Comments Off on Cradle Baby Bathing Bowl® – Delivering a Happy Baby
Newborns are in a “primary curve” C-shaped fetal position upon birth and for the first few months of life, they do not yet have the muscles to support their head. Research has shown that keeping an infant’s spine straight is not a sound physiological position and in addition to stressing the baby’s spine, it can also negatively influence the development of the baby’s hip joints (Dr. Evelin Kirkilionis, University of Freiburg).
Straightening the baby’s spine immediately after birth is not healthy. Giving birth is stressful for the mother and healthcare providers have made advancements in reducing this stress for mothers. If you do a web search for reducing the stress of child birth you will find most results are geared toward reducing the stress for mothers.
At ASST, we know that reducing the stress of birth for the child is important to every parent and the desire for every parent is to have a happy, healthy baby. We worked with the labor and delivery team at St. Joseph Medical Center in Baltimore to develop our Cradle Baby Bathing Bowl®. Our Cradle Baby Bathing Bowl® is ergonomically designed to support the newborn and reduce the risk of Healthcare Acquired Infection. From Africa to Australia, our Cradle Baby Bathing Bowl® is part of new life around the world.
Whatever your solid surface needs, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality
standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Solid Surfaces – The Solid Choice For Healthcare
Healthcare Acquired Infections are also known as nosocomial (nōzōˈkōmēəl) infections. The awareness of Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI) is at an all-time high and prevention or reduction of HAI is crucial to caring for the patient. HAI costs are incurred by the patient and the healthcare provider. Patient costs of HAI include increased length of stay and even death. Healthcare provider costs of HAI are withheld provider compensation and higher insurance rates.
How can healthcare providers reduce the risk of HAI? One of the primary methods of reducing HAI, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is environmental cleaning. How can you clean a laminated top with a chip exposing the particle board core? The answer is that you can’t. In most healthcare environments, once a PLAM countertop has been chipped, it will have to be replaced to ensure that the healthcare provider is reducing the risk of HAI and will pass a healthcare inspection.
What if your method of infection control cleaning damages your furnishings? Ethanol, bleach and strong detergents will deteriorate Plastic Laminate (PLAM) exposing the particle wood substrate beneath. This provides a medium for bacteria to grow and another check mark for the health inspector. When PVC edge banding peals, the exposed wood substrate is a prime location for bacterial growth as well.
Solid Surfaces are resistant to chemicals, restistant to bacteria and will not delaminate. This makes solid surfaces desirable for healthcare environments and HAI can be reduced by replacing PLAM with solid surfaces. Every health system should make the replacement of laminate surfaces with solid surfaces part of their Infection Control Plan.
At ASST, we have been fabricating healthcare solid surfaces for 22 years. We have a solid surface
fabrication facility in McSherrystown, PA and a quartz fabrication facility in Corry, PA. Whatever
your needs, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality
standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Healthcare professionals learned long ago that being cold will not give you a cold and today we know traditional casework is harboring bacteria. The most important part of healthcare casework is helping people heal. Why are we still using the same casework that is making people sick?
One of the cross-cutting issues of acute healthcare is the cost of preventing Healthcare Acquired Infection (HAI) and the cost of furnishings that are specified. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 31 patients will become sick due to of a HAI. While casework is one of the largest investments that a healthcare facility makes when it comes to healthcare furnishing, it is also a likely place for HAI.
Traditional casework is fabricated using wood particle substrates laminated and trimmed with plastic or PVC. There are many places traditional casework can harbor infectious diseases. The most common places on or in healthcare casework for bacteria to grow and spread are handles, peeling laminate or the seam of edge banding. Why are health systems still using casework that peels apart, ensuring that bacterial will be spread?
Solid surface is the future of healthcare casework. Changes in the design of acute healthcare casework will help prevent disease and even promote healing. Eliminating laminate, banded edges and minimizing seams removes the environment for bacterial growth and transmission. Because the lifespan of casework is substantially extended with solid surfaces, the overall cost of solid surface casework is lower than traditional laminate casework.
At ASST, we have been fabricating solid surfaces for 21 years and we know that the future of casework is solid surface. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality standards you expect. We look forward to Going Beyond for your exciting project! Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Using 3D Technology to Push Solid Surface Innovation: How 5-Axis CNC is Changing Solid Surface Fabrication
Architects and Designers are continuing to create innovative geometric forms to satisfy their Client’s branding requirements. While companies today have a need to project an image of innovation and quality, this creates the problem of how to fabricate molds in a quick and cost effective manner. Curved solid surface cladding requires molds to form the heated solid surface to the geometry specified on the architectural drawings.
Creating wooden molds by carving them with power hand tools was initially the way it was done. The problem was how to reduce the exorbitant labor costs for creating these molds by hand. Also, using solid hardwood is expensive and was required depending upon the mold design.
With ASST’s 5-Axis CNC, we have addressed these problems. Labor costs have been reduced for the customer and new innovative sustainable molding materials can be utilized with this technology. We are also constantly looking for the next generation of materials to create our molds for better durability and machining accuracy.
