Automatic Retractable Bollards
Rising bollards are often installed to improve the security of a loading bay, where a standard roller shutter offers very little resistance to ram-raids, in this application, they can be controlled by a standard button controller or interfaced with the roller shutter to automatically lower whilst the roller shutter is opening.
In the same way they can also be added to an automatic barrier installation where the bollards lower and the barrier lifts after they have lowered when it is safe to proceed.
Automatic rising bollards can be installed in place of an automatic barrier to restrict vehicle entry to a site, and can be controlled by any type of access control system, including swipe or proximity cards, audio intercom, radio transmitters, GSM/mobile phone, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) or a simple button controller.
Rising bollards are generally installed complete with induction loops for vehicle safety and red/green traffic lights to give an indication when it is safe for a vehicle to proceed.
A further standard safety feature of our hydraulic bollards, is an inbuilt pressure sensor. If the rising bollard senses an obstruction whilst it is lifting, the pressure sensor will cause the bollard to stop and reverse to the fully down position.
Automatic bollards can be supplied in a range of finishes, including polyester powder coating to any RAL colour or stainless steel, to ensure they match your design and their surroundings. They come with inbuilt amber flashing lights to ensure they are highly visible, even in total darkness.
The diameter and rise height of automatic bollards also varies to suit the site requirements or desired level of security. We offer an anti terror bollard which is tested to the Pass 68 rated and the US K12 standard, It has a diameter of 275mm, and rises to a height of 900mm above ground level.
As an optional extra, a hydraulic booster pack can be fitted to the bollards which will allow them to be fully raised in 0.8 seconds, especially relevant in the event of an emergency. This would also be very useful to secure the site quickly if there is an imminent threat.
Automatic bollards are available to operate as fail safe or fail secure. When there is a power failure a failsafe bollard will automatically lower, whereas a fail secure bollard will remain in the upright position – which may be lowered by a key if required. An automatic bollard installation can also be connected to a fire alarm system, so that all or some of the bollards will automatically lower under fire alarm conditions.
Another accessory that may be added to the installation is a fire drop key. This is a switch which is usually installed at high level and can be used to lower the bollards by the emergency services. Most fire engines carry this key as standard, but we would supply one which could be passed on to the relevant fire officer.