The Customer
Bovone has been a leader in the design and manufacturing of glass working machines for more than 60 years. Based in Italy, they pride themselves with a commitment to quality and constant innovation. Their glass working products include beveling, edging and washing machines.
The Challenge
In 2018 Bovone was still using older analog meters to measure the current for motors in their glass working machines. Each motor is fitted with a grinding or polishing disk, set at different angles and with the correct pressure to ensure the right finish and quality. Operators must individually adjust and monitor up to 12 of these motors during operation. Because the analog meters did not have alarm functionality, operators were unable to monitor all essential motors simultaneously. As a result, they routinely experienced unplanned and costly downtime along with defective product.
Bovone needed a better way to help operators work the machines without damage and was simultaneously looking for ways to modernize the look of their machines.
The Solution
Bovone worked with Trumeter to design a custom Advanced Panel Meter (APM) for their Bevelling Machines and Straight Line Edging Machines. Custom features include pre-installed configurations for fast installation, custom display with visual alerts, custom bezels, and packaging with the Bovone branding. Visual alerts were one of the main reasons Bovone chose the APM – with a designated color for the optimal motor current range, as well as different colors and flashes to alert operators when current has moved outside the optimal range. Finally, the APM was designed as a direct replacement for Bovone’s existing meters, preventing the need for a change of the cut-out.
With the APM’s alarm capabilities, operators could monitor up to12 motors concurrently to ensure proper operation. This has significantly reduced the cost and downtime associated with motor burnout.
The Benefits
- Bovone’s customers can more efficiently monitor machines while running, preventing costly unexpected downtime and repairs.
- Bovone’s customers can reduce the costs associated with product rework and scrap caused by unexpected motor issues.
- Bovone’s engineers can install meters more efficiently during the build process, saving time and money.
- Bovone’s leadership can reinforce the company’s commitment to quality and innovation in the marketplace.
- Bovone’s sales team can more effectively market their products with a premium, modern appearance, and more easily sell replacement meters to customers.
The Story
Trumeter’s dedicated project manager and engineering team worked in close collaboration with Bovone from concept to manufacturing. Multiple concepts were explored before agreeing on a final product requirement specification that balanced functionality and cost, as well as safety and environmental certifications.
After a joint kick-off meeting between Trumeter and Bovone, the Trumeter manufacturing team completed a Design for Manufacturing analysis to ensure the product could be manufactured reliably to the required specification and quality standard.
The Trumeter engineering team developed custom firmware with pre-installed configurations programmable through DIP switches on the back of the unit. The analog output was enhanced to transmit data to a remote HMI display and configured to provide the optimal ranges and
setpoints for visual alerts. The project also took advantage of Trumeter’s industrial design expertise to create custom bezels, custom labels, and custom packaging aligned with Bovone’s branding.
All designs went through a comprehensive and extensive design validation process to ensure the robustness of design in all use cases and to ensure repeatable quality. Throughout the final manufacturing process and supply chain planning, Trumeter worked closely with Bovone to plan the transition from their legacy unit to the new and improved product.
Bovone continually looks for ways to improve their custom APM product and is currently collaborating with the Trumeter to team to integrate the latest features and technologies.
