What is Hinge?
A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Hinges can be made up of removable components or of foldable materials. We have cabinet hinges, door hinges, and window hinges.
Kinds of hinges
Hinges can be divided into 3 kinds by usage: door hinges, cabinet hinges, and damping hinges.
Door Hinges are mainly installed on doors and windows, while cabinet hinges are more often installed on kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, and other home furnitures.
For a better enjoyment, hydraulic hinges (damping hinges) have emerged, which are characterised by a cushioning function when the cabinet doors are closed, minimising the noise caused by collisions with the cabinet body when the doors are closed.
According to the material classification, they are mainly divided into stainless steel hinges and iron hinges.
5 Types of Cabinet Hinges
1. Full Overlay Hinges
This hinge type is the one most often used by kitchen manufacturers as it allows complete concealment of the cabinets to which the door is attached. The Full Overlay concealed hinge will appear to you to have a straight arm, whilst it allows the edge of the cabinet door to be perfectly aligned with the edge of the cabinet. It is fully adjustable with just 3 small screws, which will adjust all the angles so that the door frame is completely hidden.
Specification:
Hinge Hole distance: 110 mm
The depth of the hinged side panels should be greater than 70mm.
2. Half Overlay Hinges
Very similar to the Full Overlay, the Half Overlay allows the door to be mounted on either side of the central panel. Unlike the Full Overlay, this hinge has a bend in the arm; allowing the cabinet door edge to cover half of the side panel, while the other half is left exposed. These hinges are also often used in wardrobes and kitchens.
Specification:
Hinge Hole distance: 110 mm
The depth of the hinged side panels should be greater than 70mm.
3. Inset Hinges
Visually very different from the full and half stacked hinges, this hinge arm has a large crank handle to embed or set the cabinet door in. The cabinet frame shows the outer edge of the cabinet completely. Inset concealed hinges are usually found on traditional solid wood furniture as they expose the wooden frame around the cabinet door very well. These hinges are also used on glass doors, such as kitchen display cabinets.
Specification:
Hinge Hole distance: 110 mm
The depth of the hinged side panels should be greater than 70mm.
Be fit for any thickness of panels
4. Corner Hinges
The corner hinge is the same as the normal hinge craft, except that the door panel opens at a different angle. The normal full overlay hinge door panel opens at 90°, while the corner hinge door panel opens at 165°.
Specification:
Hinge Hole distance: 110 mm
The depth of the hinged side panels should be greater than 70mm.
Often used on corner units.
5. Bi-Fold Hinges
This hinge style is used for double door corner cabinets where the first door is attached to the cabinet side panels with 165° hinges and the second door is attached to the first door with bi-fold hinges. It is the ideal solution for kitchen corner cabinets where a carousel has been installed.
Full overlay hinges, half overlay hinges and inset hinges are normal hinges and do not have a cushioning effect when opening and closing. If you want the cushioning effect, you need a damper.
Functions of Cabinet Hinges: Adjustment of Door Panels
There is a 2.8 mm adjustment range for the front and rear sliding hinge arm position by loosening the fixing screws on the hinge base. After adjustment, the screws must be retightened.
Front-to-back adjustment using a cross-shaped quick release hinge: this cross-shaped quick release hinge has a screw-driven eccentric cam, the turning cam can be adjusted in a range of -0.5mm to +2.8mm without the need to loosen the other fixing screws.
Front-to-back adjustment using a zigzag quick release hinge: this zigzag quick release hinge has a screw-driven eccentric cam, the turning cam can be adjusted within a range of -0.5 mm to +2.8 mm without the need to loosen other fixing screws.
Adjustment of the side edge of the door panel: Once the hinges have been fitted, the door edge distance should be 0.7 mm before any adjustment is made, so that the adjustment screw on the hinge arm can be adjusted within a range of -0.5 mm to +4.5 mm. If thick door hinges or narrow door frame hinges are used, this parameter is reduced to -0.15mm.
