Helinge

The “Helinge” is an hinge with elicoidal motion. It introduces a new concept in hinge design. Thanks to the design freedom allowed by Additive Manufacturing technologies, new types of motion between connected elements can be invented and developed through appropriate hinge design. With its very simple aesthetics and shape, the “Helinge” is an hinge that allows both 90° rotation and upward or downward translation between the connected elements. Basing on the cylinder and rod mechanism, the hinge has an outer case with two sleeves that develop along an helix. The two inner rods follow the shape of the same helix, thus the motion of the rods inside the sleeves results in a rotation of the connected elements from 90° to 180° coupled with the translation of one quarter of the pitch along the helix axis. The end of the rods is designed in such a way as to cause interference between the two bodies preventing the rod to come fully out of the sleeve. The hinge can be manufactured as a single part by 3D printing. It is convenient to produce it with the rods almost fully extended and proper holes are provided for removing the support material or unsintered powder from inside the sleeves. With its unconventional design, the “Helinge” is just an example of the potentialities that 3D printing and additive manufacturing provide to designers and engineers to reimagine mechanisms and connections inside moving assemblies in the future.