One size doesn't fit all

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.

Want to see some more ways to use positioning technology? Check out the video at: http://lp.southco.com/DesignHouseVideo-CEMA.html