Weber Knapp Blog

“Hold on, let me come around the counter to help you.”

Whether you’re designing a kitchen appliance, a bar countertop, or ergonomic office furniture, incorporating the right motion control mechanism lends functionality, safety, and elegance to your product.

Prototypes validate designs. Just as -- or possibly more -- important, they validate designs before they go into production.

Engineers and designers often ponder over what type of hinges to use on their products. 

Have you ever looked at your grill design and thought, “I wish this lid wasn’t so heavy and didn’t slam whenever I let go?” 

Product improvement and differentiation should be a priority for anyone involved with an ongoing project.

One of the best ways to do that? Do something the other guys don’t have the know-how or big-picture vision to do.

Today “motion control” implies automation, robotics, and electronics. But you’d be amazed at what you can achieve when you combine old-fashioned mechanical engineering with a creativity-minded manufacturer.

So your next design – be it a dishwasher, smoker, tanning bed, refrigerator, or another piece of equipment – needs the support and reliability of heavy duty industrial hinges. You’re working on your hinge design calculations and material specs, and things are getting complicated.

No matter where you live, work, or play, there are hinges around. Cabinets, fridges, grills, cars, and airplanes all have hinges that we interact with on the day-to-day. 

Boats in particular offer an interesting opportunity for implementing kinematic motion control, mechanical spring counterbalance, and spring assist technologies. Marine hinge design takes into account factors ordinary hinge design might not, including weather condition, humidity, and corrosion.