Muller Commercial Solutions Handheld Terminal Case Study
Project: Clear Handheld Terminal
Services: CNC machining, Vapor Polishing
Material: Polycarbonate (PC)
Lead Time: 10 days
About The Project
Muller Commercial Solutions (MCS) is one of Africa’s largest providers of computer input devices including keyboards, mice, joysticks and touch screens. They worked with Star to make a prototype for a handheld point-of-sale (POS) terminal.
How The Parts Were Made
After reviewing the 3D CAD data, the parts were CNC machined from solid blocks of polycarbonate. Since the covers needed to be completely transparent, they were first hand sanded up to 1000 grit to prepare them for vapor polishing.
Vapor polishing is a technique that uses Weld On 4 gas heated to 43° C in a controlled environment. The gas vapor reacts with the plastic at the molecular level to cause it to partially melt and smooth out to optical clarity. This is a dangerous operation requiring skilled workmanship in an atmospherically sealed chamber.
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