U-Guide vs Thick Door Rail: Why Power Figures Differ So Much

1. Short answer

Because thickness and section duty differ. A light U-guide and a ~4–5 mm door rail share a catalog family name but not a motor size. Power follows the named section proposal — never one “guide rail” kW for both.

2. Why the gap exists

• Thicker strip needs higher forming torque and stronger shafts/stands
• Heavy rails may add different drive and cut packages than light U-guides
• Slide flying-shear layouts already sit above U-guide power before heavy-rail duty

Market heavy-rail formers for up to ~4 mm commonly jump toward higher kW classes — supports the “power scales with thickness” story; commercial answers still follow the named proposal (including the ~75 kW heavy-rail package when that is the drawing).

3. Reference parameters (keep sections separate)

4. Conflicts and open items

• One RFQ for “guide rail machine” — Ambiguous until thickness and section drawing are attached.
• Market mid-heavy kW classes — Orientation only; do not overwrite a named ~75 kW heavy-rail package.
• Slat 11 kW paste — Wrong family entirely.

5. Boundaries (related machines)

• SHUTTER overview — Full section table including box and bottom accessories.
• Slat vs guide selection — First split product family; then split U vs heavy inside guides.
• Frame multi-spec — Another multi-tier story; do not mix numbers.

6. Buyer FAQ

One RFQ for “guide rail machine”?

Attach thickness and section drawing first. U-guide ~2 mm and heavy rail ~4–5 mm are different duties.

Is 18.5 kW the heavy-rail answer?

No. ~18.5/7.5 is the flying-shear slide reference. Heavy ~4–5 mm rails may list main about 75 kW.

Can box ~7.5 kW justify a heavy-rail quote?

No. Box/hood thickness is about 0.8–1.0 mm — far from 4–5 mm door-rail duty.

Does bottom rail use U-guide power?

Not automatically. Bottom rails are accessories in this family; confirm their own proposal row.