OEM/ODM case studies

Wanted to fix inconvenient placement,
needed to implement soft-closing feature

Project issues

In order to attach to mass produced furniture products, the original soft down lid stay needed to have its position adjusted to speed up installation time.
Main design challenges: easy to attach lid stay that was easy to open while retaining soft down function.

Sugatsune's solution

Redesigned to be attached simply by aligning with the front edge of the cabinet and fixed in place with screws. Installation requires no expertise. When the flap is opened, internal springs make it easier to lift, when the flap is closed, dampers cause it to soft closely.
Further, when the flap is released past a certain angle until it is fully opened, it will hold in place. Sugatsune delivered an engineering solution catering specifically to all the needs of the end user.

Different technologies involved

Need to follow a unique opening trajectory,
installation area is also very limited.

Project issues

Inside the door frame and around the hinge were numerous cables and components. There was large restrictions on space to install the hinge. Also, needed to minimize the space between the door and frame to limit the ingress of foreign objects.

Sugatsune's solution

Based on our years of experience with multi-axis hinges and complex opening trajectories, we designed a hinge that could open with a severely restricted range of motion and reduced the gap between the door and frame to 0mm.
Due to our developed infrastructure and ability to do engineering, prototyping and inspection all internally, we were able to respond rapidly to the customer request, providing a quick answer and satisfying our customer’s time constraints.

Different technologies involved

Needs to be an easy to install hinge
that can hold at multiple angles

Project issues

A clamshell cellphone which could be bent in two, needed to be made smaller. The hinge needed to hold the display at several set angles and click into place.
The current hinge required adhesives to hold in place, increasing the complexity of production while waiting for the adhesive to harden in place. The OEM inquiry included a request to simplify the install process. Maintaining a high load capacity was also important.

Sugatsune's solution

Sugatsune’s own Motion Design Tech includes click motion. Using this technology, it is possible to have hinges snap into place and hold at a certain angle. We submitted several options to the customer that with different amounts of torque with a different feeling for use. By providing many choices, we were able to get as close as possible to the movement desired by the customer.
Not only did the hinge snap into place at certain angles, it also held the screen using free stop at any angle, increasing the convenience of use.
Further, by combining the hinge into a unit, it became possible to install without adhesives. We also achieved a high load capacity by newly creating a ball structure.
We also designed a cap to be placed on the top of the hinge. By doing this, we ensured that even if the phone model changed, it was easy to coordinate by simply changing the color of the hinge cap, providing extra value and solving our customer’s design requirements.

Different technologies involved

Very limited installation space

Project issues

Want to make a top opening lid close softly when released. Installation space is too small to use a regular butt hinge or damper hinge. Customer wanted to know whether it was possible to have a damper hinger function in a small space.

Sugatsune's solution

By reducing the hinge to simply the axis, it was possible to make the hinge smaller.
Also, by combining the components of the hinge into a single unit, it became easier to both attach and detach, a further advantage for the customer.

Different technologies involved