What Is a Soft-Down Stay?
A soft-down stay is a specialized stay designed to slow down the opening and closing of doors or lids. It operates differently from a normal stay by offering a more controlled and gentle movement, reducing the risk of damage caused by abrupt movements.
Uses of Soft-Down Stays
Soft-down stays are commonly used in various applications, including:
- Opening shelf doors from the top-down or bottom-up, with specific designs for each opening direction.
- Controlling door movement on TV boards and large shelving units, ensuring that the doors open and close slowly, even when force is applied abruptly.
- Providing resistance torque to hold the door or lid in position during opening, preventing sudden and violent movements.
Principle of Soft-Down Stays
Soft-down stays employ the RAPCON mechanism, a damper structure that utilizes a cylinder filled with highly viscous liquid. Key components and features include:
- An orifice in the cylinder that is narrower than the rest, creating resistance as the liquid is pushed or pulled through it during opening and closing movements.
- The resistance torque generated by this mechanism is adjustable by altering the liquid’s viscosity, which also changes with temperature. A fluid with stable viscosity is selected to ensure consistent performance across normal temperature ranges.
- Typically installed as a pair, one on each side (right and left) of the hinged door and the shelf structure.