From functional specifications to a product range
Door hinges are essential for the functionality, stability, safety and design of doors. In an interview, our Roto experts explain what characterises the Solid B butt hinges from the P series, why the hinges have been developed, and what role they play in the appearance of doors. An interview with Product Manager Door Theresa Oßwald, Martin Pauritsch, Head of Product Development Door, and Tom Vermeulen, Head of Sales Door.
What gave you the idea to develop this kind of extensive product range?
Theresa: In most Roto products, the smart Roto technology is concealed in the door or window and, wherever possible, is integrated into the architecture so that it goes unnoticed. This isn’t the case with door hinges. As pivotal elements, they are essential for a door to work properly and are visible. At the same time, there is increasing focus on doors as a design object. This is why it was important for us to develop attractive hinges that offer the best technology and quality at the same time.
Martin: Roto is always driven by a holistic approach. Our development objective was to give manufacturers of main doors a complete range for all profile versions with the new hinge series.
Tom: To ensure that we actually meet all customer requirements, the hinge range should and indeed must be very extensive. We managed to achieve this. Thanks to their slim shaping, Solid B hinges from the P series fit seamlessly into any door design, with no offset outlines, regardless of the hinge setting.
What particular strengths and advantages characterise the hinges?
Martin: The adjustment mechanism integrated into the hinge roller ensures comfortable and continuous height, lateral and gasket compression adjustment. Alongside the appearance, the technology is critical. A door has to be easy to use and function reliably over many years – even when subjected to intensive use in apartment buildings.
Theresa: No matter whether the doors are wide or narrow, light or heavy, Solid B offers various options for many different designs. With the uniform design of all hinges, the appearance of doors with different weights can be tailored to a property. And it goes without saying that the hinges also help with burglary inhibition. With the 222 P and 322 P butt hinges, doors can be produced in burglary protection classes RC 2 and SKG**.
Let’s talk about ease of installation and simple adjustment – what do the door hinges have to offer here?
Theresa: The difficulty with butt hinges is that there isn’t much space available to adjust them. The P range overcomes this problem and offers simple installation and adjustment.
Martin: And the most important thing: no gaps are formed between the leaf and frame hinge when adjusting the door because the adjustment mechanisms are integrated in the hinge roller.
Tom: The integration of the adjustment mechanism offers another advantage: all adjustments are easy to make without unhinging the door, while the results can be visually inspected straight away. Large adjustment distances make it easy to compensate for production and profile tolerances. They also ensure that the door works without any problems for many years.
How did the project to develop this kind of hinge range come about?
Theresa: It came about through actual requests we received from customers. They were looking for design solutions with delicate butt hinges and a large adjustment range.
Tom: Previously, Roto only offered rebatescrewed butt hinges for doors up to 120 kg. We wanted to respond to the trend for ever larger doors. The 322 P three-part butt hinge, for instance, is suitable for PVC, timber and aluminium entrance doors up to a sash weight of 160 kg.
How would you describe the development process to us?
Martin: At Roto, projects are worked on in interdisciplinary, international teams formed by members of Product Management, Sales, Development and Production. Together with the Door experts from Kalsdorf, we defined Relevant requirements in workshops. With the experience from the markets and previous developments, the team came up with a complete range which covers almost all applications in the various markets.
Alongside the breadth of the range, the other main requirements were that the range should not be dependent on the specific profile, as far as possible, and that the hinges should be adjustable in three dimensions. And all this in a market where there are already many patents for hinges. We successfully overcame this challenge through close collaboration with the Patent department and upped the ante. We accomplished this by integrating the adjustment possibilities in the hinge roller. This way, the hinges can be adjusted when the door is closed, meaning that you can see the results of what you’re doing. This saves a lot of time when making adjustments!
Tom: And that’s not all – we are continuously working on meeting customers’ needs. For example, we received a request to conceal as much of the technology as possible. We managed to come up with an impressive solution: the cover sleeves with their long leg not only conceal all the mechanics, fabricators now have complete flexibility when it comes to the colour scheme. The reason? With three-part butt hinges, only three cover sleeves have to be coated for a uniform colour concept and no longer nine components.
The Solid B door hinges from the P series are produced in Kalsdorf. Why is this?
Martin: Our Kalsdorf plant boasts the most expertise in zinc die-casting.
Theresa: Thanks to in-house toolmaking, we can ensure maximum quality when producing the hinges. And Kalsdorf can also guarantee ultimate corrosion protection. It was difficult to comply with all of the requirements and European standards stipulated in the specifications. But because the Design department and test laboratories are located near each other, it was possible to develop this incredibly extensive product range of tested quality at the Kalsdorf site in a relatively short space of time.
Tom: We are certain that the P butt hinge range offers everything that could possibly be needed to make installation simpler and safer. A greater focus on design and guaranteed long-lasting technology. We’re proud of our new range!
This is how rapid door adjustment works without unhinging the door:
Roto Solid B I 218 P / 318 P / 322 P Adjustment
This article was published in Roto Inside 57.