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Product Designer
Product Manufacturer Product Description and Principal Function(s) A multifolding ladder is basically a conventional ladder with the inclusion of three sets of three position articulated hinges which allow the ladder to be folded and locked into numerous shapes. These shapes include the conventional step ladder and straight ladder as well as trestle, standoff, bench and many others. They are usually manufactured from aluminium with steel hinges.All domestic multifolding ladders in Australia, until the launch of this product, were imported from either China or Korea and are based on a hinge designed and patented in Germany in the early seventies. PRINCIPAL FUNCTION(S) The hinge must be strong enough to pass the test requirements of Australian Standard AS1892.1:1996 It should be quick and simple to operate and must be easily and securely locked into position . It should be designed so that it cannot be accidentally released by the ladder user. It must clearly indicate when the hinge is locked and safe to use. It must be as light as possible whilst still achieving the strength requirements. It must not have any pinch point which could harm the user. RELEVANCE OF EXTERNAL FORM AND ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS Ladders are often carried in the back of utilities or on roof racks of vehicles. A streamline ladder design without the usual bulbous imported hinges and protruding knobs and catches is much more easily handled, transported, and stored. Weight is also a significant consideration as ladders must be carried to and from the work site and are generally used by both men and women. DESIGN PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND SOLVED The first major problem to overcome was to find an alternative hinge method to the single fulcrum design used by the imports. Once established that the dual fulcrum design could achieve the same function but with a number of advantages the next problem was to keep the three separate sections of the hinge in the correct orientation at all times. Without some method of control the hinge has a mind of its own and you cannot add a locking system. Numerous alternatives were tried until the mechanical link was settled upon. Having this established as a concept an actual working model was produced. Next a locking method was designed which would fit inside the rung and operate both sides of the ladder at the same time. The design was an iterative approach testing for mechanical strength at each stage whilst consideration was given to ergonomics, function, aesthetics, and ease of production. The design, development, and testing stage took fifteen months to complete and the first complete working ladder sample took 400 hour to produce. Key Product Features and Benefits This ladder and hinge is an innovative departure from conventional design.It has patents pending in Australia and the USA. It is the first multifolding ladder ever to unlock both sides of the ladder simultaneously, making it the simplest and most user friendly ladder available. It is competitively priced against imports from Asia and it has very quickly displaced imports in both Australia and New Zealand. WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT FEATURES? Lofty uses a completely new hinge design. Instead of the conventional, single fulcrum , the Lofty design uses a linked dual fulcrum method which has a number of significant features .The major points are: (a) Central locking - the ability to unlock two hinges simultaneously. This product is the first multifolding ladder world wide to be patented with this feature. Making it more convenient to use than any other folding ladder. (b) Hinge at rung - By placing the hinge at a rung a considerable material saving can be made compared to the imported designs which place the hinges between rungs. (c) Extrusions - Lofty’s double fulcrum design is the only hinge to be manufactured totally from extrusions. By using extrusions, aluminium can be optimised. Metal need only be used where it is required for strength. This results in less metal usage than in the imported pressed metal hinges .The use of extrusions also reduces the capital investment required to produce the hinges. (d) Weight - Lofty’s hinges are made totally from aluminium. Compared to the steel hinges the difference in weight is about 4 kg on a six foot ladder. The most common imported ladder weighs 14 kg. The Lofty equivalent weighs 10 kg. (e) Streamline appearance - The double fulcrum hinge produces a streamline ladder because they fold flat with the ladder stiles. Imported designs use a single fulcrum with the fulcrum outside the ladder stile . This results in large bulbous hinges. (f) Safety - The Lofty design has no latches , knobs , or arms that protrude from the ladder. Its operating mechanism lies flat on the rung and cannot be accidentally unlocked. It has no pinch points like the imported ladders. What environmental considerations if any, were taken into account? The ladder is almost completely manufactured from aluminium. This is an environmentally friendly metal which is 100% recyclable. Even the saw swarf created in producing the ladders is recycled. PROOF OF SUCCESS Our success is demonstrated by the support the product has received in the market place. Our products are ranged by Mitre 10 Northern ,BBC Hardwarehouse , Bunnings McEwans, and Kmart. We also export to Benchmark Building Supplies in New Zealand and sell to hundreds of individual hardware and tool specialists stores Australia wide. After the first eighteen months of trading we now supply a significant proportion of the Australian market in domestic and industrial multifolding ladders. |
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Design Award
