Moen Home care – transfer bench
Moen retained Design Integrity (DI) to collaborate on the design of four new bathroom accessibility products for Moen’s Home Care line. The glacier white Transfer Bench was designed to make it easier for seniors and persons with compromised balance or at risk from a slip or fall to get in and out of the shower.
The industrial design team at Moen led the ID effort, while the engineering team at DI developed the engineering design for full scale production. This product was developed back in 2002, and it has now been in the marketplace for 20 years.
Challenge
Moen had plans to expand their Home Care line, which is targeted towards consumers that need extra support when maneuvering around the bathroom. Design Integrity was retained to assist with the development of four new products, including a new transfer bench.
Goals for the new transfer bench included:
- tool-free assembly
- light weight
- modern aesthetics and surfacing to separate the product from commodity offerings in the market
- ease of height adjustment
- secure mounting of a showerhead, optional handles, and bathing supplies
- the ability to swap the seats and backrest from one side to the other
Solution
To meet the aesthetic requirements, the complex surfaces of transfer bench were designed with Pro/ENGINEER software. The seats and backrest were designed to be manufactured at high production volumes and low cost using the blow-molding process.
Attachment points for the accessories were incorporated into the blow-molded seats to reduce the product cost. The seats and frame are reversible, so end users can assemble the bench oriented in the desired configuration for access to either the right side or left side of a tub and shower.
Aluminum legs with common attachment and adjustment hardware were spec’d to keep both the cost and weight at a minimum. Screws with plastic knobs were designed for the assembly of the legs to the seats so the bench could be assembled without tools.
Client Benefit
The Moen transfer bench was launched across several retail channels including Lowe’s hardware stores back in 2002. This year, the bench is still available across several channels and it marks 20 years and counting in the marketplace.
These days, it is rare for products to be on the market for such an extended period. The collaborative effort between Moen’s ID team and the engineering team at DI led to a design that hit the target with an appropriate feature set and contemporary aesthetics that have stood the test of time.
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