Textured feel developed by rapid modelling

Tom Shelley reports on the development of a device considered essential to modern broadcasting

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) by 3T RPD has proved to be invaluable in the development and manufacture of housings for Receive and Transmit (RAT) wireless hand controls for Autoscript. The device has a range of 30m with 10 user selectable channels and is designed to make life easier for presenters by allowing them to move the script forward and back or go to 'top of rundown'. The housing surface texture is important to the presenters as it gives them a solid grasp of the hand control unit, and is a natural consequence of the SLS process. Each presenter has their own RAT unit, and 3T are now adding a serial number to each SLS assembly it produces so the unit can be personalised to the individual. Brian Larter, managing director of Autoscript sad, "The laser sintering and forming process has given Autoscript the ability to modify the design of the RAT as the product has evolved. At Autoscript we are very customer driven and working with a company that is equally responsive, like 3T, is refreshing". 3T offers prototypes or products built on both EOS and DTM machines. Large parts can be built on the EOS P700s whose build volume is 700 x 380 x 580mm. The EOS P360 machines allow parts to be built up to 620 x 340 x 340mm while smaller parts with fine detail can be made on the DTM 2500 Plus. 3T RPD 3T RPD