Titus

Quality components for “calm bathrooms”

White bathroom interior with double sink and drawers

A home should be a sanctuary where we can truly relax and switch off, so it makes sense that homeowners are increasingly looking for effective solutions for noise reduction within their homes.

At Titus UK, we’ve touched on the concept ofquiet homesbefore. The right damping applications can tackle the challenge of noise within a home, promoting a peaceful and calm environment. For many, that’s as important in a bathroom as it is in a kitchen. Today, we’re looking at how manufacturers can produce high-end, calm bathrooms with the help of the right components.

Creating a premium finish with quiet bathroom cabinets 

More and more, bathroom manufacturers and designers are looking to create a luxurious, spa-like experience for the end user. Luxurious bathroom décor is on the rise, with luxury bathroom retailer CP Hart reporting a 62% increase in orders over £30,000 in the past year.

Getting the finishing touches right is an important part of creating a high-end bathroom. Soft-close components that offer a slow and soundless closing motion are the perfect complement to a luxurious bathroom set-up. That’s why we offer a range of soft close bathroom cabinet hinges, high-performance dowels and damping products that are ideal for manufacturers looking for quality finishing touches.

Furniture damping and soft-close solutions are engineered through the use of a hydraulic mechanism. Benefits of this include…

  • Protecting the contents of a cabinet or drawer
  • Preventing injury (trapped fingers)
  • Promoting a calmer home environment
  • Adding a luxurious finish

Modern white tiled bathroom

The bathroom cabinet components for luxury bathrooms

Titus UK components are designed to help bathroom manufacturers save time in the factory and the home by being easy to install, durable and fit for purpose. Our bathroom cabinet hardware delivers consistent performance for the life of a bathroom design. We’re dedicated to delivering hardware for bathroom manufacturers at a competitive price and in high volumes that are suited to the manufacturing process, helped along by the fast and reliable service we’re known for.

Here are the soft close bathroom cabinet hinges and components that are ideal for creating an on-trend “calm bathroom”.

T-type soft-close hinge

The T-type is the most reliable soft-close concealed hinge on the market, perfect for bathroom cabinets, medicine cupboards and storage. It is uniquely tool-free, with a 3Way snap-on mount that makes fitting easy, even on tall and heavy cabinet doors. The addition of ‘ConfidentClose’ with a fully adjustable Titus damper means that doors can be closed quickly, with rapid deceleration and a quiet landing in the final four degrees of closure.

Quickfit TL5 dowel

The TL5 dowel is a high-performance, quick-to-fit dowel connector that creates reliable joints in all wood-based materials without the need for additional wooden dowels. It boasts high drilling tolerances and is perfect for a wide range of bathroom furniture materials, including MDF, chipboard and solid wood. It’s also highly tolerant to misalignment, with an expanding sleeve that grips the material and provides a reliable and tight joint – even with drilling inaccuracies.

Tekform slimline drawers

The Tekform box drawer is the sleekest, most space efficient and most durable drawer on the market. For bathroom furniture designers and manufacturers looking for the best quality around, the Tekform drawer offers fast and intuitive assembly, as well as simple mounting thanks to the Titus EasyFix locking system. Soft-close comes as standard, making this the perfect drawer to finish off a tranquil, spa-like bathroom.

Titusoft soft-close drawer runners

Our soft-close drawer runners are intuitive and easy to install on the front side of wooden or metal drawers. With no pre-drilling required, these high-quality runners can be installed during furniture construction or even retrofitted later on when the furniture is already in use. The range includes Titusoft MD for single-wall metal drawers, Titusoft WD for wooden drawers, and Titusoft FF for face frame cabinets with wooden drawers.

 

Soft-close and discreet, our range of quality components are ideal for bathroom manufacturers looking for a high-end finish. Whether used on under-sink vanity units, sleek bathroom drawers or freestanding bathroom storage, we’re confident our range of hinges, dowels and damping solutions outperform the competition.  

