The next step in design - OptiConcept M gets visual
Oct 18, 2016
What if your board or paper machine was an impressive showcase of your company’s brand? What does a paper machine look like when using light as a visual element to improve customer experience? Would you like to see the speed and production figures displayed on the front panel of the machine? All of this is now reality with Valmet’s OptiConcept M paper or board machine.
Valmet has been systematically focusing on industrial design for several years. One key result of this work has been the launch of OptiConcept M paper machine in 2011. The drivers behind its design have been safety and usability. Building on this work, the design of OptiConcept M is now taking the next step forward towards an even better user experience by exploiting visual elements, like customer branding and lighting.
Boosting the customer’s brand
“OptiConcept M gives our customers the possibility to support their own brand visuals – to make their machine truly reflect the company’s image. The customer brand can be visible in the line design, for instance in the form of the customer’s company name, logo and brand colors. Add lighting, and the machine can even undergo a total ‘color washing,’ which can be most impressive on special occasions.” says Jussi Salojärvi, Senior Design Manager at Valmet.
Lighting as a natural part of the machine environment
“In addition to being crucial for usability and safety, lighting is also a powerful way to influence the atmosphere of the machine hall”, says Jussi Salojärvi. “By optimizing the lighting concept, we can balance the amount of light on the machine with natural light, movement and presence sensors.
Lighting can be an integral part of the whole machine environment – we can light up the machine parts and sections that are critical at any particular moment, and fade out the lights in areas where they aren’t needed. Today’s lighting technology offers many ways to easily use light as a visual element to improve usability and safety," Salojärvi says.
The customer’s brand can be visible in the OptiConcept M line, for example with the customer’s company name, logo and brand colors.
Industrial Internet visualized
The use of Industrial Internet also offers new ways to make the whole papermaking process more visual. The front panel of the machine can be customized to show infographics with data from the machine to facilitate operative tasks and enable people to easily visualize process information.
“This information can be real-time data on machine speed, grade, and energy or water consumption. Operating or maintenance data can also be highlighted to support maintenance work and to guide the operator, for instance when changing fabrics,” Salojärvi explains. The info displayed on the machine isn’t limited to just machine data. Photos, drawings, words of welcome – anything that suits the occasion can be used.
A wide range of options for rebuilds and new lines
“Our customers can choose from a wide range of new visual solutions as options for rebuilds as well as brand new OptiConcept M paper and board making lines. At Valmet, we keep abreast of developments in new digital technologies and want to make them part of the paper and board mill environment.”
More to come in the future
“We have now started introducing these new solutions to our customers, and many board- and papermakers have shown positive interest in them. And of course, to keep moving forward, there is more to come in the future. Augmented reality, for example, will open up a variety of new options, e.g. for more efficient and safe operation and maintenance of a paper or board machine,” Salojärvi concludes.