Springfree Trampoline

Sports equipment manufacturer

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Springfree Trampoline is a company that manufactures recreational trampoline products and accessories. The design was created by Keith Vivian Alexander, a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.^[1] Springfree Trampolines are sold globally in over 31 countries ^[2].

History

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In 1989, Dr. Keith Alexander began developing a safer trampoline after his daughter expressed interest in owning one and his wife raised concerns about their safety. ^[3] After analysing trampoline data in 1992, Alexander noted three impact zones affecting jumper safety in the George Nissen trampoline design. These were:

The springs – on the jumping surface.
The steel frame – on the jumping surface/ jumpers may fall and injure themselves.
The ground or obstructions on the ground – jumpers would hit as a result of falling off.

Alexander's goal was to increase the trampoline's safety by re-engineering the spring technology. In 1999, Alexander released his first prototype utilising glass-reinforced plastic rods, and the first commercial versions began selling in late 2004. In 2009, Springfree Trampoline won an Australian Design Award.^[4]

Design

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Alternative Springfree trampoline

The Springfree trampoline's design includes the use of glass-reinforced plastic rods articulating below the jumping surface, as opposed to the radiating steel spring coils of a Nissen trampoline. The jumping surface is lowered around 450mm below the jumping surface of a traditional trampoline, and the base's rigidity is derived from a tubular steel assembly with angled supports.^{[citation needed ]}