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Before the pandemic swept the globe and changed how we do business in a post-Covid19 world, the electronic security industry was already familiar with the idea of “touch-free.” The RCI product line from dormakaba already offered a variety of touchless switches to activate and open doors. The 910TC touchless actuator hit the market in 2017 as a sleek and sexy alternative to the more industrial-looking switches that came before it. Not only did it come to the market with a slew of features the other switches didn’t offer (did someone say manual override, by simply pushing on the switch in case of power loss?), it was just so darn good looking at a remarkably competitive price.

Prior to 2020, the 910TC was modern, functional, convenient, and safe. Today, the 910TC is modern, functional, convenient, safe, and necessary. Minimizing touchpoints while maintaining manual ingress and egress wasn’t simply a hygienic way to function in a building during a global pandemic but it offered peace of mind that we never knew we needed. It seemed that overnight we became much more cognizant of how often we washed our hands, what common surfaces we touched and how we could avoid using our hands for every-day actions like opening doors. (We’ve all since seen the creation of the no-touch door opening tools on keychains that allow you to push/pull doors open or closed while remaining touch-free. Some even come equipped with a built-in stylus or bottle opener! The problem with this? If you’re like me, you haven’t carried a set of keys in 5 years or longer.) We changed the way we approached the simplest of tasks to minimize the risk of spreading or catching germs and therefore the 910TC and other touch-free devices had a new relevance.

Today, the 910TC has evolved into one of the top selling RCI product offerings. The original 910TC started life as a Black face plate switch but has quickly evolved to add stainless steel face plates with a variety of different indicators added as well – example: International Wheelchair Sign, Wave to Open, Wave to Lock and so on. The switches are also available in three languages to make this product a true Global solution. This is an example of dormakaba listening to the Voice of the Customer (VOC) and being nimble enough to react quickly to the rising need of Touch Free Openings!

Previously, touch-free door activation switches were mostly visible in corridors and sterile areas of hospitals or on ADA accessible entries and exits. Now you will also see them on doorways leading to back offices, meeting rooms, warehouses, public restrooms, high-capacity areas where traffic is heavy, and countless other places. Adding an automatic door opener and a 910TC actuator provides the safe functionality we all need with a modern and visually appealing aesthetic.
As the touch-free market demands continually evolve dormakaba is evolving with it. In 2021 dormakaba released RCI’s 912 Series of wireless battery-powered touch-free actuators perfect for historic buildings (where pulling wire is tricky if not impossible) and other challenging applications such as smooth surfaces or glass walls. Adding to the family of 910TC touchless actuators dormakaba has recently released RCI’s 910NTC which offers all the features of the standard 910TC but in a narrow style.

No matter the building or industry, dormakaba will remain your trusted partner providing the innovative and touch-free solutions that have never been more important than they are today.

For technical specifications or product-specific information please visit the dormakaba website, www.dormakaba.us and do a simple search of the 910TC or the 912. Speak to your SES sales rep for pricing and availability or if you’d like further assistance with touch-free solutions and application designs please reach out to your local dormakaba sales rep; a map of dormakaba’s sales support team can be found here.