We’re proud to supply quality furniture hardware in high volumes to some of the biggest kitchen, bathroom and furniture manufacturers in the world. If you’re a manufacturer looking for quality soft-close components to complement your products, please get in touch with the team to request a sample or more information.

Titus

Kitchen design trends for 2023

At Titus+, we’re committed to standing at the forefront of furniture retail and manufacture. Staying ahead of developments and design trends means we can continue providing consumer-centric solutions that are easy to install and stand the test of time.

As we enter a brand-new year, we’re looking ahead at the kitchen design trends we’re expecting to see in 2023. See our top picks and find out why Titus products offer the perfect finishing touch to some of 2023’s popular kitchen interior design trends.

Modern kitchen with all black cabinetry

Black kitchens

Dark and moody kitchens are set to be big this year. Traditionally, bright, light tones are common in kitchens, but opting for a black kitchen is both a modern and stylish way to stay on trend in 2023.

For a bold and sophisticated kitchen, installing all black cabinetry results in a striking finish. Some people choose to go all out with black painted walls, but a black kitchen can also be paired with lighter painted walls to brighten up the space a little more. It’s also effective when paired with an on-trend shade like royal blue or forest green. Plants are another great addition for black kitchens. They help break up the colour scheme and add interesting new textures.

No matter how an all-black kitchen is styled, our TeraBlack range of hardware and damping is the perfect accompaniment. Created in response to the growing demand for dark cabinet hardware, our TeraBlack components are finished in non-reflective matt black, perfect for blending into black cabinetry for a consistent, stylish aesthetic. But they provide more than just a great aesthetic; the innovative hardware is highly resistant to wear and tear, has anti-corrosion protection, and is engineered for lasting strength.

Find out more about our black cabinet door hinges.

Titus soft close

“Quiet kitchens”

Quiet kitchen design has been trending for a while now, but we think it’s set to stay big in 2023. Increasingly, homeowners are looking towards reducing noise and promoting a more tranquil atmosphere in their homes. A great way to promote a quiet and calm home atmosphere is using soft-close and damping solutions that reduce noise in the kitchen.

Damping hinges work using a built-in hydraulic mechanism that reduces speed and sound during the opening and closing of doors and drawers. This results in the popular ‘soft close’ effect. When used in a kitchen, there are many great advantages to soft close mechanisms. They add a high-end finish, stop slamming, and help increase the longevity of a kitchen, thanks to less stress on the hinges.

Our range of damping solutions includes silent close hinge systems, dampers for sliding doors and soft close drawer runners, all of which are perfect for the ‘quiet kitchen’ trend.

Read our article on damping solutions for quiet homes.

seamless design kitchen

Seamless design

Seamless design is another trend that’s not going anywhere soon. A seamless finish is perfect for fans of minimalism, with concealed cupboards and drawers with no visible handles giving a sleek and streamlined look to a kitchen.

Smooth surfaces and sleek lines are a must for creating an uninterrupted ‘seamless’ aesthetic in a kitchen. Handle less or push-to-open cabinets and drawers, hidden appliances and clever storage are all great ways to truly nail the seamless kitchen trend in 2023.

If kitchen hardware is visible it can detract from the streamlined appeal. Our TeraBlack hardware is designed to tackle this, complimenting a range of interior themes and furniture styles. With a matt black finish, it’s more subtle than silver or black and provides a cool minimalist finish. Our sleek Tekform drawers are another perfect option for a streamlined, sophisticated kitchen.

Learn more about seamless finish kitchens.

We hope you enjoyed reading about these 2023 kitchen trends. At Titus, our components give kitchens a competitive edge – no matter the trend. If you’re looking for quality hardware in high volumes, why not get in touch to see how we can help?

Titus

Looking back over a year of growth in 2022

2022 has been filled with huge successes at Titus UK, but it’s also not been without its challenges. We’re proud that it has ultimately been a year of great growth for the business, as we continue to use our 40 years’ expertise to engineer precision components and cabinetry hardware for our customers.

