WHEELCHAIR LIFT
Role
Time
Type
Team
:
:
:
:
Designer, Engineer
August 2022
Design Engineering
Ryan Hinchey,
Stephen Deschamps
Lightweight Wheelchair Lift for Sport Chairs
This project was my assignment while working at Hinchey Design Co. My responsibility was to take the MK3 version of the lift and fix the major mechanical issues in the drive train while adding a safety release mechanism for the case of a battery failure when raised. I redesigned the front face of the lift so that it was clear to the user where each key function should be performed without looking.
Prototyping
Nearly all of the design work for this project was done in SolidWorks, modeling many iterations and performing FEA to ensure they would hold up to loads. Some components, especially inside the new clutch I designed, needed to be physically prototyped to ensure they functioned correctly. The prototypes I made were 3D printed using off the shelf metal parts for the clutch's internal pieces. After the whole design was finalized, we got all of the parts machined to determine if they would work in a final solution. Below is a render I made of the wheelchair lift attaching to a chair, raising, then tucking away to drive off.
Lightweight Wheelchair Lift for Sport Chairs
This project was my assignment while working at Hinchey Design Co. My responsibility was to take the MK3 version of the lift and fix the major mechanical issues in the drive train while adding a safety release mechanism for the case of a battery failure when raised. I redesigned the front face of the lift so that it was clear to the user where each key function should be performed without looking.
Prototyping
Nearly all of the design work for this project was done in SolidWorks, modeling many iterations and performing FEA to ensure they would hold up to loads. Some components, especially inside the new clutch I designed, needed to be physically prototyped to ensure they functioned correctly. The prototypes I made were 3D printed using off the shelf metal parts for the clutch's internal pieces. After the whole design was finalized, we got all of the parts machined to determine if they would work in a final solution. Below is a render I made of the wheelchair lift attaching to a chair, raising, then tucking away to drive off.