Since the first chair shipped in May 1999, TiLite has continued to innovate in the ultra-lightweight manual wheelchair space. TiLite’s unique prospect was designing completely custom-made chairs with aerospace-grade titanium tubing. These custom chairs allow our clients to live their lives with decreased rolling resistance, improved maneuverability, and reduced transport weights.
In these past 25 years, TiLite has continued to innovate on its initial product, while also adding new materials to its product offerings, including aluminum and carbon fiber. Through the years, TiLite has made innovations in wheelchair fit, design, and technology.
TiLite Through the Years
Within the first handful of years, TiLite made itself known with the aluminum mono-tube rigid TiLite Aero Z and the aluminum folding TiLite Aero X manual wheelchairs. Both chairs were released in 2006.
By 2010, TiLite made the decision to expand into pediatric wheelchairs with the TiLite Twist, which features full adjustability, parent-focused features, and a high-mount footplate system. TiLite also added the TiLite Pilot in 2017, offering children the most efficient propulsion possible as they grown.
Just one year later, TiLite moved across the Columbia River to its current home in Pasco, Washington. Continuing its innovation out of the new facility, TiLite released its flagship titanium chair – the TiLite TR – in 2012. The TR rigid frame is one of the best performing in its class, making it easy to transport and requiring less energy to push. Also in 2012, TiLite released the Aero Z (series 2). This chair became the only TiFit, mono-tube aluminum frame on the market.
In 2014 TiLite expanded its folding wheelchair line, which had been in existence since 1999, with the release of the Aero X (series 2). The titanium version of that chair, the TiLite 2GX (series 2), was also added to the TiLite product line in 2014. That was the same year that Permobil acquired TiLite, adding the trusted brand of customizable ultra-light manual wheelchairs to its portfolio of power wheelchairs.
Customization is King
Throughout its 25 years, TiLite has prided itself on fitting every single wheelchair to the patient. The perspective at TiLite is that the wheelchair should be fit like a full-body prosthetic.
With the TiFit system, available on virtually all TiLite aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber rigid wheelchairs, no tube is cut, bent, or welded until the users' exact measurements are provided.
Individuals that need even more customization can work with the Creative Mobility Division (CMD). CMD allows clients to work with engineers, customer experience representatives, and production experts to find custom solutions and design their chair in a way that works best for their life.
The Future at TiLite
In 2023, TiLite released the CR1, the first carbon-fiber wheelchair of its line-up. The CR1 was a testament to the continual innovation at TiLite, using new materials in creative design indications for performance and functionality. Because of new features such as a carbon-fiber build, a dual-angled front end, and aerodynamic tube profile and orientation, the CR1 received two prominent international design awards.
TiLite will continue to innovate into 2024 and beyond with new product offerings on the horizon and technologically novel ways to order, design, and deliver TiLite ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs.
Hawken Miller
Content Marketing Specialist
Before joining Permobil as content marketing specialist, Hawken was a content strategist for the nonprofit CureDuchenne, creating blogs, emails, and social media content for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community. For most of his life before that, he worked as a journalist, writing feature stories for BioNews, and reporting on the video game and esports beat for The Washington Post. Following his passion for writing, Hawken graduated from journalism school at the University of Southern California.