Weber Knapp Blog

Last month we began our series on technical considerations in order to help prepare you for your visit to the Vectis™ DYO app. We are confident that this series of blogs will help you make technical decisions in order to design the ideal counterbalance for your project. This month we’re going to discuss how lid gaskets can effect springloaded counterbalance hinges and what that could mean in regard to the ultimate function of your project.


Lid gaskets often require a significant downward force to provide a good seal. If you are using a latch or some other means of providing this downward force than you can have the Vectis™ Counterbalance fully neutralize the lid weight through all or most of the travel range. Also, the Vectis™ Counterbalance could provide a small pop up force that would allow the lid to travel upwards a small distance when the latch is released.


When using only the force from the weight of the lid to compress the gasket, careful consideration needs to be taken when specifying a Vectis™ Counterbalance. The counterbalance works to neutralize the lid weight, thus limiting the available gasket compression force. To achieve the needed gasket force you will want to have the Plus Friction curve on the Vectis™ DYO graph below the Lid Torque curve at the closed 0⁰ position. You will need to know what force is required to provide full gasket compression to determine the exact position of the Plus Friction curve. Start by multiplying the required gasket compression force by the Horizontal Distance to the center of gravity (in the closed position). Subtract that number from the known lid torque at the 0⁰ closed position. The resulting value will be the required position of the Plus Friction curve at the 0⁰ position to achieve the theoretical gasket compression force.


If you are not able to gain the needed gasket compression force with our standard Vectis™ Counterbalances, we can address your needs with a Vectis™ Custom Counterbalance.


If you’re having difficulty gathering all the data you need to design your own Vectis™ Counterbalance and we haven’t covered the topic you’d like more information on, just give us a call, our sales and engineering staff are ready to answer your questions and walk you through the DYO app.

So, you’ve decided that a springloaded counterbalance hinge is the ideal way to take your project to the next level. And, you already know that a Vectis™ Counterbalance Hinge can address your specific design challenges and that a Vectis™ counterbalance hinge will outperform and out last a gas spring. But, what technical considerations do you need to make before you click the DYO tab?


To help prepare you for your visit to the DYO app, over the next several months we’ll be discussing some of the technical decisions you’ll need to make in order to design the perfect counterbalance for your project. This month we’re going to discuss the effects of vertical distance to the center of gravity and what that could mean in regard to the ultimate function of your project.


The vertical distance to the center of gravity can have a big impact on how your lid acts near the open position. The greater the positive vertical distance the greater the tendency for the lid to self-open at larger open angles. Conversely, a negative vertical distance allows the lid to be potentially counterbalanced up to the maximum 90° opening angle. If you do not want the lid to coast open at larger angles, consider reducing the maximum opening angle to something close to the balance angle of the lid. The balance angle is the angle of the lid at which the center of gravity is directly above the pivot. If you are looking at the torque chart on the Vectis® DYO app, the balance angle is the point where the lid torque drops to zero.


For applications where the vertical distance to the center of gravity is sizeable, a large opening angle is required, and minimal coast towards the full open position is desired, rest assured that we can meet your needs with a Vectis® Counterbalance Hinge or a Vectis™ Custom Counterbalance.




If you’re having trouble specifying a Vectis™ Counterbalance Hinge for your project, give us a call, our engineers are ready to assist you!


Jeremy Redlecki

Product Design Manager

and

Leila Bell

Business Develop Manager

Weber Knapp Company

 


I’ve been excited to get started on writing blogs for our newly launched Vectis™ line of counterbalance hinges and the vectiscounterbalance.com website.  With so many topics I could cover, it occurred to me that the most important feature and the driving force behind each Vectis™ counterbalance is actually quite simple – Motion Control.

Business success stories begin with empowering leadership that instills a culture of collaboration, productivity and a strategic vision. In 2011 current President and CEO Rex McCray and Senior Vice President of Engineering Donald Pangborn brought ownership of Weber Knapp Company from a British-based investment company back to Jamestown, New York.

JAMESTOWN, NY – In 2016 Weber Knapp, a leading manufacturer of motion control solutions, introduced the next generation of counterbalance, springloaded hinges.