Aluminum Bifold Patio Doors

Aluminum Glass Folding Doors – Open Your Home to the World

Aluminum glass folding doors — also known as bifold doors — represent one of the most dramatic and desirable architectural features available to contemporary residential and commercial design. When fully open, the entire door assembly concertinas together and stacks neatly to one or both ends of the opening, transforming what was a wall into an open-plan connection between interior and exterior spaces. The effect is transformative: a living room flows naturally onto a garden terrace, a restaurant opens to a courtyard, a hotel suite connects to a private balcony — without interruption, without threshold drama, and without any visible barrier between the two spaces. SKATE's aluminum glass folding doors are engineered to deliver this experience reliably, beautifully, and for decades of daily operation.

Engineering for Large-Scale Folding Systems

Aluminum glass folding doors present a unique set of engineering challenges. Multiple door panels — typically between two and seven — must fold against each other smoothly while maintaining consistent weather sealing across the full system width. The top-hung or bottom-rolling track system must support the total glass weight of all panels simultaneously, distribute lateral forces from wind loading evenly, and resist the racking forces generated as panels fold and unfold repeatedly.

SKATE's aluminum glass folding door system (85W series) addresses these challenges through:

- 6063-T5 aluminum profile sashes with PA66 GF25 polyamide thermal break strips throughout - Top-hung and bottom guide configurations, distributing panel weight through the head track rather than the sill - Adjustable multi-wheel trolley rollers running on precision-extruded aluminum track sections with stainless-steel inserts - Seamless welded corners on every panel sash — no mechanical corner joints that loosen over time - Continuous EPDM gaskets at all panel-to-panel and panel-to-frame interfaces, maintaining consistent weathertightness at every stage of opening

Panel Configuration Options

SKATE aluminum glass folding doors can be configured in multiple opening arrangements to suit the architectural requirement:

Glass Size and Visual Impact

The large glass panels of aluminum glass folding doors create an uninterrupted visual connection between indoors and outdoors. Individual panel widths typically range from 700 mm to 1,200 mm, with heights from 2,100 mm to 3,000 mm. Tempered glass is mandatory for door panels at these dimensions — standard annealed glass does not have the impact resistance required for door applications. SKATE uses toughened safety glass as standard, with laminated tempered options available for enhanced security and acoustic performance.

Low-E argon-filled glazing configurations are available to maintain energy efficiency across the large glazed area of an aluminum glass folding door system — critical for preventing excessive heat loss in winter or solar heat gain in summer through what is effectively a large glazed wall.

Threshold Options

The sill threshold of an aluminum glass folding door system is a critical detail that affects both performance and usability. SKATE offers:

Surface Finishes

All SKATE standard aluminum surface finishes are available: RAL powder coat (full range), PVDF coating, anodised finishes, and wood grain transfer printing. The large, visible surface area of folding door panels makes color consistency across all panels particularly important — SKATE's production quality processes ensure uniform batch color.

Applications

Aluminum glass folding doors are the definitive specification for: residential living rooms and dining rooms opening onto gardens and pool terraces; extension and orangery projects; high-end apartment balcony openings; hospitality venues, restaurants, bars, and event spaces; commercial showrooms; and any architectural project where the wall between inside and outside should disappear entirely when desired.