In the past, roller shutters have been operated by hand via a crank or belt tension to move them up or down. Now more and more automated systems are being installed, increasing the need for electric drives. These enable roller shutters to darken rooms automatically according to a predefined schedule or by an impulse emitted by sensors, creating a pleasant indoor atmosphere and living environment.
A pleasant atmosphere
with a smart drive
The French company Somfy is the leading manufacturer of roller shutters with electrical drive. Their “RS100 io” product generation can easily be integrated into smart home systems thanks to their intelligent wireless capabilities. The product is also compact and durable. To ensure this, several parts for the drive and assembly have been developed in close cooperation with SFS.
Innovative drive for shutters
Somfy is the market and innovation leader in drive and control technology for roller shutters, blinds, and gates. The company, based in Cluses (France) was founded in 1969 and has around 8,400 employees in 58 countries.
Their products increase the level of comfort due to extremely low running noise and soft movement to their final position. The required parameters can be implemented either automatically (with cyclical correction) or adjusted to a fixed setting. The drive features electrical torque monitoring, obstacle detection, and freezing protection, while the integrated wireless technology enables an easy integration into smart home systems.
Compact and robust design
The RS100 io is very compact, making it easy to install in new or existing buildings. The innovative product is also very robust and durable – and various components from SFS play a vital role in ensuring these characteristics.
The power from the drive is transmitted by a cylindrical planetary gear shaft from SFS, developed in close cooperation with Somfy. Specialists from both companies analyzed its application in depth and optimized its geometry for the long term. This ensures failure-free operation.
Joint development with the customer
To create this compact and robust design, specialists from SFS developed a special version of the REMFORM® “F” screw, with a unique head geometry to mount the head section of the drive to the frame. SFS also supplies TAPTITE 2000 screws of the highest quality. They are able to handle the high torques required during installation. The engineers at SFS also supported Somfy in developing the ideal position for installation and carried out numerous trial fittings to ensure quality.
What Somfy got from SFS was a complete range of high-grade fasteners and essential support in developing and realizing their product. As a result, the RS100 io was made ready for serial production within a very short time.
“Somfy and SFS worked together as partners to develop the parts for the RS100 io. SFS was awarded the contract because of the good quality of the products they were already supplying to Somfy, and we were impressed by the technical skills of the team we were working with. They took over technical development of the geometry so we could shift our focus to the product’s functionality.SFS also provided numerous solutions, including the design of the head screw, which was specially developed for our application. The result is a winner: all the parts meet all quality and durability requirements at a competitive price. In conclusion, it was a pleasure to work with the SFS team from Valence (France) and Heerbrugg (Switzerland).”
