Case Studies
Sensigraphics Plugs into GE's New Digital Feeder Distribution Protection Relay
Quality, Price, and Delivery are deciding factors
THOROFARE , NJ- Finding a supplier with the right price and the ability to meet a stringent delivery date was key to GE Protection and Control's selection of Sensigraphics, Inc. for the manufacture of the front panel overlay assembly for its new distribution feeder relay, the DPF100.
“We had an aggressive delivery schedule to meet for the production of the overlay assemblies and Sensigraphics met it,” said project leader Dave Neal. “With a customer order scheduled for delivery at the end of July, we needed the overlays by June. We first met with Sensigraphics in May, at which time they showed us samples from their product line. After giving them drawings of our design, they forwarded a quote to us in less than a week and were chosen as the supplier for the overlays. To speed the production process, we gave them the AutoCAD drawings of the front plate that we had created ensuring that the product would be correct. Sensigraphics stayed on schedule, working weekends to provide us with a high quality product, complete and ready for assembly that met all of our performance requirements,” said Dave.
The DPF 100 is a microprocessor-based relay that is used in the protection of electrical distribution feeder systems. It monitors and protects the power system from the effects of abnormal conditions. The product is marketed worldwide and customer are mainly electrical utilities companies municipalities. However, the unit also has application that extend to industrial protection.
Sensigraphics used Marnot XL for the graphic overlay with pillow embosses keypads and ridged window area for viewing a Liquid Crystal Display. The 20-key membrane switch includes steel domes for tactile response to the user and a guard band for ESD shielding. The overlay for the domestically sold unit is a brushed aluminum color, which has been matched to blend with the front panels of several variants of the DPR100. A second version of the overlay was done in white with black lettering and a gray GE logo. When delivered, the overlay comes pre-mounted to an aluminum panel; complete with the hardware needed to install it.
The project proved to be a successful one for GE and Sensigraphics.
“Helping our customers to get their products to market on time and technically correct is the reason for Sensigraphics' rapid growth and continuing success," said company president, Anthony Ciccotelli. “When we created a complete in-house facility to manufacture from CAD design production and functional test, it was with the idea of fast, accurate turnaround for all of our customer products. The DPF100 is just one example of what we can do.”
Sensigraphics, Incorporated provides the O.E.M. with a high quality, single source supplier of customer membrane switch assemblies and graphic overlays.
The Company was formed in 1994 by Productive Plastics, Inc., a leader in the plastics thermoforming industry. With more than 50 years of experience in the marketplace, Sensigraphics' complement of talented and skilled professionals, work to produce custom membrane switches and graphic overlays for O.E.M., control, medical, and industrial manufacturers.
Sensigraphics' manufacturing floor is equipped with state-of-the-art printing and fabrication equipment, along with nitrogen U.V. and forced hot air curing units and complete testing facilities. Preproduction services include computer aided design and drafting, color matching, electronic drawing transfer, and scanning and digitizing for logos and artwork. Processes include screen printing, hard coating, tactile devices, diecutting, embossing, and laminating.
