Flipping Innovation Around With HES2 Concealed Hinges
As far as hitting your design straps goes , you know you ’ re doing something right when your customers start showing you new and clever ways to use your own products .
Every manufacturer prizes positive customer feedback . It ’ s important to know that people are using your product and rate them highly . But when they tell you they ’ ve found new and innovative ways to use them beyond your original intention - and , moreover , that it works - that ’ s something else entirely .
It ’ s the ultimate confirmation of in-built flexibility in the design . And it shows that there ’ s something about the product that appeals so strongly that people are encouraged to experiment with its possibilities and find new ways to take advantage of its benefits .
We have recently been made aware of this happening with our HES2 concealed hinges . The HES range has always been a design concept we ’ ve been particularly proud of , a genuinely groundbreaking innovation in its class . The first concealed hinge to be manufactured without a pivot arm , HES meant that , for the very first time , twoway interior doors could also enjoy the aesthetic benefits of having hinge mechanisms completely hidden from view when closed .
Since the launch of the original HES3D hinge , we have continued to expand the range so that it now offers the largest choice of use-cases of any concealed hinge on the market , covering both two-way doors and cabinets of all sizes . That expansion in recent years included the introduction of the HES2 . And it ’ s with this hinge that our customers have been pushing the possible use cases of the HES concept further still .
Surface-Mounted for Simplicity
The HES2 was introduced as a surface-mounted option to simplify installation . All previous HES models required mortising on both the door and the frame . Hanging a door is a skilled task at the best of times . Mortising to mount hinges
adds to the difficulty . Though , to judge from the popularity of our HES models , it was a price many customers were happy to pay for the benefits of a beautifully compact , fully concealed hinge .
Nonetheless , ever committed to improving our products for the benefit of our customers , the HES2 saw the design tweaked so that it only required mortising on the door , with a simple screw-mount plate for the frame . Like all other HES products , the hinge comes in two parts that are mounted separately , and then snap back together for added convenience . Three-way adjustment screws allow for precise alignment after installation .
We positioned the HES2 as a great solution for door manufacturers . By mortising and installing the hinge as part of the production process , they have the perfect ‘ easy hang ’ solution to sell on to their own customers - doors with concealed hinges ready installed , with only surface mounting required on the frame or cabinet .
A Concept Flipped
Mortising , of course , is a process that is only really suitable for wood in most architectural situations . So the HES2 was designed with wooden doors in mind .
What we have been amazed to learn , however , is that some creative minds have been using the HES2 to mount aluminium-framed glass doors - by flipping the hinge around .
Aluminium is a popular binding material for glass doors because it is strong but lightweight , and can be used in very thin strips to maximise the size of the glass panel . Aluminium ’ s strength also makes it a good mounting base . But you can ’ t mortise into it . Which , to date , has meant that we haven ’ t marketed HES hinges as suitable for these types of doors .
Not until some bright spark struck on the idea of inverting how the HES2 is mounted , that is . We ’ ve learned of customers mortising a wooden frame so ‘ door ’ side can be fitted . And then screw-mounting the other plate into the aluminium frame of a glass door . And just like that , you have the sophistication of a concealed hinge available for full-length glass doors .
All of which goes to show that innovation is a partnership . At Sugatsune , we put great emphasis on listening to our customers to understand real-world needs and challenges . Finding solutions drives our design philosophy . It ’ s great to know that people are finding their own solutions using our products , too .