Accessible Test

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig 1 Contracted Braille Pack

(Continued)
This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig Kit 2 Uncontracted Braille

(Continued)

This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig 2 Uncontracted Braille Pack

(Continued)
This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig Kit 2 Contracted Braille

(Continued)
This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig 2 Contracted Braille Pack

(Continued)
This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig Kit 2 Uncontracted Braille

(Continued)
This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.

Wright Group: Early Braille Trade Books, Twig 2 Uncontracted Braille Pack

(Continued)
This collection of books is currently in Braille Translation, and as soon as translation is complete, Technical Research will finish product specifications and turn them over to Production.
Other Technical Research Projects
Product Updates/Redesigns and Special Projects

Technical Research was asked to work on redesigns for several products this year. Many of the redesigns involved material changes to help improve the product and to improve worker safety conditions. Some of the work was necessary due to problems/quality issues with existing products as well as new products. In addition some, but not all, changes resulted in cost savings that allowed APH to minimize or even avoid cost increases on these products. Some of the products impacted are listed below. Technical Research also worked on several special projects this year, not the least of which was to head a team of in-house personnel and outside vendors to re-tool the molds for all urethane molded parts. This involved 34 kits and over 70 parts. Extensive work was done to research new child safety laws and Technical Research assisted in the creation of the new digital flashcard talking book duplication system. These projects are documented in greater detail below.

Address Earth: Section 1

(Product Maintenance)
The Project Leader provided information that there were several reports from the field about concerns dealing with two specific issues, 1) page tear-out of the map pages, and 2) overall weight of the entire kit in the carry case/carry handles breaking. Several options to reduce the ease with which pages could be torn have been investigated. Options include using a paper with increased tear resistance, adding a clear re-enforcement strip to the binding edge, increasing the number of binding rings, and the possibility of using a completely different binding method. The material originally used for the map pages is a synthetic based paper that is rated “tear resistant.” Initial testing of this material with a standard 3-ring binding system proved adequate, but based on feedback following the release of the product indicates a new material might help remedy to problem. Since the release of the product, new synthetic papers have been approved by Xerox for use on the IGEN. Samples were obtained and run in early 2009. Nekoosa “Thermanent” 8mil synthetic paper was selected as being substantially stronger/with increased resistance to tear-out at the binding holes. This material will be used on future production of Address Earth: Section 1 and Sections 2 and 3, which are in development. Sets of the Section 1 map pages were obtained and sent to a vendor to test the re-enforcement strip concept. This added a tremendous amount of strength to the binding edge of the sheet. Cost of this binding improvement would add about $5.00 per set of map pages. It would also introduce delays, as the map pages are printed at APH and would have to be sent out and worked into an outside vendor's production queue. Investigation into binding changes quickly eliminated binding methods other than ring binding. The necessity to quickly access and remove an individual map page from the Atlas is easiest to do using standard snap open binder rings. The decision came down to five or seven ring assemblies, both of which are available as standard components. Testing was performed in the following manner: pages were punched in 3, 5, and 7-hole configurations to match the binder rings. Pages were then given a pull test, with the results measured for analysis. The 3-hole (standard being used) was the base line to measure against. Findings revealed that the 5-ring system in conjunction with the new paper was significantly better than the 3-hole. The difference between the 5 to 7-hole bindings was measurable, but not significant. Because of the increased cost associated with the 7-hole binding, and marginal improvement in specification, the decision was made to use the 5-hole binding ring. This will be changed on future runs of Address Earth: Section 1 and Sections 2 and 3. As for the weight of the kit, the idea would be to break the product into two cases. One would carry the Atlas and the second would contain the five guidebooks. This would distribute the number of pounds the kit weighs almost evenly between the two cases. Technical Research has contacted the vendor of the carry case to determine the minimum required dimension for the thickness (front to back) for this type of case. Properly sizing the case for its contents is essential to prevent excessive shifting around of the contents. Dimensions for the redesigned case have been provided to the vendor and a sample to be used for evaluation is due in September. Technical Research will continue to monitor the product following the implementation of these changes on future runs.