Selection and installation of gas lifts for wardrobe beds

Installing a gas furniture shock absorber on a kitchen cabinet

A gas shock absorber for horizontally opening doors is one of the most common options for attaching facades to furniture frames.
It is distinguished by its affordable price, simple opening mechanism and ease of installation. For different sizes of facades, there are different furniture gas lifts, differing in the degree of load.

Due to the fact that such a lift has a smooth move, the door opens without much effort, easily and simply, in addition, the entire contents of the cabinet become visible. This is especially true for kitchen sets, in which such a mechanism can be used, first of all, for a cabinet with a built-in drying rack for dishes.

So, let's look at the main technical characteristics of a furniture shock absorber:

• operates using inert gas (nitrogen);
• often made of steel or chrome alloys;
• the cylinder (in other words, the working chamber) is made of steel;
• the working chamber has a wall thickness of 1 mm;
• the temperature range at which the device is capable of functioning is from - 35 C to +80 C;
• the number of lifts that are recommended to be installed on one façade is 2 pcs.

Application

Initially, gas lift became an extremely useful solution in the automotive industry. Its installation was carried out on logs and hoods. The driver himself does not hold the structure, since in its place this function is performed by the elevator. Elevators lifted and supported some weight, preventing sudden falls, damage, etc.

But today these elements have gone much further. Main Applications:

• furniture industry;
• construction;
• production of doors, frames and showcases;
• medical industry;
• production of office equipment;
• weapon;
• aerospace structures;
• robotics;
• technology and much more.

Lifts can have different sizes, differ in design and structure, which allows you to choose the optimal mechanism for each specific case.

Operating principle of gas furniture elevators

Lifts consist of working chambers (cylinders), friction bearings and oil seals. All these parts create the conditions for hermetically sealed movement of the rod throughout the device. The piston sleeve and bypass valve protect the lift from distortion, and the springs act as dampers.

When opening the fronts upwards:

When the front is closed, the piston rod is recessed in the working area. This is possible thanks to the compressed gas contained in it. When the door opens, the gas pushes the piston in the opposite direction. An oil damper is responsible for smooth running. At the end of the closing cycle, the oil flows, creating a shock absorber effect.

When opening the fronts down:

Shock absorbers for kitchen cabinets that open downwards have a similar structure. But there is also a difference. They differ in that it is necessary to apply more force when opening the door. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the bypass valves have different diameters. Therefore, oil and air flow through holes of different sizes with great force.

What is a gas lift, and why do we need it?

This is a special mechanism used to lift and transform furniture elements connected to it. In its principle, this device is similar to a car shock absorber.

The design features of the gas lift lie in its configuration. It consists of:

• a cylinder filled with gas, often nitrogen; It is important to note that the gaseous composition is present inside the cylinder under high pressure, therefore it is not recommended to disassemble such a device with your own hands;
• a piston with a drain, which serves to transmit the applied force to the external environment;
• oil damper, ensuring smooth running due to the shock-absorbing effect.

The purpose of a gas lift for a bed is not limited to just the ability to store things under the bed. Structures equipped with this kind of mechanisms are able to properly support the spine during rest, eliminating joints and uneven surfaces that negatively affect the musculoskeletal system.

Load calculation

Depending on the size of the façade, the required load is selected; it is measured in Newtons.

The load range of gas furniture shock absorbers is: 50N, 60N, 80N, 100N, 120N, 160N, 200N. Furniture makers who have many years of experience in furniture production select the required gas lift by eye. For beginning craftsmen, there are tables with tips, thanks to which you can easily select the right device.

Gas shock absorber selection table:

When choosing a furniture gas lift, you can focus on the following figures - 1 kg of facade (with all the decor and fittings) per 10 newtons.

The colors of gas lifts for furniture that are on the market are white, black and steel.

Types of gas shock absorbers

There are the following types of furniture gas lifts:

1. Direct-acting gas lift, that is, this device works to compress the rod (the rod is in full extension);
2. A reverse-acting gas lift device is triggered by the extension of the rod (the rod is in a recessed state).

Most often, shock absorbers of direct action are used in the manufacture of furniture.

By installing the device in different ranges, it is possible to ensure that the door opens at different angles. This is especially true for cabinets that are located very high, or, conversely, low.

What are the main advantages of using gas elevators over other fastening fittings?

1. Firstly, gas furniture lifts use compressed nitrogen, which does not lead to corrosion of the device, unlike ordinary oxygen. In addition, nitrogen is not capable of damaging the rubber parts of the shock absorber. We can say that this gas greatly extends the service life of the elevator.
2. Secondly, using such lifts you can ensure smooth closing of doors even in budget furniture.
3. Thirdly, modern hardware manufacturers have launched shock absorbers on the market, the installation of which does not require the use of any tools.
4. Fourthly, the large selection of loads that can be used when installing lifts on cabinet fronts allows you to choose the most suitable fittings to open the door silently and with minimal effort.
5. Fifthly, gas furniture shock absorbers have a fairly wide temperature range, thanks to which they can be used in any room.
6. Sixthly, the material used to make gas lifts (steel) makes these devices reliable and strong.
7. Seventhly, the warranty period for these fittings is from ten to one hundred thousand closing and opening cycles, which indicates the high quality of these lifts.

