Output details

Redesign of disabled persons’ shower tray for Easibathe Ltd.

Beckwith was commissioned by Easibathe to design a shower tray for people with disabilities, including individuals with extreme obesity. Easibathe work closely with occupational therapists and healthcare professionals to produce sanitary ware for the disabled conforming to rigorous safety standards. Its clients include local authorities, housing associations, contractors and charities. Previous shower tray designs had failed fatigue tests and at 25kg were too heavy, requiring two operatives for installation. It follows that a key problem to be addressed in the re-design was to resolve issues around the weight and strength of the shower tray to make it fit for purpose. A pre-production prototype was developed through to a CNC machined from a solid conglomerate blank. Beckwith utilized Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and value engineering to realize a concept that was flexible and lightweight. The prototype was mechanically fatigue tested at the Resource Centre for Innovation & Design at Newcastle University. The final product was again fatigue tested before full production commenced. The tray is made from a glass-reinforced conglomerate which has a load bearing capacity in excess of 30 stone (190kgs) and a positive slip resistant tread pattern for extra safety. It is fully fit for purpose and lighter than the competition, so reducing the cost of transportation and installation.