We’re passionate about helping more businesses and individuals improve furniture quality and ease of assembly with the right components. As we head into 2023, we’re looking forward to continuing utilising our integrated offering in order to deliver effective, problem-solving end results for the market.

To round off the year, we caught up with Phil Beddoe, our General Manager for UK and Northern Europe, to find out more about the highlights of 2022, as well as what’s on the horizon in 2023.

Hi Phil, how has 2022 been for Titus?

Uncertainty is out there, as the effects of the disruption of the Ukraine war reduce consumer optimism, and high inflation on energy costs all affect consumer spending. Raw materials, energy, sub-components, outsourcing, labour and freight costs all escalated significantly during 2021/22.

However, I’m proud to say that even in the face of these significant challenges, Titus has been able to grow the business in all markets.

What have been the highlights of 2022 for the business?

This year, we have added 40% to the group’s operational manufacturing area and invested in added capacity in all regions and in all products. These investments strengthen our position as market-leading developers and suppliers of high-volume precision-engineered furniture components, putting us in a fantastic position for the coming years.

Also, in 2022 Titus enjoyed continuing success of the T-type soft-close hinge and the TeraBlack, our matte-finish black furniture connectors. This consistent demand reaffirms the fact that our products deliver consistent quality and simple mounting for our customers, and has allowed us to invest back into the business.

Have there been any challenges to overcome this year?

Over the previous two years, we, alongside many others in the industry, saw very high growth rates. This was partly fuelled by the unpreceded growth in home improvements during the pandemic – as families spent more time at home, many took the opportunity to update areas of their homes.

These high growth rates over the past two years have now naturally started to see some signs of decline in demand in Europe, Asia, and the USA, something which the business will to work hard to overcome.

Have there been any notable team changes or new recruits this year that you can tell us about?

Ben Dredge has joined the team in Titus UK as a regional Sales Manager. He brings many years’ experience in the KBB hardware market and I’m confident will make a positive impact in visiting and assisting customers with their requirements.

Are there any new products on the horizon?

We are looking to introduce the Tacto drawer system; a slim, double-wall drawer upgraded with a Tacto touch opening system for handleless fronts. The installation for the Tacto drawer system is the same as our standard slimline drawer system, so remains simple and precise to mount. The added benefit is a smooth, push-open feature that’s ideal for those looking for a seamless finish.

We’re also continuing with developments for FastFit. Our FastFit technology can reduce assembly time by up to 50%, so we’re looking forward to developing the solutions further over the next year.

What do you think makes Titus stand out? Can you tell us a little bit about how your integrated offering helps customers get great quality and value?

Put simply, product development, manufacturing and engineering expertise, and marketing of innovation has always been in the company’s DNA.

We’re well-known for providing furniture manufacturers with solutions that strengthen their competitive advantage on the market. The latest trends in kitchen design prove that the market prefers simplicity and clean, stress-free environments. In turn, Titus solutions are designed to also make the furniture assembly experiences simple and stress-free, while also providing reliable and consistent life-long performance. Our solutions improve the competitiveness and differentiation demand of our customers.

What’s in store for Titus in 2023?

2023 is shaping to be another big year for Titus UK. We’ll be using our investment in research and development to bring some exciting new products to the market, including the previously mentioned Tacto drawers and FastFit solutions.

We’ll continue serving our customers and strengthening our position as a reliable partner in the supply of volume components, ultimately helping more people improve furniture quality and ease of assembly with our precision-engineered products.  

Thank you to our customers for a successful year. If you’re a furniture manufacturer or retailer looking for quality components in high volumes in 2023, get in touch on 01977 682582 or email uk@titusplus.com

Titus

Damping solutions for quiet homes

modern wooden kitchen with plants

Quiet home and kitchen designs are the future. Everyone strives towards their home being a place they can truly wind down and relax. Whether it’s a shared home or a house with young children, there are a host of reasons that homeowners are increasingly looking towards reducing noise and promoting a calmer atmosphere in their houses.