We have found that the only limits to 5-Axis CNC capability is the designer’s imagination and CNC Engineer’s abilities. The evolution of 5-Axis CNC machining will eventually usher us into a world of instantaneous object creation further expanding the boundaries of innovative designs with solid surface. ASST looks forward to the challenges and opportunities this will present!
ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your project. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications you require and the finest quality standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Healthcare Infection Prevention – Solid Surface Solutions for Infection Control
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approximately one in 25 acute care patients acquires an infection during their stay. These findings are alarming and have triggered an urgency to address the issues surrounding patient acquired infections. Facilities managers and infection control practitioners (ICPs) are aware of how bacteria and mold grow in/on horizontal and vertical surfaces. It wasn’t until recently that sinks, countertops and wall cladding were studied as potential sites for the spread of disease.
Plastic laminate finishes on healthcare casework and wall cladding have seams and exposed edges that can harbor bacteria. Laminate substrate is usually particle board. While it is dense and may appear to be non-absorbent, it is porous and will absorb moisture over time. Wet wood will harbor bacteria, especially Aspergillus fungi.
A solution to these problems can be found by utilizing solid surface which inherently inhibits bacterial growth. By creating a seamless, nonporous surface where pathogens can’t grow, solid surface can help with control issues and maintenance. Solid surfaces such as Corian, Avonite, Wilsonart, Durasein, LG or Krion can survive the impacts, nicks and cuts that ruin most wall surfaces. It is renewable, repairable and reusable. If the solid surface is damaged it can be repaired onsite, saving labor costs and resources. While warranties may vary from manufacturers, some will guarantee the material for as long a ten years.
Solid surfaces have proven superior performance in healthcare applications such as wall cladding, casework, countertops and more. Let ASST ASsiST you protecting the health of others with our custom solid surface fabrication. For a quote, contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Solid Surface Healthcare Casework – Thinking Outside the Square Box
The healthcare industry has long understood the necessity of reducing the spread of bacteria by minimizing the use of porous materials. For years the healthcare industry has utilized Plastic Laminate (PLAM) casework because of the cost effective traits. Solid surfaces such as Corian ®, Durasein ®, Krion ®, LG HI-MACS ®, Wilsonart®, and Avonite ® may cost more upfront; however, this material is virtually future proof.
Casework has traditionally been made of Plastic Laminate clad MDF with PVC glued to the edges. Some of the shortcomings of PLAM casework is the lifespan before adhesives start to fail, the durability of laminate materials and the lack of positive aesthetics. Once the casework is damaged or begins to come apart, it is no longer suitable for healthcare without the risk of harboring bacteria. No health system wants to find out that the loose PVC edging on a piece of casework is spreading bacteria. PLAM is traditionally made using square or rectangular shapes which limits the creativity of design. Today health systems are looking to assist people with ailments as well as being known as a leader in design.
Solid surface material is ideal for the healthcare industry. Solid surfaces are non-porous making it resistant to bacteria growth. Solid surfaces are easy to clean and because there are no layers, it will not separate. Solid surface is easy to repair, long lasting and can be thermoformed into any shape. At ASST, we have 21 years of experience fabricating casework for the healthcare industry. If you want to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria and wow your customers with the design, solid surface is the obvious choice.
If you want your next project to stand the test of time and “wow” your customer, let ASST help you out. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to your exact specifications, in a safe manner, and
to the finest quality standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Newborn Ergonomics – Solid Surface Cradle Baby Bowl
At some point in your childhood your parents probably told you “to sit up straight” or “don’t slouch”. Although these are well-intentioned instructions, our spines are anything but straight even at birth. Newborns are in a “Primary Curve” C-shaped fetal position upon birth and for the first few months of life, they do not yet have the muscles to support their head. Research has shown that keeping an infant’s spine straight is not a sound physiological position and in addition to stressing the baby’s spine, it can negatively influence the development of a baby’s hip joints. (Dr. Evelin Kirkilionis, University of Freiburg, 2002).
Although there has been much written about adult ergonomics, there has been little innovation and/or product development addressing ergonomic solutions for newborns. ASST first became aware of the need for an innovative baby bathing bowl solution while working with the labor & delivery team at St. Joseph Medical Center in Baltimore. The nursing staff had become frustrated with the bathing bowl that had been recommended for a new project at the hospital. In response to the St. Joseph nursing team’s request, ASST began the design development for an ergonomic baby bowl. The new bowl design needed both a sloped bottom that conformed to the C-shaped spinal curvature of a newborn’s body as well as be fabricated in seamless solid surface.
With the creation of several baby sink mockups, the teams collaboratively worked to test and analyze the final design. The result was the Cradle Baby Bowl ® that supports both a newborn’s head and back during bathing. The seamless connection between the bowl and the adjacent solid surface counter also eliminated corners that could pose an infection risk during bathing. A design that is a true blend of both form and function, the Cradle Baby Bowl ® has to date been installed in hundreds of leading edge health facilities and daycare centers throughout North America, Australia and Africa.
ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your project. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to your exact specifications, in a safe manner, and to the quality standards you expect. Even our EMR safety rating is outstanding at .793! Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Solid Surface Healthcare Casework – Thinking Outside the Square Box
The healthcare industry has long understood the necessity of reducing the spread of bacteria by minimizing the use of porous materials. For years the healthcare industry has utilized Plastic Laminate (PLAM) casework because of the cost effective traits. Solid surfaces such as Corian ®, Durasein ®, Krion ®, LG HI-MACS ® and Avonite ® may cost more upfront; however, this material is virtually future proof.
Casework has traditionally been made of Plastic Laminate clad MDF with PVC glued to the edges. Some of the shortcomings of PLAM casework is the lifespan before adhesives start to fail, the durability of laminate materials and the lack of positive aesthetics. Once the casework is damaged or begins to come apart, it is no longer suitable for healthcare without the risk of harboring bacteria. No health system wants to find out that the loose PVC edging on a piece of casework is spreading bacteria. PLAM is traditionally made using square or rectangular shapes which limits the creativity of design. Today health systems are looking to assist people with ailments as well as being known as a leader in design.
Solid surface material is ideal for the healthcare industry. Solid surfaces are non-porous making it resistant to bacteria growth. Solid surfaces are easy to clean and because there are no layers, it will not separate. Solid surface is easy to repair, long lasting and can be thermoformed into any shape. At ASST, we have 20 years of experience fabricating casework for the healthcare industry. If you want to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria and wow your customers with the design, solid surface is the obvious choice.
If you want your next project to stand the test of time and “wow” your customer, let ASST help you out. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to your exact specifications, in a safe manner, and to the quality standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Solid Surface is Reaching New Heights
United Therapeutics
SOLID SURFACE IS REACHING NEW HEIGHTS. These Corian® and 3Form® walls were fabricated for United Therapeutics.
At ASST we are going Beyond the Surface Level™. CONTACT US TODAY FOR YOUR NEXT VERTICAL SOLID SURFACE PROJECT.
Comments Off on Everything Including the Bathroom Sink: Solid Surface Elegance and ADA Compliance Are Unlikely Friends
Vanities are the fundamental piece of every bathroom. They not only are functional but create a style for the space. Solid surface vanity systems are the perfect combination of function and chic. Vanity systems can be made out of almost any solid surface material and used to create a practical layout for the space. Vanity Systems in public places face a considerable amount of use and abuse from the people using them. Vanity systems need to be pleasant to look at, but also serve their purpose as a tool.
Public Bathrooms are facing redesign. Standing in line while you have to use the restroom is a nuisance, and soon to be an issue of the past. As public restrooms expand to become more efficient and suitable for the volume of people using them, the need for a practical vanity systems increases. These systems are complex and need to be designed specifically for their space. How can public vanity systems be appealing, ADA compliant, easy to clean, and guaranteed to last a long time?
ASST is able to manufacture solid surface vanity systems that serve a variety of purposes in public buildings. Each ADA compliant vanity system made by ASST comes in a variety of size and colors. The designs are simple with no external fasteners which makes the vanity easy to clean. The solid surface material that ASST uses is bacteria and stain resistant. These durable vanities are made to last and easy to maintain.
Functionality is just as important as style. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to your exact specifications, in a safe manner, and to the finest quality standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
The healthcare industry has long understood the necessity of reducing the spread of bacteria by minimizing the use of porous materials. For years the healthcare industry has utilized Plastic Laminate (PLAM) casework because of the cost effective traits. Solid surfaces such as Corian ®, Durasein ®, Krion ®, LG HI-MACS ®, Wilsonart®, and Avonite ® may cost more upfront; however, this material is virtually future proof.
At some point in your childhood your parents probably told you “to sit up straight” or “don’t slouch”. Although these are well-intentioned instructions, our spines are anything but straight even at birth. Newborns are in a “Primary Curve” C-shaped fetal position upon birth and for the first few months of life, they do not yet have the muscles to support their head. Research has shown that keeping an infant’s spine straight is not a sound physiological position and in addition to stressing the baby’s spine, it can negatively influence the development of a baby’s hip joints. (Dr. Evelin Kirkilionis, University of Freiburg, 2002).
The healthcare industry has long understood the necessity of reducing the spread of bacteria by minimizing the use of porous materials. For years the healthcare industry has utilized Plastic Laminate (PLAM) casework because of the cost effective traits. Solid surfaces such as Corian ®, Durasein ®, Krion ®, LG HI-MACS ® and Avonite ® may cost more upfront; however, this material is virtually future proof.
Vanities are the fundamental piece of every bathroom. They not only are functional but create a style for the space. Solid surface vanity systems are the perfect combination of function and chic. Vanity systems can be made out of almost any solid surface material and used to create a practical layout for the space. Vanity Systems in public places face a considerable amount of use and abuse from the people using them. Vanity systems need to be pleasant to look at, but also serve their purpose as a tool.
