W.S.G. Isaac Newton

Reinventing a Circular and Functional Mattress for the Healthcare Sector

This internship assignment, which was conducted at Saxion Hogeschool Enschede under Raak MKB – ReMat Initiative (Project code: 16.006) was focused on discovering an alternative solution for hospital mattress covers to eliminate the need for stitching, preventing bacterial growth, fluid leakage and dust accumulation at seams. After conducting an extensive literature survey, many different fabric-welding options were explored. Knitted fabric samples were created and welded using a VETRON flatbed ultrasonic welding machine. Tensile strength tests were also carried out using the TENSOLAB machine to determine the durability of the welded sample and the results were recorded for final results. Parameters such as power, boost power and pressure were varied to obtain optimum results. The personal experience was good as it gave me an opportunity to do something new in the field of textiles and it taught me the importance of this assignment in real-life situations.