Aluminium profile hinges are door hinges that fix into the T-slot with T-nuts. They fall into three families: fixed hinges, which hold the door in one position; adjustable hinges, which allow the door to be aligned in two axes after fitting; and lift-off hinges, which let the door be removed without tools. Hinges are rated by leaf weight, so the number needed depends on how heavy the door is.
Below: the hinge types and where each belongs, how to size and position them, and the sequence that gets a door hanging straight.
The hinge types
| Type | Behaviour | Best for |
|---|
| Fixed hinge | The door position is set by the hinge mounting and cannot be adjusted | Light doors on a frame that is already known to be square |
| Adjustable hinge | The door can be moved in two axes after fitting, usually by turning screws or cams | Almost everything; the standard choice where the door has to close evenly |
| Lift-off hinge | The door lifts off the hinge pin and can be removed without tools | Enclosures where a door has to come off frequently for access |
| Concealed hinge | Sits inside the frame so nothing is visible when the door is closed | Furniture, displays and any door where appearance matters |
| Sliding roller or slide | Not a hinge; the door travels in a track | Wide openings and where floor space in front is limited |
Adjustability is worth paying for on every door except the smallest. A door that cannot be adjusted has to be right on the first fit, and any later movement of the structure becomes a door that no longer closes.
How many hinges a door needs
Hinges are rated by leaf weight, and the rating assumes the hinges are correctly positioned. Two rules cover most doors.
- Use the hinge maker's weight rating rather than estimating. A door built from a profile sub-frame plus a glazed panel is heavier than it looks, and the glass is usually the dominant contribution.
- Position hinges in from the ends. Setting the top and bottom hinges in by roughly a tenth of the door height reduces the load on the sub-frame corner joints and stops the door from splitting at the stile.
Where a door is wide or heavy, three hinges are the normal arrangement, with the middle hinge reducing the bending of the hinge stile. Where the door carries a heavy glazed panel, the weight of the glass is carried by the door sub-frame, not by the panel retaining strips, so the sub-frame sections matter as much as the hinges.
Setting a door so it does not bind
Binding is a symptom, and the cause is almost always alignment rather than the hinge itself.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|
| Binds at top or bottom | Hinges not vertically aligned, or the main frame is not square | Check the frame diagonals first, then align the hinges |
| Gap uneven along the closing edge | Door sub-frame is twisted | Stiffen the door frame or use hinge adjustment to compensate |
| Door rubs the frame on opening | Hinge pivot too close to the frame face | Adjust the hinge to move the pivot out, or fit a hinge with a larger offset |
| Door drops over time | Hinge wear or overload | Add a hinge or fit a heavier-rated hinge |
| Door will not stay closed | The catch is fighting the gasket compression | Use a catch that draws the door in, or reduce the gasket compression |
Practical point: hang the door on its hinges, adjust until the gaps are even all round, and only then fit the catch. Fitting the catch first means the catch is pulling the door into alignment, which it is not designed to do, and it will fail.
Clearance and the hinge axis
The hinge axis is not on the face of the frame. It sits outside the frame face by the hinge offset, and that offset is what allows the door to swing clear of the frame as it opens.
Three consequences follow, and all three cause problems when ignored.
- A door needs clearance to open. If the door is flush with the frame when closed, the hinge offset must be enough to lift the door edge clear as it swings. Insufficient offset produces a door that rubs in the first few degrees of opening.
- A gasket adds to the closed thickness. Fitting a gasket pushes the door out, which increases the effective offset and can make a door that closed well before suddenly bind. Fit the gasket before final adjustment.
- A thick panel reduces the opening angle. On a glazed door, the panel thickness and the frame section together set how far the door can open before the panel hits the frame. Where the door has to open past 90°, check the geometry rather than assuming it.
Materials and environments
| Hinge material | Corrosion | Use it when |
|---|
| Zinc-plated steel | Indoor | General indoor enclosures and cabinets |
| Stainless steel A2 | Good | Wash-down, food and pharmaceutical environments |
| Stainless steel A4 | Best | Coastal, marine and chemical environments |
| Die-cast zinc | Indoor, plated | Appearance-driven hinges on furniture and displays |
Where a hinge is stainless and the frame is aluminium, galvanic corrosion is a consideration in wet or salty conditions. Isolating washers or a suitable anodised film on the profile reduce the risk; the frame finishes are described under anodised aluminium profiles.
Where profile hinges are used
Machine access doorsAdjustable hinges let the door be aligned after the enclosure is built and again after the machine is installed. See door and window elements.
Control cabinetsLift-off hinges suit a cabinet whose door has to come off for wiring access.
Glazed doors and windowsHinges rated for the leaf weight including the glazing, with the panel retained by a gasket. See panel installation elements.
Furniture and displaysConcealed hinges where no hardware should be visible when the door is closed.
Flap and hatch coversHinges used on horizontal covers, where the load direction differs from a vertical door.
Specifying a hinge order
Tell us the profile series, the leaf weight and size, whether the hinge has to be adjustable or lift-off, the material and the quantity. Where the door is glazed, give the panel material and thickness as well, because the glass weight usually decides the hinge rating. If the door is part of a frame order, send the opening size and we will specify the hinge type and count with the frame. Standard hinges are quoted within one working day. Related ranges: door and window elements, panel installation elements, profile accessories, joining plates and fastening elements.
