have to be concerned with the makeup of the lite kit, we also need to pay attention to detail on the glazing products going into each of these lite kits. In accordance with the 2003 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 5000, fire-rated glazings found in hazardous locations in educational occupancies must meet either CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) Category I or II impact performance requirements specified in 16 C.F.R. 1201. Both model-building codes also require that glazing material used in any athletic facility meet CPSC's Category II impact performance requirements. In addition to these new impact safety requirements, with some exceptions, glazings used in exit access corridors in educational occupancies must also have a fire-resistant rating of at least 45 minutes. This means that wire glass installation will no longer be permitted in educational occupancies (K-12) and athletic facilities. It is important to note that the fire and safety rated glazing materials that meet these requirements can often be supplied through your lite kit manufacturer.

In the manufacturing of door louvers, many features come into play based on the application called for. A variety of blade styles such as an inverted "V" blade, "Z" blade or an inverted "Y" blade all feature a non-vision design with various areas of free airflow. Fusible link louvers are also available with UL and WHI listings and are ideal for use in fire doors with up to 1 1/2 hour ratings.

In today's "Hurry Up and Wait" world, it is important for customers to be able to receive the product that they require in a timely manner. To address the needs of door manufacturers, distributors and contract hardware houses, certain manufacturers of vision lite kit frames and louvers have warehousing locations in various areas around the country.

Value-added service is becoming increasingly more important to the door and hardware industry and customer satisfaction is still the number one focus for lite kit and louver manufacturers.

Chris Pilon, Air Louvers, Inc.