Skip to content
Lit médicalisé hôtelier Floore.jpg

Stories by Hydro

Designing medical beds with AHF

The company AHF specializes in the production of beds and furniture for hospitals, clinics, retirement homes and communities. The long-stay and short-stay beds are designed by AHF’s creative research & development department. For the FLOORE bed, AHF wanted to offer a hotel-style medical bed that would be warm and comfortable for the future residents, and at the same time practical and functional for the nursing staff.

In-house development

The FLOORE bed was designed in-house and is now completely manufactured in the factory located in La Tourette, in the Loire (France). AHF focused its design research on well-being and comfort, both for caregivers and patients. Design is also very important. The customers can completely personalize the bed thanks to the different laminate and wood color charts.

It's an electric variable height bed with a bust and thigh support designed to provide care if necessary and to relax, sleep and rest in the best conditions. The functions of the bed are controlled from patient and/or caregiver remote control. The bed has a semi-centralized braking system and can be equipped with barriers to guarantee the patient's safety. Comfort is also very important: a wide range of equipment is available to create an environment matching the resident's needs For example: a reading light and a sound system integrated in the headboard of the bed.

Durability

Durability is a very important factor, residents in these kinds of establishments spend a lot of time in their bed and it must resist wear and tear over time. Durability is also important to guarantee the safety of the residents and to respect the hygiene rules. The quality processes are strict to guarantee all these aspects.

AHF is particularly focused on manufacturing qualitative, reliable and safe products. This is possible thanks to the internal team, and also thanks to the chosen partners. “We find in Hydro the same objectives. That's why we decided to work with them" (AHF team).

a close-up of a wallet

Collaboration

The design office of AHF was invited to a training course at Hydro in Albi to visit the production site and learn how to design and draw profiles with all the rules to be respected. This allowed AHF to discover all the additional solutions offered by Hydro, such as machining, anodizing, etc...

The added value is obviously the lightness of the parts with a high resistance to impact and fatigue. The other major advantage that is needed in retirement homes is the ease of cleaning and disinfection of anodized aluminium parts.

Besides the lightness and cleanliness of anodized aluminium profiles, AHF found many solutions when designing with profile shapes. For example, in case of the FLOORE bed they designed a full-length barrier consisting of two profiles that were harmoniously integrated.

The most important aim for AHF is to offer a bed “just like at home”, and with this development they succeeded in just that!

About AHFa green and white sign
Founded in 1947, AHF designs, manufactures and markets a range of beds and furniture intended for the layout of rooms and living areas in medical and accommodation establishments, for both short and long stays. Based in La Tourette (Loire, France), the teams represent around 70 people, including a dedicated R&D department, production workshops specific to each profession, and a national and international sales force.

 

Recommended for you