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Intensive product development over the past years has yielded a wide range of new Glassrobots machinery and added new improved features to existing equipment.  Glassrobots new glass processing units also have more stylish look.

“This time round the basic arrangement was all in place and we had no say on how the technology was laid out. Therefore the design process was very much a matter of dressing the machines,” says designer Matti Seppo, who has more than 20 years’ experience in industrial design.

Special design requirements were also dictated by high furnace temperatures, which constrained the range of materials available.

“For instance, high temperatures meant we could not incorporate any plastic parts at all,” Seppo explains.

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Otherwise the designer had a relatively free reign to create the kind of visual appearance he wanted.

”The design process was driven by the criteria and goals of improving job safety and providing easier service and maintenance access. We also wanted to make it easier to keep the units clean,” says Esa Lammi at Glassrobots. “We did make it clear that we would like to see our traditional blue colour used in one way or another.”

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Lammi is full of praise for the role that the design team have played in improving the ergonomics of Glassrobots’ new range of machinery. The new eye-catching control units are designed with a view to different user needs: the mouse, for instance, is designed for both left-hand and right-hand use.

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To complement the familiar blue colour, the design team opted for yellow and grey:

“The yellow obviously lifts the overall appearance, but it also serves to draw attention,” Seppo explains. Apart from the colours and the curved surfaces, other factors contributing to the new look include the redesigned vent holes. Everything is geared to functional design.

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The new-look machines are already up and running and the reception among customers has been extremely positive. In fact it is smiles all around:

”I am sure no decision to purchase will be made on the basis of design alone, but it is bound to figure as a positive factor among others. And of course the facelift is exciting for all us here at Glassrobots as well,“ Esa Lammi adds.

The experiences gained in this process have been extremely positive and valuable, and in the future Glassrobots will be involving a designer in the development process from an earlier stage so that aspects of design can be incorporated from the very outset.

”All our future units will be produced for immediate adoption in this product family,” Lammi says.