Fast turnaround of pre-production prototypes followed by low-cost Far East manufacture: they are the benefits of Wessex Advanced Switching Products (WASP) new route to market for resistive touch screen products. Aware that remote manufacture is not always ideal, with long lead-times for samples and issues regarding quality, Wasp has invested in new equipment to eliminate these problems while still leveraging the cost savings purchasers associate with Far East manufacture. The new equipment facilitates tail insert technology for touch screen prototyping prior to offshore manufacture.
The advantages of using a tail insert include reduced waste of expensive ITO coated materials and because the tail is not cut from a complete sheet, standard tail lengths can be used to reduce costs further. By investing in this facility at its UK manufacturing plant, Wasp claims to supply prototypes quickly and more cost effectively than using a Far East supplier direct. Purchasers can also rely on last minute design changes to be handled by Wasps own design engineers. Once approved, the touch screen is shipped to the manufacturer as a complete unit which can be copied without modification.
Wasp will also offer this service to distributors who will then deal with the final order themselves. Alternatively, if the project only requires a handful of touch screens, the prototyping service can be used as a manufacturing order for small runs.
Sales director, Derek Beecher, said: Cost saving isnt just about getting cheaper components, because if they dont work, dont fit or dont arrive on time, wheres the saving? As the only European touch screen manufacturer to offer tail insert technology, we give customers the flexibility to order prototypes in a shorter time scale, safe in the knowledge that orders can be fulfilled quickly by our Far East partner at competitive prices.