Select Products Ltd. of Portage, Mich., has announced that its full mortise geared continuous hinge has surpassed 15 million open/close test cycles.

According to the company, through the Physical Endurance Swing Test, its aluminum SL11-HD hinge is mounted to an FRP door that is 3 feet, 4 inches wide by 7 feet, 2 inches tall to simulate a real-world situation, such as in a school entrance. A piston initiates the door's open/close cycle 16,600 times a day, around the clock, seven days a week, according to company information.

"We're not aware of any other independent test that has put a hinge through this many cycles," said Bob Cronk, Select vice president of sales and marketing. "Our unique manufacturing processes-Pair-Matched™ hinge leaves, Teflon® and graphite lifetime lubricants and anodizing after machining-combine to achieve this durability."

The hinge has been in testing at Architectural Testing Inc. in St. Paul, Minn., since September 2002. Select says it plans to continue the testing until the hinge fails.