Hinges

About Hinges and Hinge Manufacturers Including: Cabinet Hinges, Continuous Hinges, Door Hinges, Gate Hinges, Heavy Duty Hinges & Spring Hinges.

Hinges and door hinges are flexible joint mechanisms that provide support to and allow for the turning or swinging movement of the object to which they are attached. A hinge consists of two leaves attached to the object and to the frame of the object. A set of knuckles rests between the two leaves. The knuckles connect the leaves to one another. A pin is inserted through the knuckle to secure the hinge in place. A door hinge is considered right handed if, when standing against the doorjamb, the door swings to the right.
 
There are many different types of hinges: continuous hinges, knife hinges, and butt hinges. Each of the hinges comes with several assembly options. Available in a variety of lengths, continuous hinges have assembly options that include reverse assembly, one leaf swaged, both leaves swaged, one leaf bent and offset. Pin retaining of butt hinges can be staked, brazed, welded, knurled or peened. Butt hinges, whose corners can be flush cut or formed with a radius, can be spring loaded and can have spring releases with either single or double bolts. Knife hinges are usually used for lightweight applications, such as lids for briefcases, but knife hinges can also be used for heavier applications (e.g. tailgates). Knife hinges can be made with or without detents, and the side play can be minimized by joining the two hinge halves with a peened rivet, resulting in smooth actuation and positive locking.
 
Hinges are versatile contraptions suited for numerous applications in a variety of industries. Almost every entryway or enclosure with an attached opening contains hinges. There are door hinges, gate hinges, window hinges, locker hinges and cabinet hinges. Hinges come in many different material formats, including plastic hinges and metal hinges, such as stainless steel hinges and aluminum hinges. Other material forms include acrylic hinges, aluminum hinges, brass hinges and titanium hinges. Thickness of material ranges and depends on the hinge application. Hinges can be laser cut to produce intricate inside and outside radiuses. And hinges can also be graduated curves or precise circles.
 
When selecting a hinge, consider industrial application of your hinge, environmental conditions of where the hinge will be used, size and weight of object to be supported by the hinge and material the hinge will be made out of. It is usually necessary to specify hinge length, open width of the hinge, material thickness your hinge needs to be and type of hinge you will need, pin diameter the hinge will use and the type of swaging and finish required for the hinge. The hinge’s leaf widths must be specified for hinges with unequal leaves. It is also helpful to know the knuckle length of your hinges, the hinge’s end play, the pitch size of the hinge and the paint clearance necessary for the application. If standard hinges do not meet requirements, consider a custom hinge. For hinges with holes, forming, etc., a blueprint or sample may need to be provided to the manufacturer.
 

Hinges and Hinge Manufacturers Image Provided by Marlboro Manufacturing, Inc.	Hinges and Hinge Manufacturers Image Provided by Knuth Hinge Company

Hinges and Hinge Manufacturers Images Provided by Larsen & Shaw Limited

Types of Hinges Including Door Hinges, Cabinet Hinges, Gate Hinges, Spring Hinges, Stainless Steel Hinges, and Continuous Hinges.

• Ball bearing hinges are used for high frequency and indoor applications and on doors with closers.
  
• Bronze bearing hinges are suitable for outdoor or other harsh environments.
  
• Butt hinges are secured to the door and the door frame. Swinging doors are one common application for which butt hinges are used.
  
• Cabinet hinges must be made from a strong, heavy material to prevent unevenness of cabinet doors.
  
• Continuous hinges, or “piano hinges,” are longer than standard hinges, usually measuring five inches in length or more. Continuous hinges provide consistency in strength along the entire length of the hinge, supporting the objects to which they are attached and reducing the gap between objects and hinges.
  
• Door hinges are used on a variety of doors in personal, office and industrial settings.
  
• Gate hinges are used on gates and entryways. In addition to standard manual hinges, gate hinges are commonly automatic for convenience and protection.
  
• Heavy duty hinges can support heavy doors.
  
• Multiple pin hinges have more than one pin and are used for double action.
  
• Panel hinges are designed for use with doors that are set flush into a frame.
  
• Plain bearing hinges are used in a wide variety of applications that require low to moderate usage.
  
• Plastic hinges are beneficial because they do not require lubrication, do not rust and remain silent and are more cost-effective than hinges made of metals, including stainless steel hinges. Most plastic hinges are also ultraviolet (UV), chemical and heat resistant.
  
• Spring hinges are used on entryways requiring automatic closure. Spring loaded hinges can also be configured to open automatically as well.
  
• Stainless steel hinges are useful in situations in which they are exposed to oxidation and corrosive substances, because of the high corrosion resistance of stainless steel (http://www.stainless-steel.us). Common applications in which stainless steel hinges are found include marine, oil/gas, petrochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical applications.
  
• Standard cutoff hinges have an even number of full knuckles. When the knuckle is facing up, a knuckle will be on the left end and a notch will be on the right end of the lower leaf.
  
• Stop hinges are designed to limit the movement of the leaves to a certain angle

Hinge Terms Hinges, Door Hinges, Cabinet Hinges, Gate Hinges, Spring Hinges, Stainless Steel Hinges, and Continuous Hinges

Back Angle - The angle of the hinges leaves, usually a minimum of 270, when the hinges are completely open.
 
Bent Pin - The pin found in hinges that contains a bent end to allow for easy removal of the pin.
 
Closed - Refers to the position of the leaves of the hinges when they are parallel and together at the 0 position.
 
Coined Pin - A deformed end of a pin that causes the pin to be wedged into place when driven into hinges.
 
Crimped Ends - Hinges pins that can not be removed due to depression of the hinge knuckle.
 
Detent - A device that locks hinges in the open position.
 
End Play - The extent to which hinges leaves move axially.
 
Flat - Refers to the position of the leaves when they are at the 180 position.
 
Gauge - Hinges measurement reflecting the hinge leaf thickness.
 
Hinge Length - The measurement of hinges running parallel to the hinge pin from one end of the leaves to the other end of the leaves.
 
Hinge Width - Also known as "open width", it is the measurement of the width of hinges, including both leaves and the pin. Hinge width is a measurement perpendicular to the hinge pin.
 
Knuckle - Also referred to as joint, node, curl and loop it is the individual, hollow joint of a hinge through which the hinge pin is inserted.
 
Knuckle Length - The length of an individual knuckle, equivalent to one-half of the pitch.
 
Leaf - Component of hinges that remains perpendicular to the pin.
 
Leaf Width - The measurement from the pin to the end of the leaf.
 
Offset - The process of decreasing leaf width through the formation of hinges leafs away from the hinge pin center.
 
Paint Clearance - The amount of space between the knuckle and the edge of the leaf in every position of the hinge during operation.
 
Pin - The rod inserted through the hinge knuckles to hold the hinge in place.
 
Pitch - The measurement reflecting the distance between the opposite ends of two adjacent knuckles.
 
Side Play - The amount of leaf movement perpendicular to the pin.
 
Spun Ends - Hinge pin ends that have been peened, or flattened, in order to prevent pin removal. Although a pin with both spun ends is not removable, a pin containing only one spun end is still removable.
 
Staked Pin - A hinge pin that is not removable due to the staking of the hinge backside.
 
Stop Hinge - A type of hinge intended to provide a limitation on the angle of the hinge leaves to a particular degree.
 
Swaging - A process of increasing hinge leaf width through the formation of the hinge leaf or leaves either toward or away from the hinge pin center.
 
Welded Pin - A type of pin in which the splined portion is slightly larger than the inside diameter on the curl of the pin. Welded pins are used in some slip joint hinges.