Description
Our Sound Transmission Class (STC) is around 53, which is excellent performance on this job.
Being located in Southern California, the movie capitol of the world, we were a natural to supply the studios with what the industry calls “Elephant Doors”.
To date, we have supplied acoustical sliding doors to all the major studios, including Disney Studios, Warner Brothers, Culver Studios, Manhattan Studios, and Paramount Studios.
One of the reasons for our world wide success with acoustical sliding doors is how the operator and door panels are engineered to work as an integrated system.
The electric operator drives a roller chain that is concealed in the track, so no visible chain or cable is exposed.
Our panels are shipped in 4 to 5 foot widths so they are easier to handle and install at the site.
The larger the sliding door, the better for us.
30′ to 40′ high is not out of our scope of work.
We also provide constant pressure key switches, relays, safety edges, or any other control required.
The sounds test we have preformed at the job site have exceeded our expectations and in some cases, tested higher than in the lab.
Years ago, sound stages used doors made up of 8″ of concrete and 4″ of instaquilt.
These were extremely heavy and if a problem occurred, even a forklift would not move the door.
Our style test better acoustically than concrete doors did and if there is a power failure, they can be manually operated with little effort.
We often supply acoustical swinging doors with frames, hinges, and gaskets to complete a sound door requirement for our customers.
The sound rating we achieve is 53 STC with a 1 3/4″ door panel and frame.
We have also provided curved or radius hardware in both manual and electrical operation.
We have come to be known as the company that can do anything that slides.
Elephant Door Acoustical Test Video
This video’s sound was not edited. This is the actual sound as it was recorded.
After completing the installation of an “elephant door”, which measured 18′ wide by 20′ high, the owner of the studio requested actual acoustical documentation of his door on site.
Huge speakers were used to concentrate “pink noise” which sounded similar to a jet engine.
The test was conducted on June 20, 2013. The results were better than expected.
On the studio side, the NIC, Noise Isolation Coefficient, was 50.
That’s about the same as an 8″ brick wall. (Higher numbers are better.)
On the warehouse side, it was just over 47 NIC because of nearby traffic noise.
Acoustical data is available upon request.
This system was electrically operated, using 53 STC, Sound Transmission Class, steel panels. The panel thickness was 3.5 inches.
The entire system used double acoustical seals around the full perimeter of the movable element.
This system has been used by many Hollywood studios, as well as the world’s largest sound stage in New Mexico.
A typical size is 20′ X 20′, however we have completed some systems as tall as 40′.
Sliding Acoustical Doors
Sliding acoustical doors or “Elephant Doors” are a great option for people that want the benefits that come from acoustical doors but need a sliding implementation in order for the doors to work with their space.
The good news is that there are some great options for customizing sliding acoustical doors, which makes it easy to implement them into your facility. For larger openings we proved electric operators and necessary controls.
Our customers include:
- Disney Studios
- Boeing Aircraft
- Northrop
- Culver Studios
- Cal State University
- Nokia Theatre
- Paramount Studios
- Kennedy King University
- Schools
- Hospitals
