The engineering principles behind electronic books that replicate the “ink on paper” aesthetic have existed for centuries. The idea is simple: clay particles suspended in water disperse when a constant electric field is applied to the fluid.
In the 1990s, engineers at MIT discovered a way to keep the particles from clumping together. Using small capsules or balloons filled with viscous liquid and particles allows the particles to move within a very specific amount of space.
In 2004, Royal Philips Electronics released the first eBook reader with an electronic display: the Sony Librie. The new device looked like newsprint and was perfect for everyday use – even in direct sunlight. Even better, the device was also bi-stable; if you didn’t change the image, the device didn’t use any power.
Within just a few years, electronic readers like this became ubiquitous, thanks in no small part to the many engineers who now run IRX Innovations B.V.
IRX Innovations, based in Eindoven, the Netherlands, has been responsible for creating revolutionary reflective and bi-stable display and dynamic glass technology for companies looking for better ergonomics and visibility in their products.
IRX’s team is currently working on a color solution based on their electro-osmotic technology for electronic paper displays. The new technology would place three switching layers on top of each other, which can then switch to its assigned color (cyan, magenta, or yellow) or be 100% transparent. Various colors can be produced by controlling the required amount of color particles displayed on each layer, creating a color performance similar to paper.
IRX uses top-notch tools to create its revolutionary technology. That’s why their engineers rely on PTC Creo.
PTC Creo became IRX’s 3D CAD solution because the company wanted to improve their product development capabilities. They specifically wanted something that could shorten product development cycles and enable easier visualization of new concepts.
PTC Creo Flexible Modeling Extension (FMX) and PTC Creo Advanced Assembly Extension (AAX) also played an integral role in their decision-making process:
PTC Creo FMX allows IRX’s engineers to select and edit geometry and features without losing design intelligence, regardless of source. This has enabled the IRX team to quickly explore design alternatives and make late stage changes easily, reducing concept-to-product time to record lows.
PTC AAX has enabled them to plan assembly structures and manage assembly design processes with greater control than ever before.
PTC Creo and its extensions have helped IRX improve their collaboration and communication with distributed design partners. They’ve also significantly streamlined their teamwork and top-down processes.
Most importantly, their development time is faster than ever.
“PTC Creo enables us to reduce the time between new product concept ideas and first rapid prototypes by 20 to 30%,” says Jan van de Kamer, Vice President Product Development. “This means we will both maintain and grow our market footprint thanks to PTC Creo.”
Interested in learning more about Creo and its 3D CAD capabilities? NxRev offers a variety of seminars, tutorials, and customer service to help users get the most out of the PTC suite. Give us a call at 408-986-0200 to find out more.