MENTOR have completely updated and redesigned their Plastic and Metal Knobs catalogue, adding in all of their latest knob introductions. The catalogue has an all-new design, and is available for immediate PDF download – why not Download the Plastic and Metal Knobs Catalogue now!
It’s becoming very hard these days to differentiate a company’s new products from the competitors. In a bid to create individuality, products have become more multifunctional, more intelligent and more complex. Examples can be found in the fields of smart home, automotive, IoT, eMobility etc.
Square Light Guides / Light Pipes are an innovative product range from MENTOR. I like them because they not only look great but allow you to visibly differentiate your product designs from the more mundane. It is worth noting that whilst the 10-column array versions have multiple tiny light elements closely spaced together, MENTOR’s clever integrated diaphragm prevents light bleed even when different colours are used adjacent.
MENTOR’s M-CUT 2-D Custom Light Guide / Light Pipe system opens up a whole new world to electronic design engineers who do not have the tooling budgets or volumes to justify custom light guide solutions.
MENTOR have added multiple array versions to their range, and all of the engineers I have shown rear-mounted samples to were very impressed. OK, they are not going to change the world but they are a clever concept that is highly practical and do enhance optical quality. However if you need IP68-rating, look elsewhere – by definition rear-mounted versions cannot deliver this (yet!).
Conventional front-mounted light guides will by definition always have heads slightly larger than the enclosure’s hole, which results in not all of the head being directly illuminated by the LED. The advantage of mounting from the rear of the panel is that all of the light guide head is directly illuminated and this produces a markedly superior lighting effect.
During my recent factory visit I explained to MENTOR that Multitron’s UK Design Engineers were loving the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of MENTOR’s switch cap solutions but many were asking for round / circular versions rather than square. I quite reasonably berated MENTOR for their short-sightedness in not supplying these.
MENTOR’s R&D guys always complain that they are too busy to take-on any more customer-specific projects (but they always do)! I don’t reckon they can be that busy because in their “spare time” they have come up with two very interesting light guide developments, namely corona and contour light guides. If I told you more I would have to shoot you but I am allowed to show you these images.
I thought it worth reminding you about MENTOR’s 150mm long Ø3mm flexible light guide, since it always generates so much interest whenever I show a working demo to Design Engineers. Some see it as a useful workaround that could “get them out of a hole” when redesigning a product mid-life-cycle.
Moog GmbH manufactures servo controllers that really do need to be waterproof! We have just received this image showing a unit that has already been in use for a year underwater. Moog relies on the quality of MENTOR’s IP 68-rated 1282.# series light guides. You can too.
