Hi,
I am looking to create an inflatable compression vest for my autistic son, similar to what they have at this site. I want to build on their idea but make something larger that provides deep pressure to people with sensory issues. Does anyone know of or have any experience with fabrics and techniques for making airtight clothes/wearables or even just general inflatables experience. I have done some research into this, and it seems like parachute material or ripstop nylon is a good option, but I am not sure how to join it so it will be airtight.
Any insight into this would be extremely helpful.
Thanks in advance,
Marc.
@talkers has a son in a similar situation. He may be able to provide some assistance.
Would guess some thermal setting adhesive with an outer stich would work best. The outer stiching is there to prevent the edge of adhesive area from being slowly peeled back.
Good luck. We have heat presses so you may have success doing it.
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Odds are that the fabric doesn’t really matter. It is more likely that there are small bag inside of pockets in the fabric with hoses run between all of them. This is a complex project to build for an individual. Your going to need to solve a bunch of problems, sewing probably being the least of them. I would suggest first trying to figure out how to make custom shaped air bags first, like inflatable pillows.
http://www.xump.com/Images/Products/Inflatable-Pillow-500A.jpg
Source:http://www.xump.com/science/Inflatable-Pillow.cfm?SID=12&gclid=CKbX9fCX_s4CFQYPaQodlf8FXA
These are most likely heat sealed, so I would bet a costant heat roller sealer would be required.
Then you have to figure out how to add connections and hosing between the bags. Push Fitting and hose might work for that, but not sure how to connect to the bags.
http://www.smcusa.com/media/23235/tubing_300_114x114.jpg
Source: http://www.smcusa.com/top-navigation/products/connectors.aspx
Once you have that all figured out I would suggest tackling the sewing of the jacket with pockets to hold the air bags and channels to hide the network of tubes.
I hope this is helpful in figuring out the scale of your project. I’m no expert, this is just how I would try to tackle it at the start.
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I, too, am interested in this very thing, but for much less noble purposes.
I, too, have found the ripstop nylon seems like “the best”, but there certainly seem to be many schools of thought.
and finally, I, too, am wondering how to join such pieces of material so they are repeatably, reliably, reusable.
With bated breath…
EDIT: ooo. I type slow.
I did not know we had such things. Where would one find them, and are they as @Nick shows in the next post?
We have a heat press, not heat rollers. The heat press in the the Creative Arts room in the cabinet labeled Dye Sub Heat Press under the tall table.
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I think Nick is on the money…instead of an airtight fabric, it is a fabric cover over an inflatable product as detailed in the product description regarding cleaning it.
JUST FYI…not all of the following links are for “family friendly” sites so please don’t follow them at work.
For sheet latex and rubber and making clothing out of that kind of stuff, check out http://www.mjtrends.com/ They have a wide selection of materials and some really great tutorial videos about how to join up those kinds of sheeting materials and you can order swatches before you decide to purchase. They are also delightful to deal with on the phone and extremely knowledgeable.
If you need something super heavy-duty, you can also get latex covered kevlar sheeting from a different supplier. As for installing valves etc. for inflation, you will need to make sure you reinforce around the valve opening of course and depending on how you want to inflate it, but www.halkeyroberts.com might have some options for you…I’m thinking they’re medical line for a small hand pump maybe? …or another route might be http://elasticaengineering.com/airtight-valve/ I’m not sure exactly what your needs are for inflation/deflation.
Design-wise, with the latex or rubber sheeting, you could really just make a vest leaving some simple inflation channels between various chambers and then cover it with a durable fabric of your choice.
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Thanks everyone for the feedback and especially for all of the links. I am going to look at the idea of fabric with an airtight liner and see what I come up. Everyone’s help and insight is much appreciated.