Quiet homes can be achieved through the right furniture and design decisions. This includes damping solutions. We have a range of soft-close and damping solutions that are ideal for creating a quiet home atmosphere, which we’re going to look into in this blog.

What is damping?

A damping hinge by Titus

A damping hinge uses a built-in hydraulic mechanism to reduce speed and sound during the opening and closing of doors and drawers, resulting in what’s widely known as a ‘soft close’ effect in cabinetry.

Damping solutions for furniture assembly are perfect for creating a soft and slow motion in moving parts. Damping offers effective motion control, softening the impact of a component as it is used. This reduces speed and noise, stops abrupt movements, and prevents the jarring slamming sound that’s often experienced when closing doors and drawers that don’t use damping hinges.

Quiet kitchen designs for the future

hand closing a drawer  

Most people have been in a situation where a door or drawer is unintentionally slammed shut, making a loud and often startling noise. Dampers for quiet, soft-close kitchens make loud noises like this a thing of the past, promoting a calmer home environment.

Noise reduction isn’t the only benefit of soft-close components. Furniture damping also…

  • Protects contents
    Damping hinges reduce the speed of closing a cabinet or drawer. This means the contents stay in place and aren’t thrown about during closes. For this reason, damping is perfect for cabinets or drawers that hold valuables or fragile, easily breakable items, like china and glasses.

     

  • Prevents injury
    Slamming fingers in doors or drawers is a common injury in the home, particularly in those with young children. A soft-close finish to cabinetry prevents slamming, protecting fingers from being trapped.

Dampers for quiet, soft-close kitchens and homes

damper by Titus

So, what products are available? At Titus, we offer a range of soft-close mechanisms for doors and drawers, including hinge systems and soft-close drawer runners. Here’s a closer look.

Glissando Hinge Dampeners

Offering a soft-close mechanism for doors of all heights and weights, our Glissando Hinge Dampers work with a variety of hinges. The range includes:

  • Glissando TT: An add-on soft-close solution that works with the T-type hinge.
  • Glissando TL3: For consistent soft-close on B-type and S-type 110 hinges.
  • Glissando TL170: A soft-close solution with a 170-degree opening angle for concealed hinges.
  • Glissando CR: A long-lasting soft-close solution for stand-alone doors.

Learn more about the range.

Titusoft soft-close drawer runners

Easy to install on wooden or metal drawers, our soft-close drawer runners are high quality and require no pre-drilling. They can be installed during furniture construction or retrofitted at a later date.

Our soft-close drawer runners feature the Titus hydraulic damper for consistent performance. The range includes:

  • Titusoft MD: A universal system for single wall metal drawers.
  • Titusoft WD: A system created for wooden drawers.
  • Titusoft FF: For face frame cabinets with wooden drawers.

Learn more about the range.

Titusoft SD sliding door dampers

Our sliding door dampers guarantee no re-bounce for a consistent, soft-close effect on doors of all sizes and weights. Compact and easy to install, they utilise the Titus modular hydraulic damper for reliable and consistent performance. The range includes:

  • Titusoft SD100s: For bottom-running sliding doors.
  • Titusoft SD100: For top-running sliding doors.

Learn more about the range.

hand closing a cupboard door

We hope you enjoyed learning more about quiet kitchen and home designs for the future. We can supply quality furniture hardware in high volumes. If you want dampers for quiet, soft-close kitchens, get in touch with the team to request a sample or more information.

Titus

Trending drawer appliances for modern kitchens

More and more in modern kitchens, we’re seeing innovative ideas and solutions for saving and creating unique spaces. When working with a finite amount of space in a kitchen, it makes sense to try to optimise that space as much as possible.

Kitchen drawer cabinet appliances mean you can make the most of the space you have, hugely reducing the wasted space you’d have with just a cabinet. Here’s a little more about drawer cabinets and their many uses, and a look at what is popular right now for kitchen drawers.

Kitchen drawer cabinet ideas

Stacked drawers

stacked drawers

With stacked drawers, a single large drawer opens to reveal a hidden, smaller slimline drawer stacked within. This is a great way to optimise space that you’d otherwise lose out on. The smaller drawer can be used for cutlery, plates or spaces, and the larger drawer beneath is a great place to store appliances, large pots and pans or cooking equipment.  

