- There are two categories of Electric Strike Locks:
o Fail Safe- A door or gate with a Fail Safe lock will remain locked while the Electric Strike Lock is powered. To unlock the power is removed.
o Fail secure – A door or gate with a fail secure lock can be unlocked while powered and will remain locked when the power is removed.
- The Electric Strike operates by a combination of electrical and mechanical interactions that can be designed to be either Fail Safe or Fail Secure.
- While Electric Strike locks can belong to either the Fail Safe or Fail Secure category, the Magnetic Lock is always Fail Safe.
- The Magnetic Lock , in simple words, is an electrically operated large magnet. The electromagnet is typically mounted on the top of the door jamb while a compatible plate, called an Armature, is mounted on the door directly across from the electro-magnet.
- The Magnetic Lock will secure the door in a locked position only while powered, which makes it, by default, Fail Safe.
- Lock Force – When activated the two parts of the Magnetic Lock are pulled to each other thus holding the door locked by the force created by a magnetic field. This holding force is measured in pounds. Typical holding forces of Magnetic Locks are 300, 600, and 1200Lbs per magnet. Grading Electric Strike strength and resistance is more complicated. It is more dependent on a mechanical design and material strength and less on the force created by magnetic field.
- There are two types of Electric Strikes: AC (Alternate Current) operated and DC (Direct Current) operated. Magnetic Locks that must be constantly pulled are operated by DC voltage only.
- Application - While Electric Strikes are typically used for the traditional hinged doors, Magnetic Locks offer a higher degree of flexibility and can be installed in variety of door types such as:
o Sliding doors
o Folding doors
o Rotating doors
o Double French doors
The Magnetic Locks come in a variety of forms. The most commonly used are the single and double locks. The double lock is essentially comprised of two locks in one case (see images) and is very commonly used for double doors or gates in different shapes and forms of installation.
Each Magnetic Lock is supplied with a template and wiring diagram, which assists in mounting and installation.