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Our
design was specified to hold the full weight of a large adult—a required
safety measure in case a parent were to slip and catch their weight while
an infant was in the changing table. Our final design interlocks a series
of blow-molded parts to form a captured oversized hinge when the station
is fastened to the wall. The inspiration for this approach, in part, came
from another application of blow molding. In the late 1960s the toy maker
Mattel used innovative blow-molded construction. The "BIG WHEEL"
plastic tricycle had a large, oversized hinge in the steering column. It
never broke. However, the rear wheel axles with steel pins were far weaker
and usually failed over time because of the inherent wear between dissimilar
materials. Our design avoids this problem by eliminating the steel. The
load is distributed evenly throughout the geometry and the table remains
strong even after being stressed. The all-plastic construction is long lasting,
inexpensive, and easily cleaned. |
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