Southco’s new E6-600 Constant Torque Position Control Hinge features increased holding power and lightweight aluminum construction. The E6-600
Constant Torque Position Control Hinge allows the user to hold a door or panel securely at any desired angle, and delivers twice as much torque to support larger, heavier items.
E6 class positioning hinges provide constant resistance throughout the entire range of motion and deliver reliable positioning and consistent operating efforts in applications where larger and heavier items must be held securely.
Southco’s positioning hinges are preset during the manufacturing process will last without adjustment for the lifetime of most applications. Available in multiple sizes, materials and torque ranges, Southco’s positioning hinges provide the options to satisfy a wide range of application needs.
Constant torque hinges use engineered friction systems to provide continuous resistance against motion. Southco’s line of constant torque hinges is ideal for applications where it is necessary to easily hold open and position doors and panels, such as wall charting stations, medical cabinets and diagnostic equipment with heavy lids.
When opening a wall charting station housing a computer, for example, it is important that the panel remain in the appropriate position, without the need for continuous readjustment. Constant torque hinges provide resistance throughout the entire range of motion, keeping the panel of a wall charting station from falling down once it has been opened or allowing the user to easily adjust the angle of a keyboarding rest.
There are a variety of hinge options that can improve ergonomics in medical equipment applications. Southco’s counterbalanced hinges for example, allow the weight of an object such as a heavy tray or lid, to fold up easily. Counterbalanced hinges provide lift assistance, making it possible to raise heavy objects with minimal force, reducing back and shoulder strain. These hinges feature improved, long-term reliability when compared with gas struts, which may fail due to a loss of pressure.
Another positioning option is detent hinges, which provide positive retention at predetermined points, such as fully open or fully closed positions. This allows healthcare workers to hold panels open, providing rapid access while keeping both hands free.
When selecting a hinge for a medical equipment application, designers should choose hinges that offer operating efforts that can be customized to the demands of the application, thus making the object easier to position. Additionally, because medical equipment is often used by healthcare facilities for years, hinging technology should never require adjustment for the life of the equipment.
For healthcare professionals working with medical equipment each day, such as diagnostic equipment and mobile carts with monitors attached, it is essential that arms or mounts support the display screen when it must remain stationary, yet be easy to move when repositioning is required.
Southco’s constant torque positioning technology, which offers a full range of motion, can hold a display screen in a precise position without any set screws, torque handles or other user intervention. The amount of force needed to reposition the display can be predetermined by the design engineer.
Tilt-only display mounts, such as Southco’s T Series, enable effortless display positioning and infinite angle options in medical equipment applications only requiring tilt functionality, such as a monitor mounted on a dispensing cart. In applications where more adjustment is necessary, the K Series offers tilt and swivel capabilities and tilts both vertically and horizontally, with a range of motion stops for added flexibility.
For more unlimited mobility, articulating arms, like Southco’s A Series offer a full range of motion and can be moved in multiple directions and angles, allowing them to be easily pulled toward or pushed away from the operator as needed. These arms can be adjusted to hold heavy displays and alleviate the force necessary to move them – allowing the displays to be repositioned with minimal effort. The flexibility of an articulating arm also allows it to be folded close to the wall, reducing the amount of space needed for equipment use and storage.
When selecting positioning hardware for medical equipment applications, it is important to select mounts and arms with the following characteristics:
Eliminates the need for service or adjustment during operation with a reliable, repeatable cycle life
Improves cleanability and exterior appearance through enclosed counterbalance design
Enables effortless display positioning and infinite angle options with precision tilt
Withstands vibration and bumping that may result during operation and transportation
Prevents the slow fading from a user-set position to an undesirable position, known as drift
We spent the last several weeks discussing different factors for specifying hinges. After all, incorporating hinges early into designs helps keep costs down and options open. So here, for your reference, is a quick summary of questions to ask in the early stages of your application. They will save you time, money and maybe even a bit of frustration!
How much load must the hinge withstand? Determine the size, weight, and center of gravity of the door.
How do hinges fit in the overall design? Designing the hinge in early may allow use of an available hinge.
How much space can you afford inside or outside the enclosure? This may help you decide between concealed and externally mounted hinges.
How do you plan to mount or access the door? Door and frame configurations play a critical role!
How far must the door open? Detent and friction hinges will keep a door open without secondary mechanical supports.
