The latest generation of household appliances are super-equipped and feature-rich devices. In addition to sophisticated design and special finishes, they differ from their predecessors in smart components and functionality, which make them even easier and more intuitive to use. The modern household appliance is electronic: it connects to the internet with a touch display and can be controlled remotely via apps on the phone or voice assistant commands. All these automatisms simplify the management of household chores, with a focus on optimising energy and even water consumption. However, standard electronic and optoelectronic components, which interact with light to signal specific appliance functions, continue to exist alongside high-tech components.
SLIM Srl, Società Lampade Interruttori a Mercurio, has been supplying manufacturers of the white appliance sector with light and light indicator components that can be applied to different types of white appliances since its establishment almost 50 years ago. In this short article, we shed light on SLIM's components and how they find application in both small and large white household appliances..
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SLIM's lighting components
SLIM has been active in the home appliance sector since 1973, producing basic and customised light components for a wide variety of application needs.
Starting with basic light units, these are light indicators that are applied to small and large appliances to signal the operating status of the device (on, off, fault). Devices with the simple function of signalling on and off also include panel indicators: they come in a variety of shapes and gem colours and are applied directly to the panel of the device. The different light colours can be traced back to a precise status of the device to make it immediately understandable for the user. Today, these devices continue to be in demand mainly for ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, blenders, coffee machines and other small kitchen appliances. The evolution that has been witnessed is the switch from neon/fluorine and incandescent light sources to the LED lamp, a solution with high efficiency and low energy consumption. The type of signalling proposed to the household appliances sector consists of indicators with an LED source: this is a chip with two junctions, coated with an epoxy resin, in which the junctions allow the passage of electrons that generate light. The new proposal allowed a breakthrough in terms of the brightness of the source and its lifetime, as well as an upgrade in aesthetic design.
Speaking of innovative light indicator components for household appliances, SLIM's R&D department has developed a type of indicator that is resistant to water, shocks and mechanical and chemical stresses such as detergents. These are three models of vandal-resistant indicator lights, ideal for dishwashers, hobs and other appliances that may come into contact with corrosive detergents.
SLIM's product catalogue also includes solutions such as hood sliders and switches suitable for small and large household appliances. In addition to its in-house production, SLIM also supplies third-party European and Asian companies to provide its customers with on/off, rocker and push switches. The switch buttons can be customised through the use of standard or custom silk-screen printing.
SLIM's proposal for more aesthetic, and not just functional, signalling includes: light profiles with SMD LED circuits or with optical fibre illuminated by an LED source, and micro-LED spotlights. The former is pure aesthetics: the light profile is used as a light detail on designer appliances. Micro-LED spotlights, on the other hand, offer both aesthetic and functional light: they are high-intensity micro lighting systems that are applied specifically on dispensing devices to signal the preparation of drinks, for example. LED micro spotlights can be applied on coffee machines, ice machines, water dispensers and even air fryers.
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