Design of Table with Adjustable Height

The design of a table that can offer larger amount of flexibility seems more attractive
for multitasking and in meeting wider range of the user requirements and needs on
personal level. Table with adjustable height has been developed in order to meet
these necessities. Different people require different table height to ensure they are
comfort while using the table for their intended purpose. With respect to a single
individual needs, his/her measure of comfort while using the table does varies over
time and the type of activity or task performed. The survey on 80 students of a local
university in Malaysia that resides in the same hostel block and utilize the same type
of workstation showing that there were about the same in the number of students
who fit and who do not fit with the current condition of the study table provided, in
terms of the leg room available and the elevation of the table top off the floor. The
outcome of the survey becomes the base of the design objective, that is to improve
the current workstation by proposing a new design of a workstation that consists of a
book shelf and a table top that can be adjusted in terms of its elevation off the floor
to provide the necessary amount of leg room with respect to an individual
requirement. The design of the table is based on the established ergonomic guideline
in table design and taken into account the proposed suggestions by the survey
responders. The engineering design analysis was carried out to determine the right
configuration of the table top and the book shelf that will remains stable upon load
application by considering the worst case scenario, that is the application of the load
at the extreme edge of the table top when the table is at its minimum height. The
outcome of the project is a workstation that consists of an adjustable table top that is
attached to a 2-tier book shelf. The adjustability of the table top is in terms of its
elevation off the floor and its tilt angle. The height adjustment is achieved by means
of bar linkages, where the sliding motion of a link with respect to the movement of
another link resulting in height adjustment in the range of 60 em to 80 em off the
floor, while the tilt of the table top is achieved by locking and unlocking the joint
between a support rod and one of the link. The table top can be tilted from complete
horizontal to complete vertical.