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Volume 18
Issue 22
10.3390/ma18225242
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Development of an Ergonomic Additively Manufactured Modular Saddle for Rehabilitation Cycling

by
Alberto Iglesias Calcedo
1,†,
Chiara Bregoli
2,†,
Valentina Abbate
1,
Marta Mondellini
3,
Jacopo Fiocchi
2,
Gennaro Rollo
4,
Cristina De Capitani
1,
Marino Lavorgna
1,4,
Marco Sacco
3,
Andrea Sorrentino
1,4,
Ausonio Tuissi
2,
Carlo Alberto Biffi
2 and
Alfredo Ronca
1,*
1
Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), National Research Council (CNR), Via Gaetano Previati, 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
2
Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy (ICMATE), National Research Council (CNR), Via Gaetano Previati, 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
3
Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA), National research Council (CNR), Lecco, Via Gaetano Previati, 1/E, 23900 Lecco, Italy
4
Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), National Research Council (CNR), P.le E Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contribute equally to the work.
Materials 2025, 18(22), 5242; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225242 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 September 2025 / Revised: 13 November 2025 / Accepted: 18 November 2025 / Published: 19 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing and Forming Technologies of Alloy: Mechanical Properties and Microstructure Evaluation)
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Abstract

This work reports the design, fabrication, and validation of a modular ergonomic saddle for rehabilitation cycling, developed through a combined additive manufacturing approach. The saddle consists of a metallic support produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) in AISI 316L stainless steel and a polymeric ergonomic covering fabricated via Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). A preliminary material screening between TPU and polypropylene (PP) was conducted, with TPU selected for its superior elastic response, energy dissipation, and more favourable SLS processability, as confirmed by thermal analyses. A series of gyroid lattice configurations with varying cell sizes and wall thicknesses were designed and mechanically tested. Cyclic testing under both stress- and displacement-controlled conditions demonstrated that the configuration with 8 mm cell size and 0.3 mm wall thickness provided the best balance between compliance and stability, showing minimal permanent deformation after 10,000 cycles and stable force response under repeated displacements. Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations, parameterized using experimentally derived elastic and density data, correlated well with the mechanical results, correlated with the mechanical results, supporting comparative stiffness evaluation. Moreover, a cost model focused on the customizable TPU component confirmed the economic viability of the modular approach, where the metallic base remains a reusable standard. Finally, the modular saddle was fabricated and successfully mounted on a cycle ergometer, demonstrating functional feasibility.
Keywords: additive manufacturing; lattice structures; rehabilitation devices; cycle ergometers additive manufacturing; lattice structures; rehabilitation devices; cycle ergometers
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MDPI and ACS Style

Iglesias Calcedo, A.; Bregoli, C.; Abbate, V.; Mondellini, M.; Fiocchi, J.; Rollo, G.; De Capitani, C.; Lavorgna, M.; Sacco, M.; Sorrentino, A.; et al. Development of an Ergonomic Additively Manufactured Modular Saddle for Rehabilitation Cycling. Materials 2025, 18, 5242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225242

AMA Style

Iglesias Calcedo A, Bregoli C, Abbate V, Mondellini M, Fiocchi J, Rollo G, De Capitani C, Lavorgna M, Sacco M, Sorrentino A, et al. Development of an Ergonomic Additively Manufactured Modular Saddle for Rehabilitation Cycling. Materials. 2025; 18(22):5242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225242

Chicago/Turabian Style

Iglesias Calcedo, Alberto, Chiara Bregoli, Valentina Abbate, Marta Mondellini, Jacopo Fiocchi, Gennaro Rollo, Cristina De Capitani, Marino Lavorgna, Marco Sacco, Andrea Sorrentino, and et al. 2025. "Development of an Ergonomic Additively Manufactured Modular Saddle for Rehabilitation Cycling" Materials 18, no. 22: 5242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225242

APA Style

Iglesias Calcedo, A., Bregoli, C., Abbate, V., Mondellini, M., Fiocchi, J., Rollo, G., De Capitani, C., Lavorgna, M., Sacco, M., Sorrentino, A., Tuissi, A., Biffi, C. A., & Ronca, A. (2025). Development of an Ergonomic Additively Manufactured Modular Saddle for Rehabilitation Cycling. Materials, 18(22), 5242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18225242

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