Weber Knapp Blog

Motion control has made a lot of tasks easier in a number of industries. New products incorporate counterbalance or spring-assist hinges to provide a new, improved solution to an old or long-standing problem. Weber Knapp offers a series of case studies to provide you with a better idea of the potential solutions to any hinge-related problems you may encounter. 

Motion and perceived quality are closely linked. When a lid, cover, or door moves smoothly with just the “right” amount of effort, users can tell it's a high quality product.

When talking about today’s motion control solutions, engineers tend to think in terms of motors and cylinders. True, those can provide movement, but so can mechanical motion control, which has come a long way in terms of complexity and quality. 

Ergonomics is a recognized factor in employee health, productivity and workplace safety. Facilities that do not budget for and pay attention to ergonomics see employees with repetitive stress injuries, distracted from their work, and less than thrilled to be there.

Workers deal with a lot of equipment and applications that can cause trauma to their hands. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 102,350 total hand injuries occurred in 2020. 

At first glance, you might suspect that the only place you’re going to see a Vectis™ Counterbalance is in an industrial setting, perhaps mounted on an enormous machine shield, or maybe some type of oversize industrial tank lid. 

Choosing the right motion control solution can involve some tricky elements. When it’s time to understand the type of counterbalance or spring-assist hinge you need and the best way to move forward with the installation, it helps to have a visual guide as a resource. The Vectis pages provide both written content and videos that do everything from explaining how a Vectis hinge can be a better choice than a gas hinge to how to install and adjust the hinge solution you choose. 

If you want to design a product with a heavy lid or door, it’s useful to research how engineers have solved similar problems with other products.

The user experience for a product with a heavy lid or cover can range from awkward to annoying to downright dangerous.

Picture holding an industrial toolbox lid in place while reaching in one-handed, maybe twisting your back in the process. Or what if it comes down suddenly when your arm or fingers are in the way? The bruises won't be pretty, and the damage might be much worse.

This is why many designers add gas spring lid supports to their lid design. Others lean toward using counterbalance spring mechanisms or other mechanical spring solutions.

Why bother with chemistry and electronics when you can get great performance from sturdy, reliable mechanical motion control?