Weber Knapp Blog

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.

The Great Resignation has forever changed the workplace. It doesn’t matter if you’re hiring for an office environment, a healthcare setting, or a manufacturing floor, many employers are facing labor shortages. In fact, more than 40 percent of the workforce is weighing employment options. 

Keeping employees happy and healthy may be more important than ever.

Make new connections.

Is standing at work healthier than sitting? Yes, but even employees with a sit-stand desk don’t want to be on their feet all day. 

We’ve probably all experienced a stiff neck or a sore back from sitting all day, and it’s no fun. With proper ergonomics, however, such ailments can often be alleviated. 

Good ergonomics in the workplace, will enhance employee comfort and increase productivity. Ergonomics is essentially the science of adapting a job or position to specifically fit the worker - and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has taken on a leading role in helping promote and advocate for such environments. 

In this post, we'll take a closer look at OSHA's ergonomics guidelines for a healthy workplace:

Staff efficiency is improved when priority is given to ergonomics. For example, investing in an ergonomic keyboard means a typist can improve speed, cut back on mistakes and spend more time typing and less on breaks. 

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.

You wouldn’t want to work in a building that’s not fire-safe, would you? Leaving your toaster strudel in the microwave too long becomes a big hazard. 

Complex hinge design is a staple of many high-end, high-performing products. The math required to make your lid, cover, or door work as advertised can be wildly different depending on your application.