The project:

Creator accepted the assignment to develop a new instrument that was to be more ergonomical, reliable and practical. A new digital tool was to replace ABB’s existing analog system that required frequent manual readings that could not be saved.

The power source for the previous generation was also problematic, since it required a connection to a 220V AC. But the difficulties didn’t stop there. Three different ranges were to be measured, requiring calibration for each range, which was troublesome to perform in a stressful and heavy work environment.

”This was a complicated, extensive project – to improve basically everything,” says Jerry Svedlund, Project Manager at Creator. “The equipment was to be light weight, ergonomical, provide a reliable energy source without a network connection and the measurement results should be extremely accurate and safe.”

The solution:

With a wide spectrum of expertise to draw on, the assignment fit Creator like a hand in a glove.

”This was a typical case where all of our diverse expertise were optimally utilized. We had it all, industrial design, mechanical and electronical design, programming, quality assurance and visualization,” says Jerry Svedlund. “In cases like this, we become serious competitors to contend with.”

The previous system generated a constant signal. Our new CB-2000 tool generates signals only when being measured,” says Jerry Svedlund. “This minimizes power consumption and requires less battery capacity.”

The previous generation’s awkward plywood box, the large instrument with its heavy mechanics and copper hood are now but a memory. The next generation has replaced all that with a convenient case containing a small, battery driven digital device to measure and save data.

The ergonomics are superior to all competition on the market today. Moulded in a soft, grippable plastic, this shell also serves as shock-absorbent protection for the electronics and battery if dropped.

The result:

”The new digital CB-2000 instrument greatly facilitates their heavy work load,” says Jerry Svedlund. “During the developmental process, we implemented even more improvements and took ABB’s original requirements several steps further.”

Creator has even succeeded in minimizing production costs to about 60 percent compared to the previous generation. This ensures that ABB’s CB-2000 will generate substantially higher profit margins.

”We are very proud of what we have accomplished together with ABB. We have of course met obstacles along the way, and we even had to redesign on one occasion when the first idea didn’t work,” says Jerry Svedlund.

To cut down on development time, the instrument was to be designed around a commercial signal processing I/C circuit. This original solution turned out to fall short of ABB’s requirements in practice. In the end, redesigning the instrument has awarded us a more superior solution that resulted in two patent applications for capacitance measurements.

”We thrive on challenges, and the fruits of our labor resulted in an even better product than we thought from the beginning,” says Jerry Svedlund.