Purpose and device

Properly installed structures can be used for a wide variety of kitchen furniture. Applicable:

• It is optimal to install them on kitchen furniture, which is used quite often, so it is necessary that the doors open quietly and remain intact for a long time;
• they are often used for installation in the living room, bedroom, children's room or other rooms where it is advisable to install spacious boxes equipped with gas lift doors;
• office furniture is often used with such elements and is considered not only multifunctional, but also has a stylish look;
• gas lifts are optimal for installation when installing facades made of bars;
• they are often used to create poufs or various boxes.

The range of applications for gas elevators is considered wide, which is why they are very popular designs. They can be of different sizes and even colors.

Sources

• https://made-box.ru/details/ustanovka-gazlifta-na-kuhonnyj-shkaf.html
• https://siblimo.ru/gazlift-dlya-dvertsy-shkafa-kak-ustanovit/
• https://severdv.ru/mebel/instrukcziya-i-osobennosti-krepleniya-mebelnogo-gazovogo-lifta/
• https://palitrabazar.ru/fasad/kak-ustanovit-gazlift-na-fasad.html
• https://uripomoshnik.ru/imushhestvo/kak-pochinit-gazlift-v-kuhonnom-shkafu/
• https://pufico.ru/remont-i-uhod/osobennosti-konstruktsii-mebelnikh-gazliftov-nyuansi-vibora-i-ustanovki.html
• https://homius.ru/ustanovka-gazolifta.html
• https://rem.ninja/kuhnya/mebel/ustanovka-gazliftov-v-shkafah.html
• https://onkuhnya.ru/mebel/gazlift-dlya-kuhonnyh-shkafov/
• https://mebluxe.ru/dveri/kak-ustanovit-gazlift-na-dvertsu-shkafa.html
• https://mebelclubspb.ru/kuhnya/ustanovka-gazovogo-mebel-nogo-amortizatora-na-kuhonnyy-shkaf.html
• https://VegaMebell.ru/polki-i-shkafy/gazlift-dlya-kuhonnyh-shkafov.html
• https://PostelMix.ru/kuhni/kak-ustanovit-gazovyj-lift-na-dverczu-shkafa.html
• https://valis-mebel.ru/stoly/gazlift-eto.html
• https://venteler.ru/ustanovka-gazlifta-v-shkaf-s-vytyazhkoy/

Installing a furniture gas lift: instructions and installation diagram

In order to install the gas lift on the cabinet door, we will need:

• pencil,
• roulette,
• screwdriver or screwdriver,
• self-tapping screws (mostly they come complete with fittings),
• the gas lift itself.

All necessary fastenings and screws are included in the kit:

For furniture facades made of chipboard and MDF, fastenings are required in the form of a platform with holes for self-tapping screws. The gas lift is attached to plastic and metal facades using clamps that snap onto pre-installed screws.

Also included with the gas lift is an insert - installation instructions. Be sure to study it before installing the shock absorber.

1. Let's mark the center of the side fastener; to do this, step back 235 millimeters from the top and 25 from the front end part. Mark the dimensions from the internal planes of the module.
2. Screw the side platform to which the entire shock absorber will subsequently be attached. Make sure that the fastener is clearly in the center of the mark. After this, attach the retractable part of the lift to the eye.
   Read also:  What kind of shelf can be above the bed, how to properly place and secure it
3. Attach the façade itself to the hinges.
4. Make markings and screw in the shock absorber counter fasteners. In this case, refer to the drawing of the gas shock absorber. The size can be varied, the opening angle of the facade will depend on this. Agree that this is very important when there is limited space to open the door.

Look at another diagram of installing a gas lift on a kitchen cabinet with dimensions:

The gas lift length is indicated in the fully extended position. As you can see, the length variation will allow you to install the structure on any kitchen cabinets. The length of the shock absorber when folded also varies widely and will allow you to choose a lift for almost any cabinet.

Start of work on installing gas lifts: marking

It’s nice to know what pitfalls there are in installing such devices. Therefore, at the same time, a model for marking was purchased. When I arrived at the workshop, the furniture makers laughed, thinking that I had not even thought about it, but when they saw the template in my hands, the joy in my eyes diminished.

The work began with markings. Of course, it would be possible to do without such a plate, but in this case the measurements would take a lot of time, and it is not a fact that they would be correct. And so I spent about 5 minutes marking. I even laughed a little at how their facial expressions changed. However, two years of working in a furniture store were not in vain for me.

What does the gas lift installation kit consist of?

The gas furniture elevator kit consists of the gas elevator itself, mounting on the side wall and mounting on the facade, installation instructions and self-tapping screws for fastenings.

Types of gas lifts

Let us highlight three main characteristics by which gas elevators can be classified:

Depending on the power load

The lifting force of gas shock absorbers is determined in Newtons, which you can see by the markings on the gas lift body. In order for this value to be understandable and tangible, the following correspondence is given: to lift a facade weighing 1 kg, a lifting force of 10 Newtons will be required.

