Production ready for series production thanks to reproducible and scalable processes
Smart 3D-printed barcode scanners shape Industry 4.0
Description of the component:
Short innovation cycles & fast time-to-market are important for Industry 4.0-enabled wearables. The Munich-based scale-up ProGlove uses 3D printing not only for prototyping, but also for series production, including for the wearable barcode scanner MARK Display. ProGlove benefits from superior product quality & maximum flexibility in product design - made possible by DyeMansion's post-processing technology.
Challenges:
3D printing helped to reduce the quantity of parts required. But there are other challenges to overcome here too. For example, one challenge was to produce parts with a mechanical performance that could be compared to injection molded parts. It takes a lot of work to find the right wall thickness, for example. Another challenge was the white color. In the beginning, the parts were sprayed afterwards, but the color faded during use.
Solution:
Series-ready production thanks to reproducible and scalable processes! Konstantin Brunnbauer, VP of Production (ProGlove) explains:
"Together with the service provider FORMRISE, which produces the SLS parts, the DyeMansion technology enables additive production ready for series production. With the print-to-product workflow, we have seen the development of having competitive parts and using SLS for serial production. We have superior surfaces with PolyShot Surfacing. Customers with injection molded parts told us they liked the PolyShot surface even better. When it comes to color, the white parts would have been a no-go. We wanted that bright orange. When we started coloring with the DyeMansion DM60, it was the standard orange. DyeMansion made some color developments and now it's our ProGlove Orange - in addition we use grey and work with some other colors as well.
We have reproducible processes and every part looks the same. We have perfect coloring on the entire surface and these processes allow us to compete with traditional manufacturing technologies like injection molding. For the end user, there is no difference. And for us as a manufacturer, the reliable processes give us the freedom to constantly develop and improve. We are a young company with a young product. We launch new products on the market every year. This freedom really helps us to stay up to date."
Conclusion:
Today, barcode scanners can do more than just read the information between bars and spaces. Barcode readers can create efficiency, provide feedback and also provide targeted guidance. The MARK product family has established itself as an indispensable control tool for many of the most renowned industrial brands. The industrial wearables are the lightest, smallest and most robust scanners in the world. They connect employees with crucial data from the Industrial Internet of Things. Customers include: Seat, Bosch, Reichhart, Festo, Audi, Mahle.