seatec - Finnish marine technology review 2020 | Page 48

NEW ON BOARD Antti Marine introduces e-hinge – the invisible ethernet cable system at sea A ntti Marine, a major producer of marine doors, has invented “A major ship operating company requested we replace the a new solution for online door cabling. The innovation is an existing lead cover with something less visible and better looking. ethernet-equipped hinge, dubbed “Antti e-hinge.” E-hinge is part The idea started to grow immediately.” of the same system of service-free and adjustable hinges intro- Antti chose a Swiss hinge manufacturer as their partner on duced by Antti in 2011 – but offers a different choice for online the project. In close collaboration, e-hinge took its form and met cabling. According to the company, reasons to switch include validations for mechanical durability, electrical connectivity and ease of installation, safety, and its low profile compared to pre- data transfer capability. The final decision to invest in the prod- vious options. uct was made in early 2019, and Antti moved forward decisively According to Markko Takkinen, Commercial Director at Antti- Teollisuus, e-hinge is the optimal ethernet cable solution: “For ship owners and builders, e-hinge is the safest and with the final stage of development. The result was a connected hinge as simple to install as a regular one. easiest way to get all the features of their existing online system, “It worked just perfectly. For builders and maintenance, it’s without the lead cover. It’s a completely hassle-free and invisible a return to the old days of offline systems, because the proce- system and doesn’t carry the same risk of damage as the exposed dure with e-hinge is no different. Doors can be built, installed, systems they have now.” or removed with no extra considerations – e-hinge is a service- E-hinge is identical to a standard door hinge but comes equipped with online access and data transfer. E-hinge simply takes the place of one or more hinges on a standard door – that is, it’s completely invisible and a cinch to install. Antti first introduced an online door cabling system in 2013, free system, and even the height of the hinge can be adjusted,” Takkinen says. Takkinen is quick to point out that, although the standard use-case is to have one Antti e-hinge per door, additional e-hinges can be added for future applications. aboard the AIDAstella – but there were tradeoffs. Structural mod- “That kind of freedom is the most exciting thing to me.” ifications to the door were necessary, and what’s left is an obvi- E-hinge is now available worldwide, only from Antti Marine.   n ous, surface-mounted lead panel on the door leaf and a cable – or cables – stretching plainly from door to frame. According to Takkinen, the seed for what would become Antti e-hinge was planted by a customer in March 2017. MORE INFORMATION Markko Takkinen, Commercial Director [email protected], +358 44 774 4735 The new, safe and easy 48 seatec 2020