Hybrid drawer cabinets

Cabinet with pull out drawer shelf

One option is to use regular cabinet fronts with full-length doors that open to reveal pull-out drawers or shelves. Externally, the drawers will look like cabinets – perfect for achieving a sleek, cohesive look in your kitchen – but you can enjoy the additional space and convenience of drawers. This can be a useful way to store smaller appliances like toasters, blenders and slow cookers when you don’t have a lot of countertop space. 

Integrated appliances with drawer cabinets

integrated kitchen cabinet appliance

Large appliances break up the flow of a kitchen and are often not the most aesthetically pleasing. If you want to hide the appliances within your kitchen, like a dishwasher or washing machine, an appliance drawer cabinet is perfect. Cleverly disguising your appliances, an appliance drawer is made in the same colour and style as your existing cabinetry and drawers, offering a consistent finish.

Handleless drawers 

handleless drawer

Seamless kitchens have been a big trend for a while now, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Concealed cupboard and drawer designs without visible handles create a completely streamlined finish, perfect for achieving a sleek, unbusy atmosphere in a kitchen.

Pan storage drawer 

pan storage drawer

Pan and pot cabinets might just be a thing of the past. More and more people are now instead opting for a deep drawer to store their pans and appliances. It means you can store pans at waist height and spend less time rummaging about through high or low cabinets, making preparing food more convenient.   

Slimline drawers

Tekform Slimline Drawers From Titus

A space-efficient way to store cutlery, plates or even papers and work equipment, slimline drawers help you make the most of your kitchen space. A slimline drawer means you can use the full height of the available space and ultimately store more in your kitchen. Our Tekform Slimline drawer boxes are sleek, space efficient and durable.  

Under-cabinet drawer 

under cabinet drawer

Often called ‘toe kick drawers’ as many available options can be opened with a tap of your foot, the under-cabinet drawer is the perfect way to make the most of the often-unused bit of space between your lower cabinets and the floor. At around 4 inches high, these drawers are great for additional storage for things like baking trays, additional plates and tea towels.  

Thin spice rack drawer 

pull out spice rack drawer

If you have a thin space between cabinets, make the most of it with a skinny vertical drawer that pulls out to reveal shelving for spices. Ideal for smaller kitchens that don’t have the worktop or cupboard space for a traditional spice rack, this is a great way to optimise space. And, the drawer system makes it easy to get to all your spices – even those stored right at the back.  

Soft close for a quality finish 

Titus soft close

No matter how you choose to make use of the drawers and cabinets within a kitchen, quality closing mechanisms and hinges offer the perfect finishing touch. Soft close drawer runners make drawer appliances smooth and efficient, with a quiet ‘SoftTouch’ landing and a sleek concealed finish.    

We hope you enjoyed reading these kitchen drawer and cabinet ideas.

If you’re looking for quality hardware in high volumes, get in touch to see how we can help. 

Titus

How our integrated offering puts the customer first

Titus has been engineering precision components and cabinetry hardware for over 40 years. Everything we know about component engineering goes into every unit we sell.

Our totally integrated approach underpins everything that we stand for. From end to end, our integrated engineering puts the customer front and centre, always keeping them in mind to ensure we deliver an effective, problem-solving end result.

To do this, we combine our customer-led research and development with lean processes and state-of-the-art manufacturing operations. Each stage of the innovation and production process is strategically managed. From formalising new product concepts and developing prototypes to manufacturing and bringing to market components that solve real industry problems, every step is fully integrated.

Our integrated offering is made up of three main areas of expertise – product design, technologies and manufacturing operations. Each area supports and creates added value for the other two, and together they result in quality precision components. Here’s a little more about the key areas.

Product design.

We design and engineer unique components that are consistent and repeatable in both quality and performance.

