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DECEMBER 2018 | 35 Architectural Woodwork It follows that as the architectural woodworking sector continues to flourish, hardware specialists are equally busy providing functional furniture fittings – such as Blum Canada Limited. Over the years, Blum has enjoyed significant suc- cess with innovative products like Clip top and Clip top Blumotion hinges, Aventos lift systems for upper cabinets, and Tandembox and Legrabox drawer systems. Frank Sansalone, product specialist for Blum Canada, says his company is currently focusing on motion technology for drawers and cabinets. "Servo-Drive is the pinnacle solution for cabinet opening operation, and Blumotion Servo-Drive and Tip-On systems are extremely popular solutions for the closing operation," he says. "Our lift systems for upper cabinets consist of similar technology, with everything from Servo-Drive to Tip-On fulfilling the different needs of end users." Thanks to Servo-Drive for Aventos, lift systems glide open at a single touch on the fronts – and even large and heavy fronts open easily. With the simple press of a switch on the face of the cabinet, they close softly and effortlessly with soft-close Blumotion. The opening and closing actions are automatically stopped as soon as the front touches a part of the body or an object; and the system can be de-activated when cleaning fronts is required. For lower drawers, Sansalone says Tandembox Intivo is a great solution that can be assembled quickly and with no tools required (Boxcaps are simply clipped onto the drawer sides, design elements are mounted, Boxcovers are slid over the top of the design elements, and then the front is clipped into the front facing bracket). According to Sansalone, support and service is also a priority for Blum in 2018, hence the unveiling of an easy assembly app that gives users instant access to all of the company's videos and printed literature for every Blum product. "That way, a cabinet maker can download installation instructions for a specific product they are working with and go to the job site fully prepared," he says. "We're developing other online services, one of which provides automation of production data." Finally, Grass Canada Inc. is part of a global group of companies whose success over the past 65 years has derived from creating slide and drawer systems, hinge, flap, and corner cabinet systems. Grass spearheaded the trend towards damp- ing systems for drawers and doors, and more recently it further advanced the development of movement systems with the world's first electronically controlled slide system, Sensotronic. But arguably, Grass's most well-known item is the Sensomatic, which requires just a light touch or pull to trigger an electric signal that starts the drawer or cabinet movement process in a fraction of a second. The European divisions of Grass are widely relied upon to predict trends that will eventually come to the North American residential sector (many of which involve architectural woodwork), and emerging from the EuroCucina trade show in Milan this year was Harald Klüh, Grass's global brand manager, who pointed out that residential kitchens – traditionally areas where woodworkers can combine their creative and practical skills – are evolving into living areas. "Glass and open structures dominate the picture," he said. "What used to be a cabinet is now a shelf," and he added that many other living room elements are being incorporated into kitchen designs. A Onyx Black Clip top Blumotion hinge from Blum. Sensotronic electronically controlled slide system from Grass.

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