Aluminium: TiltSafe and more

The latest news on the Roto Aluvision range will be of interest to all manufacturers of quality aluminium windows.

In this article:

• Ventilation: TiltSafe now available for Roto AL Designo
• Tall windows: Entire Aluvision range certified for 3000 mm heights
• New version of installation instructions for Roto AL Designo

Ventilation: TiltSafe now available for Roto AL Designo

The Covid crisis has made the issue of building ventilation a strong concern, not only in buildings such as schools and offices, but also in the home with governments recommending that people keep rooms ventilated when visitors are present.

Of course, ventilation is always important for other health reasons, such as reducing the chances of damp and mould resulting from condensation. People stay healthier and more alert when they are breathing fresh air.

Keeping buildings ventilated also has environmental benefits because it can reduce the need for air conditioning.

The only downside with leaving windows open to ventilate is that they become a security risk. This is something that can be mitigated to some extent with Tilt&Turn windows, because tilt mode prevents very easy entry by opportunist thieves. If however burglars are a bit more determined and arrive with tools, a tilted window will not resist break-in for long –– unless it is fitted with Roto TiltSafe.

We now can announce that our patented TiltSafe technology is available to users of the Roto AL Designo concealed system.

TiltSafe has already been a success on PVC and timber when used with the Roto NX and NT ranges. Now a bespoke set of components brings this security option to aluminium windows for the first time.

Secure to Resistance Class 2

Windows with TiltSafe have been proven in tests to provide burglary resistance to the level of EN Resistance Class 2 when the window is in tilt mode. This is achieved by adding three TiltSafe components, which take the place of security strikers: one on each of the two vertical sides and the third along the base of the window.

Intuitive operation

The user operates the mechanism as normal with the handle. In tilt mode, the mushroom security cams lock into the TiltSafe components, which act as secure retainers.

Even if the top stay arm is detached, the TiltSafe components have enough strength to prevent entry from being gained. Tests have shown them to resist attacks from crowbars, wedges and all of the other tools listed in the EN standard.

Full tilt function

On windows with Roto AL Designo, TiltSafe components provide a tilt depth of at least 85mm, so there is plenty of ventilation just as with a conventional window. There is also a locking function to hold the sash in the tilt position.

To fit TiltSafe components, Roto recommends using special screws that cannot be unscrewed with a normal screwdriver and require a special tool to remove them.

Windows that are RC3 certified when fully closed and locked will be classified as RC2 when open in tilt mode using the TiltSafe system.

If you would like to know more about TiltSafe on your particular profile, please talk to your Roto representative.

Tall windows: Entire Aluvision range certified for 3000 mm sash heights

There are a number of reasons why windows are getting taller and wider. This has been a trend for some years now. There are environmental justifications: windows with bigger glass areas can provide more warmth from solar gain if the sun is shining during cooler weather, so less heating energy is required. More natural light also means less need for artificial light, so energy can be saved in this way too.

Natural light is a great selling point in terms of making interiors look brighter, more spacious and generally creating a better feeling for people. Larger windows give homeowners a better view outside and they also save costs for constructors because more glass means fewer bricks and other materials that would be needed if there was a wall instead of a window.

Over the years, Roto has been making our hardware more and more capable of supporting and operating larger glazed units.

Now, we can declare that all of our hardware for aluminum windows has a maximum rebate height of 3000 mm as part of the standard specification. We are the first hardware manufacturer to be able to offer this across a complete range.

This covers the entire “Roto AL” and “Roto AL Designo” hardware systems and applies to Tilt&Turn, Turn-Only and Tilt-Only versions. All of these Roto products have been tested by IFT Rosenheim and awarded QM 328 certification.

The extensive testing has confirmed that the components in these product ranges meet the following standards:

• Long-term functional performance class H3 (following 20,000 cycles of repeated opening and closing in accordance with EN 13126-8 and EN 1191)
• Corrosion-resistance in accordance with Class 5 of EN 1670 (after passing a neutral salt spray test lasting 480 hours)

New version of installation instructions for Roto AL Designo

The installation, operation and maintenance instructions for Roto AL Designo have been reissued in a new version.

As well as some error corrections, this new edition contains restructured overviews of the hardware, for example splitting the part tables into height, width and weight dependent components. Application diagrams and installation drawings have also been revised and optimised.

It also covers some technical changes, the most significant being that all of the systems are now specified for a maximum sash rebate height of 3000 mm.