Innovative Positioning Support for Infants with Developmental Delays

In a collaborative effort between Affect Ltd, a renowned design consultancy and our team at Adtech, a groundbreaking project was undertaken to address the critical need for supportive positioning for infants experiencing developmental delays. The objective was to design and produce a PVC bag capable of maintaining a vacuum for 24 hours, while ensuring optimal comfort and safety for the user.

Collaboration

Affect Ltd approached us to collaborate on this pivotal project for Daytot, a venture dedicated to infant development. With Affect's extensive experience as a design house, their partnership brought invaluable insights and expertise to the table. Their portfolio, including projects showcased on their website, underscores their capabilities in delivering innovative solutions.

Affect is a Belfast-based design studio dedicated to collaborating with businesses, researchers, inventors, and charities to turn ideas into marketable products and brands. With a focus on creativity and innovation, their expertise spans the entire product development process – from conceptualising and ideation, prototyping and testing, to design for manufacture and market implementation. Their design methodology is concentrated on acquiring a deep understanding of users and their needs to craft unique solutions that truly bring something new to the market. Affect is a Belfast-based design studio dedicated to collaborating with businesses, researchers, inventors, and charities to turn ideas into marketable products and brands. With a focus on creativity and innovation, their expertise spans the entire product development process – from conceptualising and ideation, prototyping and testing, to design for manufacture and market implementation. Their design methodology is concentrated on acquiring a deep understanding of users and their needs to craft unique solutions that truly bring something new to the market. 

You can view their expertise and experience on their website https://www.studioaffect.com/ You can view their expertise and experience on their website https://www.studioaffect.com/ 

Project Overview

The project entailed the creation of a durable PVC bag capable of sustaining a vacuum for extended periods. Additionally, the bag needed to incorporate soft PVC film for user comfort, along with a bead filling to provide necessary support. A key challenge arose in securing the beads within the bag using a large aperture PVC connector, necessitating innovative welding techniques and material selection.

Approach

Initial prototypes were crafted using straight bar weld tools to finalise the bag's profile. Subsequently, production tooling with curved edges was developed for mass production. Full traceability was imperative, with the integration of bespoke serial numbered labels to meet stringent medical device standards.

Challenges Overcome

Several obstacles were encountered during the development process, including ensuring the bags maintained vacuum integrity and addressing leakage issues caused by the modified connector configuration. Close collaboration between our R & D team and the Affect team was instrumental in problem-solving and devising effective testing protocols to ensure product reliability.

Current Status

Following rigorous testing and refinement, the product was approved for final production and has since become a standard offering in our portfolio. Production batches were successfully delivered as per the agreed schedule, leading to the successful launch of the product by Daytot, thereby advancing the support available for infant development. This collaborative endeavour exemplifies the power of partnership and innovation in addressing critical healthcare needs, with the potential to positively impact the lives of infants and their families.

"This project demanded specialist materials and manufacturingexpertise, multiple quick prototype cycles, careful costmanagement, and adherence to a strict timeline. Adtechexcelled in all these areas, whilst delivering impressiveresults. We valued their flexibility and, in particular, theirwillingness to work closely with us to resolve several featurescritical to the product's performance. Now we’re in production,Adtech remain pleasingly responsive, continuously refiningprocesses and methods to ensure high standards aremaintained. We’re very grateful to have found such a reliableand high-quality production partner. ukThis project demanded specialist materials and manufacturingexpertise, multiple quick prototype cycles, careful costmanagement, and adherence to a strict timeline. Adtechexcelled in all these areas, whilst delivering impressiveresults. We valued their flexibility and, in particular, theirwillingness to work closely with us to resolve several featurescritical to the product's performance. Now we’re in production,Adtech remain pleasingly responsive, continuously refiningprocesses and methods to ensure high standards aremaintained. We’re very grateful to have found such a reliableand high-quality production partner."  Chris McNicholl, Design & Technical Manager

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