Becoming Unhinged: The Engineering Behind Furniture Hardware

SAMET, a Turkish furniture hardware company founded in 1973, is a global leader in designing and manufacturing innovative furniture accessories. The company, known for pioneering soft-closing cabinet mechanisms that require no tools for assembly, boasts a product line of over 3,000 components, 500 distribution centers in Turkey, and exports to more than 100 countries. SAMET operates modern manufacturing plants covering 80,500m2 and maintains an R&D institute dedicated to innovation and design. The article highlights SAMET's commitment to leveraging advanced technologies and processes, particularly in mechanism design, to create sophisticated hinges, slides, and other hardware. SAMET utilizes SOLIDWORKS Simulation Standard for mechanism design. This software allows engineers to model furniture hardware parts, springs, and dampeners, and to simulate movement and create animations based on applied mates. This capability is crucial for determining if hinge materials are subject to excessive stresses or if fastener forces are too great. The simulation provides a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism's behavior throughout its range of motion, generating graphs that illustrate force and torque variations on different components. SAMET's engineers extend their focus beyond the hardware itself to the materials it's attached to, such as wood, to prevent issues like fasteners pulling out. The dynamic study offered by SOLIDWORKS Simulation reduces the need for physical prototypes, thereby accelerating the product development cycle and saving costs. SAMET's product portfolio includes a new generation of soft-close hinges designed for adjustability, ease of movement, and quiet operation. These metallic hinges seamlessly integrate into furniture and feature tool-free assembly and disassembly through a track lock mechanism. A unique triple-axis adjustment system allows for precise positioning in all directions, facilitating home installation. Specific models like the IMPRO incorporate a five-step braking system, while the INVO model uses a special coating and elastic hinge cover for enhanced design. The company also offers advanced 3D adjustment in its MASTER series. In addition to hinges, SAMET produces innovative drawer systems, exemplified by the Smart Slide model. This system features a synchronization mechanism for smooth movement and soft-close push-open technology for handle-less drawers. It offers single and full extension options to meet diverse design needs and includes Lock-Fix and Pin-Fix mechanisms for flexible and secure installation. SAMET also manufactures drawer box systems, such as the customizable Flowbox series, and internal accessories like SMART BOX, which transforms kitchen drawers into functional storage with creative dividing systems and stylish components like wooden plate holders. Furthermore, SAMET provides lift-up and sliding door systems. The D-Lite Lift model is a hingeless door system that incorporates many of the company's innovative concepts. Other lift-up solutions include the Performa, Gas Spring (with models based on door weight), and Hydraulic Lid Stay (using oil pressure) series. For sliding doors, SAMET offers upper guided and bottom running types, such as the SMT 110 Plus, which supports an 80kg load capacity and various door thicknesses. The company also manufactures fittings for general furniture assembly. Driving its competitive advantage under the slogan “The Soul of Furniture,” SAMET integrates the target audience into its creative design process. Beytullah Kiran, SAMET’s R&D machine design and production manager, attributes the company's quality goals to its use of SOLIDWORKS for product development. SAMET adopted 3D CAD with SOLIDWORKS in 1998, replacing 2D software, and has since expanded its use to include SOLIDWORKS Product Data Management (PDM), SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematics, SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Composer, and DraftSight 2D design software. These tools have significantly improved productivity, collaboration, electrical system design, virtual testing, and technical documentation processes, reducing time-to-market and lowering costs. SAMET maintains its SOLIDWORKS Subscription Services to ensure access to the latest capabilities, support, and information, enabling the development of numerous new products, mold designs, and custom machines annually. All SAMET products are certified by LGA, a German company specializing in furniture testing. #FurnitureHardware #MechanismDesign #SOLIDWORKS #ProductDevelopment #SoftCloseHinges #DrawerSystems #DesignInnovation #SimulationTechnology #ManufacturingEngineering #FurnitureHardware #MechanismDesign #SOLIDWORKS #ProductDevelopment #SoftCloseHinges #DrawerSystems #DesignInnovation #SimulationTechnology #ManufacturingEngineering