Monday, 29 August 2011

written statement of purchased chair

The chair that I intend to redesign was manufactured by an Australian company called Aramea Furniture located in Sunshine, Melbourne. Aremea specialize in chairs, tables and any seating requirements in Commercial, Hospitality, Education, Healthcare, Industrial and Domestic applications. My chair could have potentially been used as a school or a dining chair. I could also imagine it being in any waiting or reception room. The chair is made from vinyl and tubular steel. Vinyl is a fabric that is manufactured to look like leather. It is stamped to create the creases and pores you’d find in real leather. Vinyl is used as a cheaper and environmentally friendly substitute for leather. Vinyl fabric is usually composed of reinforcing polyester scrim pressed between PVC films. The layers are joined by heat pressure or an adhesive to form a single ply. Tubular steel is used to construct the frame of the chair. To create the tubular shape, strips of steel goes through a forming process in which the sheet is passed through a series of rollers. The tube then goes through a welding process where the tubes go through a set of squeeze rolls which forges the hot edges of the tube together. To remove the weld bead from the outer side of the tube, it goes through a process called scarfing where the bead is cut to ensure a smooth outer surface. The components that make the frame of the chair are welded together. The chair is also constructed with screws that joins the back rest and frame together. The seat requires staples to join the vinyl fabric with the timber base. Stitching is also seen in the upholstery.

CAD drawing

photo essay of purchased chair

front view

perspective view

side view

back view

demonstrates the welding

demonstrates how the chair is constructed

close up of joining mechanisms

close up of stitches seen in the upholstery