在大流行锁定期间，我注意到我的房屋有几个问题，包括破碎的喷头头，地毯上的狗渍和母亲的香料柜。我的母亲有一吨普通的香料，这些香料曾经在不断使用后擦掉了标签。我购买了一家便携式标签制造商来补充标签，并使找到香料变得更容易（这意味着我们可以更早吃）。该产品便宜，便携式且具有美观的吸引力，我认为是时候看看内部发生了什么了。
The LW-300 is marketed as a portable label maker that can print in many different fonts, colors, and styles. It is compatible with all Epson cartridges and uses a full QWERTY keyboard, along with a monochromatic LCD. The colorful print and cut buttons, as well as the rounded corners project the image for an easy to use experience. Diving inside, we’ll be focusing on the following:
- Sub-Assembly Designs
- The array of Plastic Components
- 电子产品
Sub-Assembly Designs
Upon opening the label maker, we identify two main sub-assemblies: the ink-cassette housing and the blade assembly.
- 墨水装置的主要组件是驱动器齿轮，缎带电缆和金属支架。该外壳螺丝螺丝到标签制造商的中心以提供刚性。
- The multi-pin ribbon cable affixed to the bracket reads the corresponding IC on the cartridge so the LW-300 can identify the color, material, and other properties of the label itself. This part was likely made out of aluminum, due to the precision nature of cassette style printers.
- The main metal bracket was sheet metal stamped, drilled, and then bent with a secondary bending press. A telling sign of bending due to a press is the slight curve on each of the bends due to the die used.
- 由于纸干线轴以恒定的速度打印，因此金属支架必须稳定墨水盒，以免在打印时诱发错误，从而在柔韧的塑料上选择刚性金属。此外，外壳捕捉到的塑料组件具有橡胶衬里，可在操作过程中隔离任何振动。
- 整个切割操作也许毫不奇怪，是一个简单的手动弹簧刀片。组件由按钮本身，返回弹簧和刀片组成。这是一种直接但可靠的设计，不取决于任何机电组件。
塑料组件
- Epson decided to use compression molding for the flexible keyboard with two different pigments: a black and light green. The light green on the print and ‘cut’ buttons serve as eye-catching indicators to the most important functions of the product.
- Elastomer compression molding is a cheap and effective process for making key switches, as opposed to using mechanical switches with moving parts. After compression molding, a secondary screening process applies the graphics. This process allows Epson to easily change languages and keyboard styles by simply altering the post-processing, instead of creating a new mold for the keyboard.
- 标签制造商的主壳由ABS和聚苯乙烯制成。ABS用于标签制造商的内部，其中不需要零件在键盘支架上具有漂亮的饰面或打磨的证人标记。键盘支架的表面积最小，向用户显示，很容易在面向内部的表面上发现弹射器销位置。ABS也是聚苯乙烯的便宜替代品 - 在对用户不高度显示的费用上花费的花费较少是有意义的。
- 现在，查看标签制造商的顶部和后壳，Epson去PS-HI或聚苯乙烯 - 高影响力。该材料具有抗冲击力，并且对触摸也光滑，使其成为抓地力的绝佳材料，并在产品一生中可能会遇到任何轻微的颠簸或粗糙的操作。
电子产品
- Looking at the components on the single PCB of the label maker, it becomes quite clear how they cut costs yet provide a quality experience. The Epson CB690Y2000 is a custom chip manufactured in-house and likely used in products such as printers, scanners, etc. By using their own chip in multiple devices, Epson can lower manufacturing costs, as the rest of the chips on the PCB are bought off-the-shelf for specific purposes.
- BA6220是专门用于高精度盒式应用程序的电机控制器。另外两个IC是Texas Instruments SNX4AHC08功率测序芯片，用于确定处理器是否按预期工作。另一个IC是STM 25PX35UC，这是一个简单的正时芯片。
- 右边是直流电机和编码器controlled by the BA6220 chip. Put all together and they can drive the DC Motor with precision so the spool can spin accurately; a DC motor as opposed to a stepper motor is more price-effective and is also used in other cassette driven products.
Main Takeaways
It is evident that Epson made some calculated decisions to make sure its label maker would be long-lasting and print labels consistently and precisely, without many flaws. The use of high impact polystyrene for the backplates allows the label maker to take a beating, and, combined with the metal cassette bracket, ensures rigidity in different printing scenarios. The use of a compression-molded keyboard cover gives Epson the flexibility to distribute the product across regions with different languages by simply screen printing new graphics, instead of molding a new part every time.
尽管这些字母可能会在时间后擦掉，但这是可以理解的削减成本措施。最后，使用仅与一个自定义IC配对的现成组件的使用使Epson可以简化其产品系列的总体清单，并节省生产针对不同应用程序的电子产品的麻烦。用户的各种用户注意到，可以将产品标准化为标准产品的思想和奉献精神。Epson向LW-300表明，多元化的制造工艺可以帮助降低成本，但仍提供可靠的，包容性的产品，可以帮助任何地方的任何人都使他们的生活变得更加混乱。
