Flexible Access for Busy Interior Openings
The AirGard 973 provides a simple barrier between frequently accessed interior spaces. The flexible panels open with light contact, allowing employees and manually operated carts to pass through without stopping to open a conventional door.
Common applications include supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, commercial food-preparation areas, and food-processing facilities. The door can help separate work areas while supporting visibility, sanitation, and efficient traffic movement.
Flexible PVC Panel Construction
The door body is constructed from 0.160-inch-thick embossed PVC supported by two-ply vinyl-reinforced bracket pockets. The textured panel surface is designed for the routine wear associated with interior pedestrian and cart openings.
Optional 48-inch-high textured vinyl impact plates can provide additional protection along the lower portion of the door where hand carts and manual pallet equipment commonly make contact. Confirm the available impact-plate material and applicable USDA acceptance before selecting the final configuration.
Top-Mounted Gravity Hinge
The AirGard 973 uses a top-mounted gravity hinge with zinc-plated mounting brackets and through-bolted stainless steel arms. The hinge allows the flexible panels to swing in both directions and automatically return to the center after traffic passes.
Because the hinge system does not require bottom pivots or other floor-mounted hardware, the opening remains unobstructed for pedestrians, hand carts, and manual pallet traffic. The clear floor area can also help simplify cleaning around the doorway.
Perimeter Seals and Center Overlap
Extruded balloon jamb seals help close the gap between the flexible panels and the sides of the opening. Flexible top and bottom wipers provide additional coverage, while bi-parting configurations use a three-inch center overlap between the panels.
Together, these features support separation between interior spaces and can help limit drafts and noise passing through the doorway. The door should not be described as airtight or acoustically rated without documentation supporting the selected configuration.
AirGard 973 Feature Summary
Materials, hardware, seals, panel sizes, and impact-protection options vary by configuration. Confirm current Chase Doors specifications before selecting or specifying the door.
Feature AirGard® 973
Door Type Double-acting flexible impact traffic door
Panel Material 0.160-inch embossed PVC
Panel Support Two-ply vinyl-reinforced bracket pockets
Hinge System Top-mounted gravity hinge
Floor Hardware None
Panel Operation Swings in both directions and returns to center
Perimeter Sealing Balloon jamb seals with flexible top and bottom wipers
Center Seal 3-inch overlap on bi-parting configurations
Optional Impact Protection 48-inch textured vinyl impact plates
Recommended Traffic Pedestrians, hand carts, and manual pallet traffic
Common Applications Supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, and food-processing facilities
Where to Use the AirGard 973
The AirGard 973 is best suited for interior openings with frequent, relatively light traffic. In supermarkets and restaurants, it can separate kitchens, stockrooms, preparation areas, and employee-only spaces. In bakeries and food-processing facilities, the flexible panels can support movement between production, preparation, storage, and service areas.
The door is also appropriate for openings used by hand carts and manually operated pallet equipment. Its flexible construction and unobstructed floor area allow traffic to move through without the rigid panel construction or floor pivots associated with some commercial swinging doors.
Where Not to Use the AirGard 973
The AirGard 973 is not recommended for high-speed motorized forklift traffic or sub-zero freezer openings. These applications place greater demands on the panel, hinge, impact protection, and environmental separation systems than this flexible traffic door is intended to handle.
Facilities with powered forklift traffic should consider a more durable rigid traffic door, such as an appropriate Chase Durulite configuration. Sub-zero freezer openings should be evaluated for a freezer-specific door designed for the applicable temperature and traffic conditions.
Flexible PVC vs. Rigid Traffic Doors
A flexible PVC door is a practical choice when the opening primarily serves pedestrians, hand carts, or manual pallet traffic. The lightweight panels open easily and return to the center using gravity.
A rigid polyethylene traffic door may be more suitable when an opening experiences heavier impact, powered equipment traffic, or more demanding operating conditions. The right construction depends on traffic speed, equipment type, sanitation requirements, temperature, impact frequency, and doorway dimensions.
How to Select the Right Configuration
Before selecting an AirGard 973, consider the opening width and height, traffic type, frequency of use, desired visibility, panel overlap, perimeter sealing, sanitation requirements, and expected impact exposure.
Confirm whether the opening requires a single-panel or bi-parting configuration and whether optional lower impact plates are appropriate. Final measurements and site conditions should be verified before ordering.
AirGard 973 Selection and Installation
Barron Equipment helps supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, food-processing facilities, and commercial properties evaluate flexible traffic doors based on opening dimensions, pedestrian and cart traffic, sanitation needs, impact exposure, and environmental separation. Request a quote online to discuss your opening and determine whether the AirGard 973 is the right fit.