Spanish Center for Braille R&D Use Objet 3D Printing System In-House to Accelerate Tactile Testing of Products - Objet - #1

Text version of the page

At a Glance Company: ONCE URL: www.once.es Location: Madrid, Spain Industry: Non-profit specializing in helping blind people and others with visual disabilities Challenges • Creating models of products that are sturdy enough to be tested tactilely and feel very similar to the final product • Ensuring time and cost effective design phases • Finding a rapid prototyping machine machine that is both easy to use and office friendly Solution Eden 350V 3D Printing System from Objet Geometries Results • Reduced cost for prototypes • Accelerated decision making on prototypes • Reduced response time for modifications and changes • Stronger, more accurate prototypes than were available Creating products for the blind and visually impaired is a time-consuming, expensive process. The manufacturing quantities are smaller than regular products and the models have to be tested tactilely, since they will be touched, rather than seen. As such, the need for models to feel like the final product is of utmost importance. These specific characteristics make product development more complex than usual. The Spanish National Organization for the Blind (ONCE), a non-profit corporation focused on improving the quality of life of the blind and people with visual disabilities throughout Spain, works to develop special products for the blind population. It has lowered its design costs and timeline by using Objet Geometries’ 3D printing technology in-house. As an institution with a social and democratic character, ONCE is open to all and it prides itself on providing solidarity with people affected by disabilities other than blindness. Run democratically, it also works hand in hand with the Spanish government through the Ministries of the Economy, the Budget, Work and Social Affairs and the Interior. Inside ONCE, the Centre for Braille Research, Development and Application (CIDAT) is responsible for carrying out research and development, manufacturing and evaluation of special devices that help resolve difficulties in the daily life of people with a visual disability. The majority of technical visual aids in Spain are produced by ONCE-CIDAT. Traditionally the development of products for the blind and for people with other disabilities has been marginalized by the industry due to the small manufacturing runs plus the difficulty and cost of designing the prototype. In the case of the blind the aesthetic aspects, which are tactile rather than visual, are designed together with the ergonomic aspects. This means that the first prototypes must feel very similar to the final design. This requires that techniques usually used for the manufacture of finished goods for production in miniseries be used early in the design process. This is why ONCE chose to work with Objet technology. Objet’s Eden350V produces true-to-life models which accurately replicate the final product in function, fit, and feel. The demand for products that were typically out of reach for the blind and visually impaired has increased significantly as a result of their greater integration into the general community. This situation requires the development of common articles and technologies with certain adaptations to provide concrete solutions to problems occurring with day to day use. ONCE used Objet technology to develop a number of specialty items for the blind and visually impaired, such as a keyboard with Braille, a Sudoku game with numbered pieces written in Braille and a special computer mouse. Unfortunately, the demand for a wider range of more complicated products has resulted in significant price increases due to the more expensive modeling processes involved. The higher prices then make the items unfeasible to manufacture and ultimately many of them are withdrawn from production. Spanish Center for Braille R&D Use Objet 3D Printing System In-House to Accelerate Tactile Testing of Products “Having the Eden350V inhouse has eliminated our biggest bottleneck” Gema Carrillo de Albornoz Nuño, Manager of the Design Office Case Study