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1Step 1: Making 3D Parts
Several of the components are now made on a 3D printer (Press Bar, Press Bar Clamp, Release Trigger Lever, Adapter, and extender). There will be a point in manufacturing that this is no longer feasible, but for prototyping it works well. These components are designed and tested using this process
Press Bar and Press Bar ClampAdapter and Extender -
2Step 2: Procuring Purchased Components
Several components are going to be purchased (springs, connection pins, foot, and cables). These are standard components that for prototyping and various design samples are not required to be custom made.
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3Step 3: Mate Components
There will be mating of components required at the "factory" level. This includes pinning the Press Bar to the Press Bar Clamp (x2), pinning the Release Trigger Lever to the Adapter, installing the Spring to the Adapter, and screwing the Foot to the Extender.
There may also be some pre-cabling that could be done so that the customer is not required to do this. The pre-cabling will be decided at some later date is it may not be feasible to be done at the factory level.
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4Step 4: Design Custom Label and Build Instructions
This will come as the use and possible misuse of the Staircane becomes better known. There will need to be capacity warnings, weight warnings, tip warnings, and others.
Build instructions would have to worded based on the two installation options we are exploring (see Step 5)
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5Step 5: Installation of Staircane Components onto a Walker
As far as installation, there are two possibilities. The 1st option would be to send out as a kit. The customer would fill out a postcard with the parameters we would need. Upon receiving all relevant information, a kit with build instructions would be sent out for the customer to install. The 2nd option would be for the customer to send in their walker and we would install the kit at the factory.
At this time it isn't known whether offering both options is a sound business model. we don't know the variety of the walker models out there, nor do we know idf customers would be willing and able to install themselves. So for right now the two options are on the table.
Down the road, a 3rd option would be to sell a pre-built walker. But until a market segment is defined, the procurement and assembly process is better defined, and the costs are known, this options remains only for future considerations.
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