Will 3D printed and customized seats for wheelchairs be the next new normal?
Embrace seat is the introduction of new digital manufacturing technology to customize seats for wheelchairs may be the 3D printing news of the year.
Embrace seat is the introduction of new digital manufacturing technology to customize seats for wheelchairs may be the 3D printing news of the year.
A new digital manufacturing technology to produce customized individual seats and cushions, including 3D printing and the possibility to decentralize production. Besides moving away from traditional heavy waste subtractive manufacturing, our 3D printing solution for customized seats also introduces remarkable features for the user’s benefit and a circular economy scheme.
Our solution allows for designing customized seats with gradient flexible zones, that enable the professional to define different hardnesses and 3D print in one workflow. Hence, you avoid time-consuming efforts in manual modification of the seat with different foam types. This will give the orthopedic workshop more time for the end user.
For the end user of the seat cushion in the wheelchair, our solution provides advanced support and adds comfort. Our 3D-printed Embrace seat solution lives up to all requirements, just like the traditionally crafted seats, and may add new value.
Furthermore, this solution supports the transition into a more sustainable way of manufacturing without generating a significant amount of waste.
Get your seat, corset, socket, or cast 3D printed in top quality. We use your own custom design and meet your requirements for material, strength, quality, and functionality.
The production of a 3D printed seat is made in several steps:
In the traditional crafting of customized wheelchair seats, the post-processing with additional carving and gluing on different foams to obtain varying hardness zones is a considerable labor-intensive and subtractive addition to the primary process.
With the 3D printing approach, we can remove the post-processing effort since there is no additional carving and gluing of different foams.
Start processing by importing the 3D models (from your cad software) as an stl file of the seat in our professional REALvision Embrace 3D printer software. You can modify the parameters for printing the seat and change the hardness zones or infill types to optimize the final result before making the 3D print file.
Together with a partner, we provide the Embrace Seat solution:
We use 3D print filament made from flexible TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) material. These 3D printing materials will naturally comply with EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2.
From a manufacturing point of view, using the printing process limits the waste to zero, and with a recycling scheme of the seat, the environmental footprint is reduced significantly compared to that of traditional foam seats.
Another advantage of using additive manufacturing technologies with melting plastic parts as infill is that it ensures a no-dust production environment. There is no hindrance to operating the 3D printing production in a standard office environment.
After printing, the wheelchair cushions are handled like in traditional crafting. The printed seat is breathable and ergonomically made from thermoplastics, which makes it hygienic, as fluids are easily cleaned up.
Traditional manufacturing with a robot carving machine requires significant upfront investment, whereas our 3D printing solution is attainable even for smaller O & P workshops making the return of investment period very short.
All you need to get started is 3D modeling software or an STL file, 3D printing software, the FDM printer and filament. Talk to us about how to start with actual production, where the process is replicable, traceable and validated. This solution is not for prototyping, but will take you to actual production once it is installed at your premises
We challenge the status quo, wasteful production processes, and traditional markets to adopt new materials and technologies. Mass customization is one of the most significant advantages of this technology, as it enables straightforward print service and production within a few days of delivery.
Many people still calculate 3D printing as a prototype technology for hobbyists. We invite you as a professional CPO, clinician, or orthopedic technician to join us in the 3D printing revolution by producing printed products such as the wheelchair seat rapidly, cost-effectively, and adding more value for the end user.