Research Project
2202951
The advancement of custom and specialized seating technology is recognized as a priority for medical and rehabilitation research aimed at enhancing the mobility and other functions of individuals with physical disabilities. This proposed work is a feasibility study for an innovative manufacturing process for contoured cushions that will replace existing carving and molding processes with a more efficient, less costly and faster process. A reusable die shape will be developed for a molding process similar to that used for fabricating custom molded seating systems. It is desirable to eliminate the use of permanent molds in that process because it is time consuming, expensive, requires skilled personnel and produces substantial waste. The key element of the new process is a computer-controlled surface to replace the molds. The proposed project's objective is to evaluate various design alternatives by building models of key system components and evaluating their performance.
