October 2008

Material opens up the way for numerous design options and cost-effective production

Rehabilitation centers and fitness studios offer a great many options for regaining mobility and fitness as quickly as possible following an injury or illness – or simply for staying in perfect shape – but few exercise machines are quite as spectacular as the “Imoove” from French company Allcare Innovations based in Chabeuil.

The base, frame and some other parts of this man-size machine are made from the polyurethane integral skin foam Baydur® from BaySystems Italia, the Italian polyurethane systems partner of Bayer MaterialScience.

The Imoove’s training platform makes elliptical movements to which the muscles and joints of the person exercising on the machine need to continually react in order to maintain their balance. Patients and keep-fit enthusiasts can perform numerous exercises – which are demonstrated on a monitor by over 100 computer programs – to improve their posture and mobility and strengthen their muscles. Varying the platform’s frequency, oscillation and inclination stimulates muscle tone and improves spinal mobility. The machine’s frame consists of a column to which both the monitor and the distinctive metal arms that the person exercising holds onto are attached.

Allcare Innovations developed the machine – based on an ingenious idea by the two company founders, Gianfranco Tudico and Alain Bardon – in cooperation with the Italian Caleidos Group. “For financial reasons, we decided against using thermoplastics at a very early stage – the quantities we were looking at would not have justified the investment required for injection molding,” explains Gian Luca Guzzinati, Technical Director at Caleidos. “By contrast, polyurethane integral skin foam has proved ideal for this application. Being able to use aluminum molds results in cost-effective production and also gives the machine the necessary robustness,” adds Guzzinati. Articles made from the rigid polyurethane integral skin foam demonstrate excellent strength and dimensional stability.

Italian company 2a.effe, based in Lissone, makes the polyurethane elements for the Imoove by injecting the two polyurethane components into closed aluminum molds. The molds can be produced cost-effectively, and the excellent flowability of the reaction mixture means that even large molded parts with complex geometries can be produced. The front and rear covers of the column and the moving platform are made from Baydur® 60. Thanks to its sandwich structure, this lightweight material demonstrates outstanding stiffness. The sockets to which the side components are attached and the display surround are made from Baydur® 110. This material is an almost solid polyurethane that is ideal for large and complex molded parts and demonstrates excellent stiffness, even in thin-wall designs.

“This is yet another example of designers making full use of the scope provided by Baydur®,” observes Ivano Colpani, Project Manager at BaySystems Italia, which supplies the polyurethane systems. “Thanks to the successful cooperation of all those involved in the Imoove’s development, the molded parts from the initial production test could go straight to the prototype stage without any subsequent adjustments to the machines,” adds Caleidos expert Guzzinati.

The two materials used here enable customers to benefit from the polyurethane expertise that Bayer MaterialScience has acquired over decades as a supplier to the polyurethane industry. BaySystems®, the umbrella brand for the global polyurethane systems operations of Bayer MaterialScience, has grown out of this expertise and the company’s close cooperation with its customers.

About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2007 sales of EUR 10.4 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, and sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2007, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 15,400 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

For more information visit www.bayermaterialscience.de, www.bayer-baysystems.com, www.2aeffe.com and www.imoove-fr.com.