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AUTOTYPE TECHNOLOGY AT THE HEART OF MONITORING DEVICES
Heart-rate monitors provide the user with immediate feedback regarding the intensity level of exercise. The heart-rate is continuously displayed to indicate whether or not the pace is right. Worn on the wrist, like a watch, it is essential that the Polar Electro heart-rate monitor isn’t harmed by everyday solvents such as mosquito spray and cleaning agents; which can have a detrimental effect on plastics. It was therefore vital that whatever material was chosen for the manufacture of the monitor face was robust. Furthermore, it was important that the monitors looked as good as they performed. Audel was looking for a material that would not only be aesthetically appealing to customers at retail outlets but would also maintain its design detail and an excellent finish over many years of use The product also required information to be clearly displayed. The limitations of many alternative materials concerned their inability to provide a clear window for the LCD display interface. Print quality has traditionally been poor in this type of manufacturing process, but an innovative in-mould decoration film from Autotype – Autoflex Xtraform – means that fine designs can now be faithfully reproduced on a gloss hard-coated polycarbonate film suitable for 3D designs. During trials, Audel tested many different materials to use in the production of the wrist-worn Polar range; many of which performed poorly during the forming process, suffering from extensive ‘cracking’. Following an intensive research and development programme, Audel chose to use Autotype’s Autoflex Xtraform formable hardcoat film owing to its resistance to cracking during forming and its ability to produce a scratch-proof surface that could withstand chemical solvents. Mr Timo Tarvainen, Managing Director of Audel says: “Autotype’s product made it possible for us to put this product into production. Without the Autoflex Xtraform it would be difficult to integrate a hard coated lens into this in-mould product.”. Integration of lenses into moulded casings is a major opportunity for cost-down in the manufacture of many other similar devices, such as mobile phones, due to the elimination of additional tooling and assembly operations. Autoflex Xtraform is a polycarbonate film featuring a reverse printable layer upon which inks can be easily applied. This is combined with a protective top layer, to offer manufacturers an unrivalled finish. The film is supplied in rolls approximately 30cm x 300m long. Audel use the most technically advanced in-mould decorating process currently available employing a high-pressure forming technique which provides the 300 bar maximum pressure required to give the product excellent surface finish and definition. The Autoflex Xtraform material is printed, the protective layer is peeled off and the monitor face is formed. The hardcoating is then cured to produce a durable scratch resistant finish. The formings are then reverse filled using injection moulding to add strength and rigidity to the ‘watch’ face. It is in its ability to simplify manufacturing processes that the real beauty of Autoflex Xtraform lies. By using Autoflex Xtraform, Audel has not only managed to produce a product with outstanding surface finish but has also increased the efficiency of its manufacturing process. For example, Autoflex Xtraform is formed in a cleanroom environment at Audel, removing the need to move production to another part of the plant, as is the case when using spray techniques for decoration, which can be a costly and time consuming process. Full scale production of the ‘watch-style’ heart-rate monitors based on the Audel front case has been underway for over one year and Autoflex Xtraform is now being used by Audel in the experimental stages of developing several other product ranges.
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