It turns out that if the lift says 60 N, then it will lift the facade 6 kg, and even in one copy. But the reality turned out to be different, as we will show in our video at the bottom of the article.

For kitchen furniture you can find lifts from 50N to 140N, although the upper and lower load limits are sold much less frequently due to low demand.

Sellers and manufacturers provide interesting plates on the selection and calculation of gas lifts , we will provide them for you.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main purpose of gas lifts is the correct, free, silent and easy opening of the upper drawers of the hood, in which the door opens upward. The positive parameters of installing such a device in the kitchen include:

• guaranteed constant tightness of the doors at the top when opening;
• there is no possibility of the door opening spontaneously;
• installation of a gas lift is quite simple, therefore, with a detailed understanding of the instructions, the procedure can be carried out independently;
• long service life of the structure due to high-quality devices;
• the cabinets open without much effort, and no unpleasant sounds or noises are heard;
• get rid of ugly cabinet handles, which will provide a stylish and modern interior;
• Opening the door is incredibly simple, which requires a little effort to press it with your hand.

If you order such fasteners from special companies, then to create them you can use the same materials that are used in the manufacture of kitchen furniture.

The disadvantages of the products include their rather high cost, so they are often inaccessible to potential buyers. If they break for any reason, repairs will be impossible due to the sealed housing, so you will only have to replace the structures.

How to install and secure a gas lift

Gas lift equipment

Among the huge number of types of gas lifts, differing in parameters and technical characteristics, there are two budget options that are often used for kitchen furniture.

They are fixed with loops on the head of the clasp:

• Spring onions;
• Plate.

The first option is the simplest. There is no need to perform complex manipulations with tools and parts. Simply slide the mechanism onto the head of the clasp with a simple push.

The dish is just as simple. But sometimes there were parts in which the ends of the plate were bent more than necessary.

Therefore, it was impossible to fix the head of the fastener in the loop; it simply did not fit into the hole. There is only one way out: consider the gas lift faulty and do not use it.

Installation diagram

The size of the doorway directly corresponds to the rules for installing a gas lift (see photo above). That is, for a certain opening angle there are corresponding installation dimensions.

On this page of the site we offer you a video showing options for installing the mechanism with overall dimensions. Let this be an instruction manual.

Interesting - the specifics of repairing upholstered furniture depending on the type of fault

Gas lift marking and installation

To mark gas lifts, we used the diagrams supplied by the manufacturer on the packaging.

Here it is worth paying attention to the angle at which you want the door to open in the final position. Depending on the three options, there will be markings for fastenings on the side walls and facades.

Since we want the facade to open as high as possible, we install fasteners on the side walls and facades according to the third option in Figure 9 for a standard gas lift and Figure 10 for a mini gas lift.

By the way, the marking axis for gas lift fasteners on the facade is the same as on the side wall - it is 25 mm.

There is such a wonderful template for marking for gas lifts. We think that it is needed if you do this on a large scale and are too lazy to do it yourself.

Watch a video about gas elevators

Installation

Equipment installation begins with securing the mounting base to the side of the cabinet at the marking point. The two most commonly used methods are a spring clamp and a plate. The bracket is usually screwed into the sidewall material at a marked point and the lift head simply slides into the bracket.

If the base of the stand looks like a plate with a hole, attach it with 3 or 4 screws to the side wall so that the center of the hole coincides with the marked point. The head of the elevator pin is inserted into this hole and secured. In this case, it is important that the base plate is not deformed: if it is bent, the lift will not work.

Exactly the same steps for installing the mounting base of the device are performed on the inner surface of the door. Here it is important to ensure the hinge angle, which should be approximately 8 degrees.

Analogs of gas lifts

Let's say you don't like gas lifts and want something else. Yes, there are similar systems for horizontal opening of furniture facades. But these systems are similar not in terms of operating principles, but in terms of compactness. The only thing is that they cost more, because after all, gas lift is a budget option for opening and fixing the facade.

Let's consider two such worthy mechanisms:

KLOK lift/fold mechanism

We don’t know who first produced this mechanism for horizontal opening, but at one time we remember it as a product from a manufacturer such as Huwil and known as the Huwilift Duo Standard lifting mechanism. Nowadays, whoever produces such mechanisms.

KLOK can withstand loads of up to 12 kg when fixing the facade in any position and up to 15 kg when fixing the facade at the maximum opening angle. The mechanism, like the gas elevator, is universal, that is, there is no division into right and left, it is also easy to install/remove from the mounting axes, in addition, the strength of the mechanism is adjusted with a hex key and its operation is silent.

Lifting mechanism Aventos HK-XS

Aventos HK-XS lifting mechanism can be installed in housings with a shallow internal depth on one or both sides. The lift is suitable for housing heights from 240 mm to 600 mm, the width of the housing depends on the power factor. The internal depth for mounting the mechanism is at least 100 mm.

Quality Standards

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Use your potential and join the professionals. We rely on flexible, creative people with experience in the international market. We are committed to developing young talent.

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