Newcastle-based fire and security glazing specialist Fendor launched at the recent Healthcare Estates exhibition a “revolutionary new slipper clutch mechanism” designed for use in anti-ligature, anti-contraband windows.
Claimed to be especially suited to use in secure, mental health facility applications, the clutch enables manufacture of such windows with mechanisms that “cannot be forced, or damaged, though over-use”. The clutch is incorporated in a turning handle that operates a sliding window. Once the window is fully opened the mechanism prevents the handle from being forced by springing it back into place. When the handle is turned in the opposite direction to close the window it will immediately engage until the window is fully closed, when the “slip” effect will once again ensure the mechanism is protected. Fendor, reportedly the only UK company to manufacture a hybrid window incorporating both steel and aluminium in one frame, says the slipper clutch can be fitted into frames made of both metals. Fendor also unveiled a new anti-ligature trickle vent developed to meet demand for anti-ligature windows that provide higher levels of ventilation than is the norm, and a compact, electronic motorised mechamism for opening and closing sliding windows. “By listening to healthcare sector contacts we realised there was a need for a secure window operable from the window itself or via a switch or remote control,” said Fendor MD Chris Duffy of the latter system. “However we found there was nothing available that used a motor small enough to fit inside the frame; all existing designs required an extra track or special mechanism to accommodate a cumbersome motor. “With the micro motor we have successfully developed a motor that fits neatly inside the existing frame and is fully concealed. There is also no protruding ironmongery that could be accessed or damaged.”
