Iron Ridge Design Assistant Tool

IronRidge, a manufacturer of solar mounting products, has announced the expansion of its XR Rail Family to include three new rail sizes, all featuring the company's signature curved profile. The new offering empowers solar designers to improve solar mounting system performance while reducing cost by as much as 15-20%.

In addition, the company announced significant updates to its XR Rail accessories and peripherals, including Slotted L-Feet and T-bolt Grounding Lugs, as well as an upgrade of its web-based Design Assistant™ software.

"This represents a complete overhaul of our Roof Mount System, yet we're keeping everything our customers know and trust," says IronRidge CEO William Kim. "We amplified the best features of our products, making them stronger, easier to install and more cost-effective."

The IronRidge XR family of roof mounts.

XR Rail Family

Replacing the current XRS and XRL rails, the new XR Rail Family consists of three rail sizes: XR10, XR100 and XR1000. All three rails feature the unique curved profile shape that was first introduced with the XRS in 2008. This shape increases resistance to vertical and lateral forces, such as wind and snow, ensuring better performance and security during extreme weather.

By offering this shape in three rail sizes, the XR Rail Family empowers solar designers to improve structural performance while reducing material cost. In many situations, the new sizes enable mounting system cost reductions of 15-20% compared to their predecessors, XRS and XRL.

The curved shape also improves spanning capability compared to traditional "box-shaped" rails, resulting in fewer roof attachments per rail. According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, roof attachments are one of the most labor-intensive parts of rooftop solar installation, so reducing the number of attachments can save both time and material.

All of the new rails support IronRidge's patented Internal Splice, which provides superior structural strength while avoiding any interference with the L-foot slot. In addition, IronRidge released new End Caps for each rail that feature a convenient "snap-in" design and sleek beveled edges.

All three XR Rails and their accessories have been tested and certified to UL2703.

Rail Peripherals

Complementing the new rails, IronRidge also introduced two new peripherals: Slotted L-Feet and T-bolt Grounding Lugs.

The new Slotted L-Feet feature a heavy-duty profile and serrated face to ensure a secure, high-friction connection to the rail. In addition, its slotted top allows XR Rails to be dropped-in and fastened in a matter of seconds.

The new T-bolt Grounding Lug mounts in the top slot of the rail in any direction, and forms a bond simply by tightening the nut and washer. This eliminates the need for "lay-in" lugs, which require pre-drilling of the rail, or WEEB lugs, which use proprietary bonding washers.

The new T-bolt Grounding Lug is certified to UL2307 as part of the IronRidge system.

Design Assistant Software

On July 30th, Design Assistant, IronRidge's free web-based design tool, upgraded to support the new products. In addition, Design Assistant started using ASCE 7-10 methodology for its structural calculations.

For more information about the changeover to the new version of Design Assistant, visit: www.ironridge.com/updates

IronRidge Product Demonstration Video