Furniture and Architectural
Hardware

A typical hinge consists of two leaves which rotate around a central shaft to provide the motion to open doors, lids, flaps and more. The Sugatsune hinge range includes a number of variations on this basic shape suited to different purposes:

• Butt hinge: A standard hinge design widely used on doors comprising two metal plates pivoting around a central pin. The leaves sit ‘flat’ (i.e. at 180o to one another) in the open position and feature pre-bored holes in the plates which allow them to be screwed to the door panel and frame.
• Piano hinge: An elongated version of the butt hinge. Taking their name from their archetypal use on piano lids, these hinges may run the full length of a door or lid and provide additional support and stability.
• Step hinge: Unlike butt and piano hinges, the two leaves of a step hinge do not sit flat in the open position but are instead offset from one another. This means step hinges can be used on full or partial overlay doors.
• Lift-off hinges: The two halves of a lift-off hinge can be detached, with one plate lifting off the central pin. This makes it easier to install or remove a door or lid for maintenance purposes.
• Pivot hinges: Pivot hinges are installed at the top or bottom edge of a door, making them less visible.

At Sugatsune, we believe the way a hinge moves is as important a consideration as how it is fitted or how strong and durable it is. Over the years, we have poured our expertise into developing innovative hinge motion concepts to give customers greater choice, precision and control. Our solutions include

• Torque hinges: Free stop complete hold for doors, lids and stays in any open position.
• Detent hinges: Click motion temporary hold at a prefixed angle.
• Damper hinges: Soft motion controlled close delivered by our patented Lapcon technology.
• Lift assist hinges: Spring-mounted power assist for lifting and shutting heavy lids or covers.
• Spring hinges: Automatic opening and closing.
• Lateral opening hinges: Unique motion for a compact smooth opening of the door.

Our concealed hinges are also a product of our innovative approach to motion. Instead of operating with a single pivot, our concealed hinges make use of a multi-shaft mechanism which delivers unique motion around more than one locus. This allows doors and frames to sit flush with one another, whether inset or overlaid, even when the hinge is fully concealed on the inside.

We pay as much attention to how our hinges are mounted as we do to all other aspects of hinge design. With that in mind, we produce hinges suitable for use on different materials:

• Aluminium frames: These come with special fittings for the mounting grooves found on frames.
• Glass doors: We sell varieties suitable for both inset and overlay glass doors, with and without catches.
• Metal-to-metal: These ‘clean room’ fittings avoid metal-to-metal wear and the production of fine powder that causes.

We also offer made-to-order hinges which allow customers to adapt existing products to their own specifications, for example:

• By adding new functionality to an existing hinge type, e.g. combining free stop torque hinges with a damper.
• By adding a material specification, e.g. an antibacterial coating for use in sterile environments.
• By changing the size, e.g. requesting extra-long piano hinges for industrial scale doors or lids.