3D Printer Graphic Interface/User Interface
In modern manufacturing applications, 3D printing is changing the way companies design products and develop prototypes. 3D printing helps manufacturers cut costs and reduce lead times by enabling them to develop solutions and bring products and spare/replacement parts to market much faster.
Until now 3D printing with plastic material has been the primary method used by engineers. A Canvys customer designed the world’s first office-friendly metal 3D printing system. These machines allow users to develop complex prototypes and rapid tooling solutions, and to mass produce smaller-scale metal products in an office setting.
Parts printed on this innovative machine can be used almost immediately because there is no need for additional machining steps. The goal is to make 3D metal and carbon fiber available and accessible to engineers, designers, and manufacturers.
The Canvys engineering team partnered with the customer’s engineering team to develop a product that met the unique technical and aesthetic design requirements. The initial design concepts included plastic enclosure, touch screen requirements, internal chassis design, and other internal electronics including custom cabling.
The Canvys team then worked with numerous supplier partners to identify solutions, select components, and create an Engineering Specification document with custom drawings to present to the Customer engineering team for review. The teams held regular design review meetings throughout the product development process. This fully custom design includes a 24” LCD monitor with an integrated PCAP Touchscreen; on-screen menus; an Emergency Stop Button with a custom-colored ring to highlight the E-Stop quickly in the event of an emergency; a cable management system; and a plastic enclosure that matches the color, texture, and design concept of the 3D machine.
The operating environment of the display is the most critical aspect of the application. The custom 24” display will be used in an environment with metal particulates and other potential airborne particles. Protection against dust and airborne particles was a critical requirement of the design. The Canvys team recommended an optical bonding process for the touch assembly along with custom gaskets to seal the enclosure and internal thermal management instead of traditional ventilation.
This collaborative effort between both engineering teams produced an ideal display solution for users in the 3D Metal Printing industry.
