Touch Screen Computer

This multi purpose touch screen computer was developed exclusively for the dental market. It was designed for ease of use, cleaning and integration within a dental office. The self contained computer included a waterproof silicone rubber gasket around the touch screen, Ethernet connectivity and an integral DVD drive.

A comprehensive report outlining product requirement for the enclosure design was written after carefully researching dental office layouts, equipment and general activities.

As information was gathered for the user requirements of the computer, our designers also began identifying components and their arrangement within the product. This exercise enabled us to define the general overall size and shape of the enclosure.

Sketches of alternative design concepts were also created during this development phase. Our objective was to create forms which would be unique to AMT and comforting to patients. Our direction of soft organic shapes resulted in a number of alternative possibilities. 

A selected group of concept sketches were further developed in refined layouts and in 3D foam models. These models were evaluated based on their form, size and general placement in various locations within a typical dental office. Eventually one was selected for production design.

After the concept was selected our design team discussed alternative manufacturing methods with our client. Topics included risk, lead times, cash flow projections, sales forecasts and potential changes to identify the optimum combination of manufacturing processes. It became quite apparent that injection molding was not an appropriate process because of long lead times and difficulties associated with off-shore tooling. A combination of sheet metal and pressure forming proved to satisfy our design and business objectives.

This decision defined the direction of production design detailing and overall product architecture as shown in the following pictures.

Sheet metal and plastic production parts were received within 6 weeks after CAD files were released to selected vendors. We assisted AMT in the assembly and review of first article production units which fit together exactly as designed. There were no changes or problems with the design as shown in the following pictures.

The final design was beautifully detailed throughout the product. Subtleties ranging from vent openings to junctions between covers were deliberately detailed to integrate aesthetics with function and manufacturability.