Electric wheelchairs, as an emerging tool for slow mobility, have gradually been recognized by many elderly and disabled people. How do we buy a cost-effective electric wheelchair?

As an industry insider for more than ten years, I would like to briefly help you sort out this problem from several aspects. The first thing we need to know is that each group and user’s own situation and use environment is different, which also leads to the differentiation of the products purchased.

Common materials are mainly divided into carbon steel, aluminium alloy, aerospace titanium aluminium alloy and magnesium alloy, carbon fibre

1. Carbon steel material.

Carbon steel frame is mainly used in heavy duty wheelchairs and some brands produced by small factories, heavy duty wheelchairs use steel frame in order to enhance the hardness of the body and driving stability, for example, many large trucks have steel frames and small cars can use aluminum is the same reason, small factories produce wheelchairs using steel frames because this kind of processing and welding process requirements are relatively low, the cost is also relatively The reason why small factories use steel frames is because they require less work and welding and are cheaper.

2. Aluminium & titanium-aluminium alloy

Aluminium alloy and titanium aluminium alloy, these two materials occupy the majority of the market for electric wheelchairs, they are 7001 and 7003 two different types of aluminium, that is, aluminium with other different mixed materials added to it, their common characteristics are low density and high strength, good plasticity resistance and corrosion resistance, to put it intuitively is light and strong and good processing, while titanium aluminium alloy is It is also known as titanium-aluminium alloy because of its strength and corrosion resistance. As the melting point of titanium is very high, reaching 1942 degrees, which is more than 900 degrees higher than that of gold, the processing and welding process is naturally very difficult and cannot be manufactured by a small processing plant, so wheelchairs made of titanium-aluminium alloy are more expensive. The former is suitable for infrequent use and good road and driving conditions, while users who use it very frequently, often need to carry it, and often drive on potholes and bumpy roads can choose a wheelchair made of titanium-aluminium alloy.

3. Magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloy is based on magnesium to join the other elements of the alloy. Its characteristics are: small density, high strength, high modulus of elasticity, good heat dissipation, good shock absorption, the ability to withstand impact loads than aluminum alloy, the most widely used is magnesium-aluminum alloy. Magnesium is the lightest of the practical metals, with a specific gravity of about two thirds that of aluminium and one quarter that of iron, and the use of magnesium for wheelchair frames is intended to achieve more “lightness” on the basis of aluminium.