Choosing the right material for manufacturing different kinds of hinges is an important factor to consider for providing them different sets of efficiency and utility. These hinges are used in our day-to-day life and ensure a seamless opening and closing of a wide variety of items such as doors, cabinets, lockers, tables, windows, cages, fences, and more. They are available with a vast gamut of product specifications like decorative, functional, load capacity, and others to meet the rising demands in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors.
Hinges are used for an array of applications in a wide range of industries such as construction, electronics, furniture, material handling, storage, aerospace, transportation, military & defense, automotive, barrier & fencing, and architecture. Due to their use in a variety of applications, hinges need to be able to withstand the stress of consistent opening and closing. Therefore, to meet this requirement different hinges used in different applications are made from diverse materials, so they can function for a long time without breaking. Different materials used to manufacture Door Hinges are:
- Stainless Steel: Hinges manufactured from stainless steel provide excellent resistance to rust & corrosion as compared to any other material. It provides them shiny & sleek surface finish and tremendous strength that makes their utilization possible in decorative applications as well as in industries like transportation & construction. Let’s take a closer look at some of the main benefits of Stainless Steel Hinges:
- Resistance to Corrosion: The stainless steel hinges provide a high level of resistance to rust and corrosion owing to which is widely used in marine applications.
- Temperature Resistance: Stainless steel hinges have the ability to withstand high to low temperatures without any wear & tear.
- Aesthetic Appeal: Stainless Steel is used for making exterior door hinges, interior door hinges and Hinges For Cabinet Doors as it provides them a great look and smooth surface finish.
- High Tensile Strength: The hinges manufactured from stainless steel have the ability to remain intact even after years of utilization.
- Brass: Brass Hinges are specifically utilized for exterior doors. Brass is used for making hinges as it provides them the ability to withstand excessive pressure and corrosion resistance too. Brass respond well to any coating materials and thus becomes incredibly resistant to rust. These hinges can withstand bad weather conditions like smog, salt air & rain and lend a more classic as well as quality look to the doors.
- Brass responds brilliantly to finishes that allow their designing with all the basic detailing. Brass Hinges can also be polished, coated and chrome-plated to give them a distinguished look.
Aluminum: Aluminum is light in weight as compared to several other metals and possess extreme sturdiness owing to which is used to manufacture hinges. In order to enhance the strength factor, aluminum can be blended with other elements. As hinges made from aluminum are lightweight, they are used in aircraft to lighten the load. They are also used in items like the plastic lid of tic tac boxes, windows, cabinet doors and even in structures like railroad viaducts and elevated freeway owing to their ability to eliminate the transfer of bending stresses that occurs during an earthquake.
Steel: Hinges made from steel are strong and durable. Steel is an alloy made by combining carbon, iron and other trace elements which provides it good resistance against corrosion as well as high tensile strength. Steel Hinges can be used in a wide range of applications like containment cabinets, heavy-duty gates, vault doors, and others. They have the ability to function for numerous years without any damage to their surface owing to which they have become a popular choice among manufacturing companies and other buyers.
Hinges are excellent hardware for many reasons and selecting the right material to manufacture hinges that will serve your specific application while taking into consideration the cost aspects is important to achieve a sustainable solution. In order to choose the right material, it is essential to get a picture of what application the hinge will serve and this can be done by specifically focusing on:
- Corrosion resistance
- Fabricability
- Mechanical strength
- Physical properties
- Surface aspects
By keeping in mind the above factors, choose a material that will provide reliable strength, corrosion resistance, durability, and fault free functioning to your hinges.