Manufacturing technologies

We combine state-of-the-art technologies with tried and tested manufacturing processes to improve productivity and product quality.

Manufacturing operations

With an extensive in-house manufacturing operation, we are best placed for high-volume production of a range of precision components.

 

In addition to this, we create fittings for purpose. We deliver a lower ‘total installed cost’ by creating products that offer a range of competitive and unique advantages. We always strive to create components that have less parts and less preparation actions for faster assembly either in the factory or in the home. And, we have a fast time to market. Our lean and cost-effective processes allow us to service customers who require large quantities of products delivered to the factory quickly.

Ultimately, at each stage of the process, we ensure that consumer-centric design is our priority. All the main technologies and services required for high-volume production of hardware are available in-house.

The components we create are easy to install and provide lasting strength, all with the end goal of improving furniture quality for our customers. All stages of the process perfectly complement each other and are reinforced by a strong understanding of consumer needs – ultimately resulting in a completely integrated service for our customers.

 

If you’re looking for quality hardware in high volumes, get in touch to see how we can help.

Titus

Space-saving kitchen home office ideas

In a world where, for many, working from home has become the new normal, many people are looking for space-saving ways to bring work home. While there are a few who are lucky enough to have dedicated office space in their houses, for most people, working from home means adapting the space they currently have. Enter the kitchen home office.

laptop in kitchen

How do you make an office kitchen?

Kitchens lend themselves perfectly to home office space. In general, they’re one of the brightest parts of a home, have plenty of electrical outlets and offer a decent amount of storage so work equipment can be hidden when it’s not in use.

Keep reading for our kitchen office space ideas and tips.

Kitchen office space ideas

A hidden workstation

Ideal for those who don’t like clutter, a hideaway desk area is a minimalist and stylish option for the modern-day home worker. People don’t want to think about work during evenings and weekends, so hiding a workstation behind cabinets that can be closed away at the end of the day is a clever solution.

Full-sized cabinet doors keep a workstation hidden when it’s not in use, then open out to reveal a desk area when it’s needed. Adding a corkboard to the inside of the door is useful for pinning up notes and reminders.

Seamless kitchen

Continuing the theme of minimalism, a seamless kitchen is a timeless trend that lends itself perfectly to a hidden kitchen home office. Concealed office kitchen cupboard designs make a kitchen appear completely sleek and streamlined from the outside, which is perfect for creating a calm, unbusy space where concentration is a priority.

Using concealed cabinet hinges creates a sleek hideaway desk area that’s completely hidden come 6pm. If a kitchen is on the smaller side, sliding doors on storage units are perfect for compact areas, as no extra space is required in front to allow for the door swing.

Maximise unused corners

Many people have spare space in their kitchens that they may have previously thought was unusable. A desk doesn’t take up an enormous amount of room. For a lot of people, it’s possible to tuck a desk into an unused kitchen corner to create a mini office space that saves on space.

Extending an existing kitchen countertop gives a sleek, matching finish. Alternatively, a simple wooden desk goes well with most kitchen styles and colours. And, using our Quickfit TL5 lockable dowel for assembly means it will stand the test of time too.

Clever storage solutions 

Storage in kitchens is a top priority for most homeowners. Many modern kitchen manufacturers have responded to this demand by coming up with clever storage solutions, such as stacked shelving or pull-out cabinets. Here are a handful of smart kitchen storage solutions that can help make more room for workplace equipment storage:  

  • Slimline drawers are a space-efficient way to store work papers, notebooks, or even laptops.
  • Use the full height of the available wall space with high cabinets and shelves.
  • Sliding doors don’t take up any valuable floor space when open, giving the impression of more room.
  • Make the most of the space inside kitchen cabinets with the addition of pull-out drawers or shelves.

Soft-close mechanisms are the perfect finishing touch for storage drawers or cupboards. Silent close hinge systems, dampers for sliding doors and soft-close drawer runners offer consistently smooth performance and add a high-quality finish to contemporary kitchen storage. 

