Pair of Anti-Tip Bars
The final design was made of aluminum, tumbled and anodized to protect the part. Aluminum was chosen because of its strength to weight ratio.
Design and Prototyping
Early on the designed focused on minimal material and impact on mobility. It was important that any addition to the wheelchair would not inhibit the user. That said we wanted the parts to be able to withstand forces without failing. We printed our design on the 3d printer and tested them for fit and to prove out our concept.
Machining and Finishing
Once we had a design ready to be cut out of aluminum we turned to our CNC mill. After a few mistakes, the finished parts were tumbled in a rock tumbler to debur and soften any sharp edges then anodized black. We settled on black to minimize the part on the wheelchair. We decided that safety did not need to be visually highlighted.
