Cases
EIA Electronics handle for harvester
Multi-functional prototypes... for harvesting only the best.
EIA Electronics develops intelligent applications for the automotive industry, specialising in the agricultural equipment. Recently the company designed a multi-functional lever for a new type of combine. Materialise manufactured the prototypes.
The newest CX combine for New Holland Brand could be called the trendsetter for the future. The machine has curved body panels and a new styling that reflects a whole new level of performance and comfort. When you enter into the cab of the combine, you can see immediately that everything has been designed to give you maximum control with minimum effort.
The Belgian company EIA Electronics produced a complete console (dashboard) with a multi-functional handle for the general steering system and the harvesting mechanism of this large machine. The handle controls the travel direction, the speed in forward or reverse and gives thumb control of the header height, reel speed, vertical and horizontal reel position, the auger engagement, header height, a quick stop button, etc... A multitude of functions integrated in one lever. In this part of the project Materialise was involved.
Because of the unique features of the handle, the completely new look and unusual design, EIA made use of prototypes to introduce the product to his customer. But before this stage, a large amount of visual, functional and esthetical testing was carried out. EIA requested Materialise to make the first prototypes of the design.
When the Next Day concept models where tested and accepted, EIA moved on to the next stage of prototyping. Stereolithography models were manufactured for all the elements of the handle, these used as master patterns to manufacture silicone moulds for vacuum casting. Materialise then moulded a series of vacuum cast parts, in a polyurethane that simulated the production material and colour. All elements were then assembled to obtain finished prototypes, ready to be trailed and tested.
Products made in silicone moulds have a quality comparable to the final product, which makes them especially suitable for fit and function testing and marketing purposes. This met the requirements for EIA to use the prototypes: after a first visual check, the "look and feel" and the colour combinations (orange-grey) were evaluated.
"All functionalities of the handle were tested extensively. The 19 different switch functions (for the thumb) - custom made 'plug & play' joysticks and swing buttons, the ergonomic aspect of the design and the functionality of the electromechanical lever could be analysed using the prototypes".
After the internal test phase at EIA Electronics, the product was ready to be introduced to the customer. By handing over the fully functional models, the project engineers at New Holland had the opportunity to see and test the product right away. The prototypes allowed them to conduct thorough field tests and to give their approval at very short notice.
The prototype handles were used in the combines for complete operational and functional trials.
The CX combine was introduced to the market in Summer 2001 and won the award "Combine of the Year 2002".