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  Course: Functions & Features
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Hinges Add movement to your LEGO model! A hinge is a special LEGO element that you can use to make your model move. There are several types of LEGO hinges available, and you should choose one based on the kind of movement or functionality you want to create. This lesson will introduce you to the creative uses of LEGO hinges.  
Hinges are one of several elements that you can use to add movement to your LEGO model. By definition, a hinge is a joint which allows something to pivot, or rotate, around a central stationary point. Hinges can be made from tape, wood, plastic, metal, wire, paper, almost anything! Doors have hinges, your jaw is a hinge, and your fingers are hinged in three places. Look around and you will see that hinges are used in many things, including dump trucks, robots, a dishwasher, mailboxes, farm equipment, a toolbox, a flip phone, and many other places. This lesson will focus on the types and functions of LEGO hinges.
Types of LEGO hinges The most recently invented LEGO hinge is the click hinge. The click hinge uses friction to lock or stop the pieces of the hinge from moving freely. The central piece of a click hinge has 9 ridges, called stops, on which the outer pieces of the hinge get caught as they rotate. Only click hinges have these stops - other LEGO hinges do not. These other types of LEGO hinges are free-moving hinges. You should use a click hinge when you want something to pivot and stay in position when you let go. For example, click hinges are used to simulate crane arms, as in the Maximum Wheels Designer Set (4100) and legs, as in the Wild Collection Designer Set (4101). The stops in the click hinges allow the arms and legs to be set in position. Most click hinges come in different lengths, such as 1x2 ,1x4, and 1x6, and are available in two heights to match either the thickness of a brick, or the thickness of a plate [30383, 44567]. You can also choose between a hinge that pivots left to right (horizontally) and one that pivots up and down (vertically). Other LEGO hinges, like the 1x2 hinge plate do not have stops. These free-moving hinges will pivot with the weight of other elements that are attached to them. You may want to use a free-moving hinge in certain circumstances, such as when the hinge has a spring to push the hinged object open or closed, or a latch to lock the object in place. There are also other hinge elements, such as the 2x8 flap hinge and a link element. You may choose to use one or another depending on the effect you are trying to achieve. Another LEGO hinge element called a stump with crosshole contains an axle hole that allows you to combine System and Technic elements, as in the ant from the Wild Collection Designer Set (4101). Hinges in action To begin designing with hinges, think of a reason why you might want one element or part of your model to be connected at an angle. For example, we wanted the legs of the robots in the Robobots Designer set (4099) to move at an angle to the robot's main body, so we connected the legs with hinges. Maybe you want to make a secret hiding place in your model? How would you access it? Make a hinged door! Or, say you are building a car carrier but you don't want the cars on the carrier to roll off. What should you do? Build a hinged ramp! When the ramp is down, the cars can drive up onto the carrier, when the ramp is up, the cars can't roll off the back. All this is possible thanks to hinges.
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