Staircase Kit Using Templates for Adjustable Tread Support Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional method of designing and manufacturing staircases is time-consuming, taking up to six weeks, and prefabricated staircases are not adaptable to varying floor heights and spaces, limiting their suitability for all buildings.
Innovation Solution
A kit with templates and adjustable components, including stair supports and tread supports, allows for precise positioning and assembly of staircases to fit specific floor-to-floor heights, complying with building regulations, using templates or marked strings to define the correct positions of tread supports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a bespoke staircase is custom-designed to fit specific floor heights and spaces, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing time increases to up to six weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The staircase is divided into modular components including pre-fabricated stringers, treads, and risers that can be independently manufactured and then assembled. The template system is also segmented into multiple templates corresponding to different floor heights, allowing selective use rather than custom design for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
Templates and stringers are pre-marked and pre-drilled with hole patterns before delivery to the site. The templates include pre-marked positions for tread and riser supports, eliminating the need for on-site measurements and calculations. This preliminary preparation reduces on-site assembly time while maintaining adaptability to different floor heights through selection of appropriate pre-prepared components.
2Productivity
If prefabricated staircases are used to reduce manufacturing time, then productivity is improved, but adaptability to varying floor heights deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The kit provides a universal solution that can accommodate multiple floor heights and staircase configurations through a set of standardized templates and adjustable components. The same basic kit components can be adapted to different buildings by selecting appropriate templates and adjusting support positions, eliminating the need for completely different prefabricated units for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The staircase assembly allows for dynamic adjustment of tread and riser positions along the stringers. Supports can be positioned at various locations marked on the templates, enabling the same prefabricated components to adapt to different floor-to-floor heights and spatial requirements while maintaining quick assembly through the standardized system.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise positioning of tread supports is required to comply with building regulations, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple templates and marking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The template system uses standardized parameters including fixed hole spacing (e.g., 500mm centers) and predetermined support positions that ensure compliance with building regulations. By establishing these standard parameters in advance during template manufacturing, precision is built into the system without requiring complex on-site calculations or adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple identical templates are provided for different floor heights, each template being a precise copy of the regulatory requirements for that specific height. This allows workers to simply follow the template markings without needing to understand or calculate the underlying precision requirements, transferring the complexity to the template design phase rather than the assembly phase.
Data Source
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AI summary
A kit for assembling to produce a staircase, the kit comprising: a pair of stair supports (12); a plurality of treads (16); a plurality of risers (18); a plurality of tread supports (14) for supporting treads when the staircase is assembled; and means defining the correct position of the plurality of tread supports on the stair supports to produce a staircase to a given specification.