Is removing the door a requirement? Lift-off hinges enable fast door removal.
What specifications must the hinge and enclosure meet? Many hinges are certified to meet various industry standard specifications.
How will the hinge be installed? Consider the manufacturing and installation process carefully.
Do you need to meet specific material requirements? Think about environmental conditions the end product may face.
How large a role do aesthetics play in the design? Balance performance needs with style and appearance.
To learn more about any of these topics, please see the past weeks’ blog entries, which discuss each of these questions in greater detail. Or contact us personally. We'd love your feedback and questions.
We have all been there: Trying to keep a door open with our foot, a shoe or something else we find lying around. Today’s applications increasingly require hands–free access (or a really patient friend who will hold the door for you). If this is the case with your application, consider using a hinge with a built-in detent feature to hold the door or panel open at a preset angle. Or use an adjustable-torque feature, which will let you tighten or free up the door swing. Both of these hinge styles eliminate mechanical supports like gas struts or door stays.
Detent and torque hinges are two products in one—the hinge and the door stay. They bring with them some nice benefits, too. They reduce the number of parts, cut down on installation time and lower the overall cost.
Most detent hinges come with preset opening angles; some even provide negative angles that let the hinge go slightly past center when closed. This also holds the door securely against the frame and reduces vibration (a viable option when you know you might have rattling!). In some cases, you won’t even need a latch. Detent hinges are most appropriate for small lightweight applications. If this sounds like your application and you can benefit from some of these features, give it a try!
Next week: Using removable hinges to access an interior
A recent trip to Japan and China reminds me of an old truth. Every person and place has unique qualities, yet at their core people are more alike than not. I'd like to thank my wonderful local hosts, in all the places I visited who made an extra effort to make me feel welcome, and show me some of the things that make their countries, companies, and people special.
In customer visits, and facility tours, working with design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and sales and marketing professionals, one thing came through time and time again. Everyone has a desire for and ease of use and convenience. Where this desire meets the uniqueness of each individual - personal preference, physical size, strength, etc. - there is often a need for position control to deliver an ergonomic solution
Southco's positioning technologies, from constant torque hinges, to our new AV series Dynamic Mounting Arms are a great way to make displays, doors, and devices conform to the physical needs of the user.
Have ideas or questions on how positioning technology can enhance your product? Post your thoughts here.
The release of Southco's new AV series display mounting arms brings a set of features that allows users to position displays in applications where conventional "home theatre" type mounts simply don't meet the customer needs.
With the integration of the positioning technology first developed in Southco's line of constant torque hinges into every joint, the AV series arms gain the ability to precisely control all user operating efforts.
Want mount a display in a moving vehicle? The AV-D30 series will ensure the arm stays in position when subject to normal braking loads.
Have a wall that isn't quite level? The Dynamic Mounting Arm stays exactly where you position it, with no drift.
Positioning a touchscreen? The integrated positioning technology makes sure the display stays put, even as users press on the screen, while still allowing easy, tool free repositioning of the display.
For many years, we have been providing customers with custom position control hinges with an integrated counterbalance feature. Adding counterbalance to a constant torque hinge can provide several benefits. The counterbalance can allow users to lift a heavier lid with fingertip ease, or can help stabilize and resist user input forces on touchscreen displays.
Seeing this demand time and time again, we set out to make counterbalancing available in a standard product. This allows customers large and small to access the best in positioning technology, without the additional engineering and tooling costs associated with custom designs.
We are honored to have our new ST-12C series hinges recognized with the receipt of Design News' Golden Mousetrap Award for 2009. To read the full story you can visit the Design News website.
You only have to glance at newspaper headlines or Wall Street numbers to understand the current state of the economy. More than ever, CFOs everywhere are keeping a close eye on the bottom line in these lean times. Design engineers also face the daily challenge of simplifying production and minimizing unit costs. It’s no easy task.
While considering cost, design engineers are also devising more complex and sophisticated designs that are ergonomic, functional, stylish and as my son would say, "cool". Every designer strives for that “wow” reaction when a customer eyes his or her product. Competition is getting stronger in almost every market.
Designers are constantly challenged with the delicate balance among performance, style and cost.
