Pino Aliprandini kridt op et antal førsts med sin revolutionære elektropletteringsmaskine, Bane 1, som den viste på september Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 2017.
Styres af en mobilapp via en Bluetooth-forbindelse, den stationære galvanisering udfører ikke-cyanidbehandling for rent guld, de tre farver af karat guld, og sølv. Appen kan styre flere maskiner på samme tid, og da parametrene alle er inkorporeret i appen, data kan gemmes til fremtidig brug.
Ifølge Pino Aliprandini (HK) Ltd Administrerende direktør Sam Chong, Bane 1 er den første galvaniseringsmaskine, der er fuldt styret af en mobilapp. ”Maskinen har kun en tænd/sluk-knap og en nødafbryder. Alt andet inklusive kontroller og funktioner findes i appen,” forklarede han.
Udstyret med en automatisk genopfyldnings- og vedligeholdelsesfunktion, Bane 1 kan tage op til 5 liter opløsning, sagde Chong. Vejer kun 15 kilo, the machine’s compact design allows for easy placement on work stations.
“We also highly recommend pairing the machine with 3D printing. Prototypes can be made by 3D printing and then electroplated right away in Orbit 1. Manufacturers can save time, money and effort by skipping the casting process. They can present their clients with prototypes faster and more efficiently,” Chong noted.
It took two years to develop the Orbit 1 machine, Chong disclosed. He added that the mobile app technology will eventually be extended to the company’s electroforming machines.
In arguably another industry first, Pino Aliprandini is running a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in November to generate orders and fund production of the machine. Chong said Orbit 1 will be available at a promotional price of around US$2,000 on Kickstarter, with deliveries scheduled for two to three months after the campaign ends.
“We are targeting around 100 orders through Kickstarter. Once the campaign is over, Bane 1 will cost around US$3,000 per unit,” he remarked.