Compliant Hinge Concept

grabcad

This innovative product line utilizes additive manufacturing's key capabilities to create a unique one-piece hinge. The compliant construction offers a tunable "soft close" feel without additional fastenings. The geometry can be re-optimized for various uses, incurring no retooling costs. A homogenous thermoplastic design allows material thickness adjustments to influence stiffness, or flexible materials can be specified for compliant elements and rigid ones for scored sections. Designed for vertical applications like doors, the hinge's gripper utilizes door weight for friction retention. Disassembly is easy with a slight upward lift on the hinge to release friction. Optional slotted "gripper" fixing geometries can be changed for different applications such as printed tenons or compliant dovetails.