Membrane pressed RTF imparts sculpted, high-end aesthetics to self-service kiosk on tight budget
ALPHARETTA, GA — Hiring employees, managing human resources, and responding to customer and employee information inquiries are time-intensive processes that drive up operating costs in the hotel business — an industry that is already faced with tough competition, thin margins, lackluster growth projections, and high employee turnover. Increasingly pressured to contain costs, hoteliers rely heavily on advanced technology, innovative materials, and third-party expertise. It was exactly this combination that led one leading worldwide hospitality company to the K410 Counter Kiosk from Radiant Systems, Alpharetta, GA. The kiosk, constructed primarily of components membrane pressed with rigid thermoplastic film (RTF), provides a durable, secure, and aesthetically appealing interface for the hotel chain’s web-based employee hiring system. “The kiosks replace one-to-one contact and save employee time that would normally be spent engaging the prospective employee,” explains Troy Larson, product manager for Radiant Systems. “It also provides a direct connection to web-based control as well as to our client’s own computer network, eliminating the need for data entry and therefore saving time and minimizing the risk of input errors. Data is examined more quickly and hiring completed more efficiently.” To provide control over the system, Radiant’s client, which operates more than 2000 hospitality properties in the US and abroad, employs a web-based resource provider that automates the hotel’s recruitment and hiring process. Sourcing, recruiting, prescreening, and hiring workflow systems are all provided via the Internet. On average, customers using such third-party web-based service experience a 10 to 30 percent decrease in employee turnover and over 50 percent reduction in hiring time. While the system was immediately effective, the initial interface — a dedicated PC located on a desktop — proved unreliable and with exposed cords and connection ports offered limited security. To maximize its investment, the hotel chain required an interface solution that was purpose-built, durable, low maintenance, and secure. With the help of the design team at Creative Kiosk (Norcross, GA), Radiant Systems created the enclosure for the K410 kiosk — a departure from Radiant’s stand-alone pedestal design — employing membrane pressed RTF to satisfy design, durability, and security concerns.
Design Requirements Demand RTF
“The desktop design of the kiosk is new,” explains Larson. “Typically our kiosks are free-standing and constructed of formed sheetmetal, but for a function like employee hiring, which requires a great deal of information input, a desktop kiosk that would allow the candidate to sit was more appropriate.”
“Our client required a design that was simple and relatively inexpensive, yet had perceived value and quality aesthetics,” he adds. “Membrane pressed RTF allows for rounded corners and a woodgrain finish, yet it is highly durable and UV resistant.” “There were essentially four key factors of this project that made it well suited to membrane pressed RTF,” explains Tom Zaken, director of national program development at Creative Kiosk. “The budget was tight, the timetable was short, a woodgrain finish was specified, and the kiosk design needed to be minimalist yet impart a certain level of aesthetic appeal and uniqueness.” “The cost of the project didn't allow for a veneer finish, and the soft, sculptured look of the kiosk design eliminated laminates as an option,” he adds.
Membrane Pressing Allows Three-Dimensional Surfacing
“Seven membrane pressed RTF components comprise the kiosk enclosure,” says Zaken, “two side panels, one back panel, a short top, a bottom, and the keyboard top and bottom.” Creative Kiosk outsources membrane pressing for this project to U.S. Customized Finishes (Suwanee, GA).
Prior to membrane pressing components are milled to create detailed edge profiles and compound curves. “The keyboard employs a sandwich design,” explains Zaken. “Two 3/4-inch (19.05mm) thick membrane pressed MDF substrates comprise the top and bottom of the enclosure, and a 1/4-inch (6.35mm) thick acrylic sheet is used between the two as a reveal.” The top panel is milled to expose an opening for the keyboard, and both top and bottom substrates are then CNC routed to create curves and rounded corners. Machined components are coated with adhesive and placed on a membrane-pressing table — with scratch- and mar-resistant RTF from American Renolit suspended above — then slid into a chamber that heats the film and creates a vacuum, drawing the film in tightly to the part. Exceptional formability enables the film to conform to any detail in the wood, including undercut edges, while maintaining a uniform wall thickness with minimum thin-out. Once excess film is trimmed from the perimeter of the backside, membrane-pressed components are delivered to Creative Kiosk for assembly. Radiant then adds the touch screen, keyboard, and all necessary hardware and electronics to the enclosure prior to delivering the finished kiosk to its client
Kiosk Performs in Field
“The kiosks are low-maintenance, purpose-oriented hardware devices,” explains Larson. “The possibility of damage, theft, and inappropriate use is prevented by securing all wires and parts within the kiosk.”
“To provide flexibility in maintenance, the bezel that surrounds the keyboard is replaceable independent of the rest of the kiosk,” he adds, “but no replacements have been necessary.” Radiant began supplying kiosks to hotel properties in April 2003, and now has single or twin installations at approximately 50 sites throughout the US, with job candidates accessing each of the kiosks numerous times each day. Success of the desktop kiosk prompted Radiant to offer the design as one of its standards.
Radiant Systems, Inc.
3925 Brookside Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30022 USA
770-576-6000
inquiries@radiantsystems.com
www.radiantsystems.com
Creative Kiosk
3042 Adriatic Court
Norcross, GA 30071 USA
770-448-2022
tzaken@creativekiosk.com
www.creativekiosk.com U.S. Customized Finishes, Inc.
1175 Highway 23, Suite 8
Suwanee, GA 30024 USA
770-271-1266
uscf@uscustomized.com
www.uscustomized.com |