With careful consideration, kitchens can offer a practical and attractive space for working from home. We hope you enjoyed reading these kitchen office space ideas. If you’re looking for quality hardware in high volumes, get in touch to see how we can help.

Titus

How sliding wardrobe doors work

Sliding wardrobe doors are easy to use and make the most of storage space in compact rooms. Used for standalone and fitted wardrobes, sliding doors enable you to place other furnishings closer to the wardrobes without needing to allow swing space for the doors. 

The technology behind sliding wardrobe doors is what sets them apart. Built with hydraulic damping, sliding door dampers ensure the doors close smoothly and silently for the lifetime of the product. Sliding doors open and close consistently, with the damping preventing slamming. 

How sliding wardrobe doors work

The core element of soft closing door systems is the multi-purpose hydraulic damper. Hydraulic damper technology provides soft and silent closing for doors and drawers, with a modular design guaranteeing reliable performance even with heavy doors.
Doors are mounted to runners, with the top track fitted to the ceiling or wardrobe top and the bottom track to the floor or bottom of the wardrobe. Sliding door dampers are compact and installed inside the top or bottom of the cabinet.

What makes a good sliding wardrobe door damping system?

 Intuitive positioning and assembly
✓ Compact design for concealed application
✓ Consistent soft closing on doors of different sizes and weights
✓ Double stage spring to minimise pull-out force
✓ No re-bounce on closing

What types of damping work with sliding wardrobe doors?

Damper for bottom running sliding doors

The Titusoft SD100s works in a wide variety of bottom running sliding doors with U or double U profiles. The design is compact and concealed from view, with easy installation. The TwoStep spring, limits pull-out force, helping the door open easily and smoothly.

Find out more

Damper for top running sliding doors 

Titusoft SD100 is the add-on soft closing mechanism for top running sliding doors. It is simple to mount on the top of the cabinet and provides reliable soft-closing door operation for the lifetime of the product. Expect fast closing action and a quiet landing with SoftTouch.

Find out more

Hidden damping in pocket doors

Compact dampers for pocket doors create smooth, soft-closing doors. The damper’s compact size allows for installation in a limited space available in the top rail system. The robust and compact damper enables efficient motion control for silent closing.

See more

Touch opening for handless sliding doors

The Titus PushPlus for pocket doors provides soft-close and touch opening in a single mechanism. Typically, pocket sliding doors stop slightly before the wall, but the Titus system allows the door to close flush. Push activated opening and closing is safe and silent to use.

See more

Our hydraulic damping technology is at the core of our components. To find our more about it, visit our hydraulic damping solutions page. If you’re a furniture manufacturer or retailer looking for quality hardware in high volumes, get in touch to see how we can help.

Titus

Ensuring quality with performance testing

At Titus, our mission is to be at the forefront of improving furniture quality. We’re committed to ensuring we’re continuously providing the very best products; products that improve efficiency and quality for our customers while reducing manufacturing and assembly costs.

In order to ensure we’re maintaining our consistently high standards, we perform numerous, thorough tests on our products during development. This helps to ensure they’re performing at the optimum levels before they are released to customers. These tests can be divided into three main test groups:

  1. Safety tests
  2. Functionality tests
  3. Performance tests

Today, we’re delving a little deeper into performance testing. What is performance testing, how does it work, and how does it ultimately benefit our customers? We spoke to our Research & Development Manager to find out…

What is performance testing?

Performance testing is just one part of the thorough testing that each of our products undergoes. The procedure gives us a comprehensive picture of product performance in comparison to the product requirements.

For example, in cases of hinges, during performance testing we would look at:

  • Hinge durability
  • Hinge closing force
  • Hinge sag

All these tests ensure the product is long-lasting and performs at its best possible levels. Our hinges are designed to outlive kitchen cabinets and perform consistently with every use.

How performance testing works

The complete testing procedure is defined in what we refer to as our ‘Product Specification Sheet’. This is a document prepared by our R&D (Research & Development) department which supports the main product documentation – a combination of 2D drawings and 3D models.

