– Company: Foenix Coding
– Profile: Leading manufacturer and global supplier of the latest inkjet printers to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, industrial and electronics industries for in-line product coding, marking, printing and identification
– Project vertical: Industrial printing, professional print services
– Challenge: Support required for advanced print head, as well as ongoing hardware and software support
– Solution: New, larger printhead developed with additional features
– Services: Hardware support; software (firmware, embedded and PC application) support
– Impact: Improved printer with newly compatible software, able to accomplish larger scale tasks at faster speeds, opening up more business opportunities with potential and existing clients
Leading printing manufacturer and supplier
Foenix Coding was established in 2016. It manufactures and supplies the latest inkjet printers to a range of industries, specifically for inline product coding, marking and identification of primary and secondary packaging.
The company’s coding and marking technology can print onto any packaging on a production line, including food packaging and boxes made from cardboard, plastics, wood, glass and metal.
Foenix’s industrial printing technology can adapt to the production line speed; printing faster if the line moves more quickly, and reducing in speed if the line slows down.
Foenix Coding’s printers have proved to be a viable alternative for label replacement technology and Thermal Ink Jet (TIJ) and Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ) technology. The firm’s clever design radically reduces the components inside its printers – which, in turn, reduces manufacturing process costs, as well as an increase in printer reliability.
In a short time, Foenix has built a worldwide reputation in the print industry and beyond (exporting to over 60 countries) for quality and creativity, combined with cost-effectiveness and low maintenance in the design of its printers.
Challenges in Industrial Printer Software Development
Foenix Coding is known for innovation in industrial printing solutions and wanted to launch the larger printhead FX1+ to open up new market opportunities in the coding and marking industry.
The team wanted to introduce a product that would eliminate the need for labels in a manufacturing setting, thus saving paper, cost, and storage space and enabling users to print more information in one go.
Foenix sought a trusted team:
- With extensive embedded systems design experience and a track record of working to timelines and within budget.
- Who could connect its print software to its new, improved print head.
- Able to provide ongoing, long-term support with firmware changes, updates to their PC/embedded tablet and its accompanying app – adding additional features, resolving any build issues, and general troubleshooting.
Solution – Design Upgrade and Improved Functionality
ByteSnap provided Foenix Coding with modifications to its existing printer, changes to its firmware, the accompanying PC software and app to ensure compatibility and communication with the new printer.
Foenix Coding’s new printer with a larger printhead boasted double the print size from the previous printers without compromising on quality. To support the larger printer head the corresponding PC software needed modifications for both the design and printing elements. ByteSnap supported Foenix with updates to its software on its existing Windows CE tablet and desktop Windows PC used to operate the printer, and the microcontroller firmware on the printer itself.
On the hardware side of the project, ByteSnap managed obsolescence and end-of-life issues of some components by configuration of the OS and bootloader to support these new parts. The original hardware communicating with the printer was a single-board computer running Windows Embedded Compact or a Windows 10-enabled PC. ByteSnap updated graphical assets and rebranding cost-effectively on this joint platform.
Foenix is also planning to its next-generation tablet, ByteSnap will provide continuing support with this migration process.
ByteSnap offers Foenix Coding technical ongoing support, along with appropriate development choices, for future design decisions.
Overcoming project complexity
Due to supply chain disruption and component shortages, Foenix had not been able to obtain some of the chips to manufacture the Windows CE tablet. Other components recommended by the manufacturers were substituted. These required software changes by ByteSnap to ensure compatibility with the operating system at a very low level, supporting the new RAM and Flash components.
Future challenges for ByteSnap will be the migration to the next-generation tablet. This migration will require graphical changes to support the new resolution and screen ratio of the future mini-PC.
Benefits
ByteSnap has a strong history within the embedded industry, and the team at Foenix Coding entrusted ByteSnap engineers to deliver changes and modifications when necessary, on time and with low risk. Project benefits include:
- The new printer can communicate seamlessly with Foenix’s software suite thanks to firmware changes made to its Windows CE tablet, PC and accompanying range of applications
- The improved printer with its companion software can accomplish larger-scale printing tasks and opens up opportunities in new market segments
- ByteSnap’s modular approach by its engineers ensures that the products can evolve with Foenix’s existing needs and budgets
- The consultancy’s ability to work on hardware and software elements and provide technical advice, meant that there was minimal need for third-party input
- Foenix benefited from having a well-trusted team in ByteSnap that had familiarity with the previous product, thus capitalising on faster project completion