At Southco, we’ve learned how Touchpoint Engineering can help designers achieve greater product differentiation, more trouble-free performance and more cost-effective production. Increasingly, it’s the little things that provide the visceral reaction from consumers—the smooth and balanced feel of a torque hinge in a LCD screen on a piece of medical equipment, the look of a polished chrome compression latch, or perhaps the innovation of an electronic latch — so why not harness the potential value of Touchpoint Engineering in making these elements product differentiators?
By addressing the full scope of access hardware early on, designers can stand out from the pack with products that are superior in look and functionality and that are ...cool.
Feel free to leave a comment or contact us with your design challenges.
Design engineers are smart people. They juggle a lot of different considerations on a daily basis in their designs: heat, packaging, cost, manufacturability and—at times—customer experience considerations. At Southco, we’ve been doing this long enough to know that access hardware can be a last minute addition to a design. Design engineers have a lot going on so we’re ok with getting involved late in the process but it might not be the best thing for your product when that happens.
Back in 2006, Design News Magazine reported some notable survey results that showed 91 percent of design engineers agree that access hardware is important. But too often, access hardware (latches and hinges) selection is like the kid that’s picked last in gym class. It’s left until the very end. The result is possible hardware fit and functionality problems at the last minute.
Now if you stop and think about it, many times a Southco product is the first thing that your customers touch when they interact with your product. This is why we are pouring our energy into Touchpoint Engineering. It’s easy to assume that an appropriate stock torque hinge solution will be available, or perhaps a latch or handle that is aesthetically pleasing is a bad functional fit. Whatever the reason, leaving engineered access hardware to chance means missed opportunities to differentiate end products with enhanced functionality or style.
Everyone like surprises, but not the type that surface during end product or sub-assembly design—the dreaded ‘uh oh” moment when you realize the critical details that should have been worked out long ago. Touchpoint Engineering can help design engineers avoid this type of pitfall and identify opportunities for achieving greater customer satisfaction, better return on investment and greater product differentiation.
So send us an email or give us a call. We’d love to hear from you and to learn more about the design challenges you face.
Well almost directly from Chicago, it was off to Shenzhen China for the China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF). Once again we were featuring our Position Control Technology, displaying our new line of fricion hinges, and our soon to be released monitor arm. We were visited by intrnationally known medical device manufacturers such as Mindray, Landwind Medical, and Sonoscape to name a few. The interest in our products was immense and generated application opportunities in portable ultrasound units, and monitor mounts for anesthesia and respiratory carts and general patient monitoring.
It was interesting to see how little position control was implemented on the keyboards for so many versions of portable ultrasound units. A few years ago our ST-10A friction hinge was designed into a Siemens Medical's unit, and both are shown below. These are the type of opportunities that appeared.
Addional applications for standard friction hinges are keyboards on medical carts. Here you can choose from our ST-10E friction hinge line that provide alternative mounting schemes.
There is so much more I can share here, but, we'll save some of that until we launch some exciting new custom solutions for some of the opprtunities we are working on as a result of the show.
The new monitor arms will have embedded within, our patented friction technology allowing for reliable, precise and predictable positioning of medical moitors and other devices. Another arm feature is the means by which cable can be conveniently routed. Custom position control solutions, specifically designed for the likes of Siemens Medical's and Philips Medical Systems' ultrasound Carts will also be on display. Be sure and stop by and see these and some other new friction hinge products.
My colleagues and I look forward to meeting with any of you visiting the "Windy City", for what promises to be an exciting event. So pleeeease...
With the current global economic situation, too many good people may have heard these words in an unpleasant context. In the world of hinges and positioning technology, however, there are ways we can prevent the door from hitting us, and in the process introduce a real product differentiator.
Many applications use constant torque hinges to hold doors in position, giving the end user hands-free unencumbered access. Let me use a couple of scenarios to illustrate...
Imagine that you need to open a door to access the inside of an enclosure and make some repairs. Now imagine that the enclosure is outside, and you've just climbed a 20 foot ladder, on a stormy day to reach it. A gust of wind comes along causing the door to slam into your hand, making you drop your screwdriver to the ground. As you climb back down to retrieve the tool, the value of a well placed positioning hinge becomes clear.
Ever try to fill up a bag with rolls from a grocery store bulk bin? Easy right? Just hold the tongs in one hand, the bag in the other hand, and hold the lid of the bin open with your third hand. Plus, if your kids are curious like mine, you might want to hold onto them with the fourth hand to avoid having the orange display turn into a citrus tsunami.