An important part of the Product Specification Sheet is the chapter on testing. This defines the clear criteria for safety and performance testing for the specific product, detailing what is and what is not acceptable. The testing criteria are prepared by R&D and approved by the individual product category Product Manager.  

There are three steps to the process:

  1. All testing starts with samples preparation. These could be R&D samples from the proto shop or “regular” samples from the production floor.
  2. The second step is to conduct the tests. As detailed above, each set of tests is dependent on the individual product and its requirements.
  3. Finally, we prepare a report that we then use to analyse the results of the tests.

Meeting standards and guaranteeing quality

Our performance tests are based on a collection of criteria; company know-how (our own good and bad experiences), as well as national and international standards. The purpose of the test is to guarantee quality. We want to make sure we can supply our customers with safe and well-performing products that operate according to our expectations.

We know that a product passing all required performance test criteria is guaranteed to perform well in various real-life conditions, with very minimal risk that the product will be unsafe or non-performing.

We also ensure that our products meet any industry standards that must be adhered to. This includes international standards like EN 15570, as well as national standards including BS 6222, ANSI KCMA, ANSI BHMA, and DIN.

Specialist machinery and our own test lab

We use specialist equipment to undertake performance testing, which is specific to the individual product being tested. For example, for hinge testing we would need:

  1. A hinge life cycling jig for a durability test
  2. A set of weights to load front for a sag test
  3. A ruler for sag measurement
  4. A digital force gauge to measure the hinge clothing force on front

We’re serious about supplying quality furniture hardware, which is why we’re also equipped with our very own test lab. This lab is equipped to test our hardware thoroughly. It is used to test any new developments and also to maintain product consistency in regular production.

Our tests are designed to ensure our products are of the best possible quality before they arrive with our customers. We hope you found this article useful. If you’re a furniture manufacturer or retailer looking for quality hardware in high volumes, get in touch to see how we can help.

Titus

Easy install lockable dowels explained

At Titus, we’re a world-renowned name in cabinet hardware solutions. It’s our job to innovate cabinet hardware and engineer solutions that increase performance, are simple to mount, and are discreet when in place.

We identified a gap in the UK market for high-performance, quick-to-fit dowel connectors – so, we engineered a solution. Keep reading to learn more about our tool free lockable dowels.

What are dowels used for?

In their most rudimentary form, dowels are wooden rods that are cylindrical in shape and used to help structurally reinforce furniture. They are inserted into aligned holes in two different pieces of wood to make a joint that’s fixed in position. Even the most simple dowels offer a much stronger and more accurate result than something like glue, but we wanted to create a dowel that was more durable, longer-lasting and more effective.

Titus tool free lockable dowels

The Titus Quickfit TL5 dowel (the ‘Full Metal Jacket’) is a high-performance solution for a durable rigid cabinet. Designed with strength and performance in mind, they are easy install lockable dowels that transform furniture assembly, speeding it up and making the process much easier.

Made using a unique expanding steel sleeve, the Quickfit TL5 dowel creates strong and reliable joints and allows for tool free insertion.

The benefits of our tool free lockable dowels

  • They can be used across a range of common wood-based materials, so only one type of dowel is needed for chipboard, solid wood and MDF materials, without the need for any additional wooden dowels.
  • They’re both strong and reliable, something which will ultimately save time when it comes to furniture assembly.
  • They are highly tolerant to misalignment. That means even if when dealing with inaccurate drilling, the expanding sleeve will grip the material and provide a secure tight joint.
  • To make the process easier for both manufacturers and customers, the Quickfit TL5 dowel connectors can also be pre-inserted into hardware in the factory to save assembly time.
  • They’re consistent and accurate, and always lock in the 2 o’clock position – even if furniture is taken apart and reassembled.
  • They’re built to last and don’t loosen with age, so are a perfect choice for long-lasting furniture assembly.

Making furniture assembly easier drives time and cost efficiencies in the factory, and increases customer loyalty. If you’d like to try out our easy install lockable dowels for yourself and see why they could help transform your operations, why not request a free sample?