Using the right hinge can change the user experience from one of frustration, to one of ease. In tough times, these little differentiators can help separate the products that ultimately win a customer's loyalty from those that didn't quite make the grade.
Have questions or ideas on how you can use positioning technology, post your thoughts here!
This week, I had a conversation with a designer about what type of position control hinge to use for a small access door. It's something I'm asked often, and the answer is usually another question. What do you want the user to experience when they open the door?
I've found that the right solution usually ends up depending as much on who will use the product, as it does the technical aspects. The designer's application was a small door, about half the size of a typical shoebox lid, which conceals a series of controls. The challenge being how to hold the door open while the user accesses the controls to adjust certain settings.
There are many ways to achieve this goal, with each different hinge mechanism providing a unique "feel" for the end user.
A constant torque hinge provides smooth motion, and allows the door to stay in any position. By selecting different torque values we can also customize the operating effort. Which torque is "right" depends on end user preference. In a consumer product application, a light, easy operating effort may be best, while for a similar door, in a piece of off highway equipment a higher effort may be desired, both to fit the robust image of the product, and to provide more positive feedback to operators with gloved hands.
A detent or bi-stable hinge can ensure the door will stay in a specific known position or "snap" open and closed like a typical flip style cell phone.
After a discussion of all the options we found a solution that achieved all the designer's original goals, plus provides some nice to have features to differentiate from competitors.
In the access hardware business, we often talk about the benefits of choosing an off the shelf product. When a designer can find a catalog product that meets their needs, this often translates to the quickest delivery, lowest product cost, and least engineering effort. A real win for everyone involved.
As with most rules, however, there can be exceptions. Consider this recent example where a custom engineered solution offered a cost savings:
A customer came to us looking for a simple torque hinge to position an LCD display panel. While any number of of Southco's standard position control hinges would have been more than adequate to meet the customer's need, taking a deeper look at the application uncovered new opportunities.
By considering the whole application, we identified an opportunity for cost reduction. By designing a custom housing which matched the industrial design of the product, we allowed the customer, to eliminate a cosmetic cover whose sole purpose was to conceal the hinge mechanism. The result - the custom solution reduced total components, and saved on both tooling and product cost.
About two weeks ago, I attended Medica, a global medical device exhibition, held in Düsseldorf, Germany where manufacturers of surgical gloves to state of the art ultrasound systems are displayed to the market. What amazed me were the amount of “home made” or “ in house” positioning solutions that were on so many products. While, I admit, some were pretty ingenious, these devices command positioning predictability and reliability. I didn’t experience or feel a lot of that.
The mechanical side of these devices require so much more attention be paid to the more vital components or processes such as heat transfer. fluid or gas flow…etc, why spend the time on a technology or potential standard product that is readily available?
The feel of a product, or touch point, can help a potential customer to differentiate your product from that of a competitor. The ergonomic movement of an Apple computer screen, or the ease with which one can pull forward the leafs of a Mercedes headrest, are just such examples. This is achieved with counterbalanced, and asymmetrically configured friction hinges.
Southco’s new E6-600 Constant Torque Position Control Hinge features increased holding power and lightweight aluminum construction. The E6-600 
We spent the last several weeks discussing different factors for specifying 
We have all been there: Trying to keep a door open with our foot, a shoe or something else we find lying around. Today’s applications increasingly require hands–free access (or a really patient friend who will hold the door for you). If this is the case with your application, consider using a hinge with a built-in detent feature to hold the door or panel open at a preset angle. Or use an adjustable-torque feature, which will let you tighten or free up the door swing. Both of these hinge styles eliminate mechanical supports like gas struts or door stays.
stay. They bring with them some nice benefits, too. They reduce the number of parts, cut down on installation time and lower the overall cost.
reduces vibration (a viable option when you know you might have rattling!). In some cases, you won’t even need a latch. Detent hinges are most appropriate for small lightweight applications. If this sounds like your application and you can benefit from some of these features, give it a try!
of Southco's new AV series display mounting arms brings a set of features that allows users to position displays in applications where conventional "home theatre" type mounts simply don't meet the customer needs.
For many years, we have been providing customers with custom position control hinges with an integrated counterbalance feature. Adding counterbalance to a 
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