Case Study
Canfield VISIA Gen7
How Exothermic's investment in in-house automotive-grade finishing turned the Canfield VISIA enclosure into a two-market success story
Canfield Scientific had a positioning problem that most contract molders are not equipped to solve. Its next-generation VISIA complexion analysis system had to work in two very different rooms. In a dermatology practice, the device needed a clean, minimal, clinical presence. On a cosmetic retail counter, the same device needed to read as luxury. One enclosure, two audiences, and a finish standard closer to what you would expect on a consumer electronics product than on a low-volume medical instrument.
The Challenge: One Product, Two Markets
Canfield Scientific's VISIA complexion analysis system had to succeed in two very different environments. In dermatology practices, it needed a clean, clinical appearance. On luxury cosmetic counters, it needed the sophisticated finish consumers expect from premium beauty technology.
The enclosure combined three reaction injection molded (RIM) parts and two injection molded components, all requiring coordinated, dust-free finishes in gloss black, silver, neutral white, and flat black. Some surfaces required as many as four colors on a single part.
Achieving that level of precision meant the part geometry, tooling, and finishing process had to be considered together from the earliest stages of design.
The Solution: Engineering the Finish into the Design
Exothermic worked alongside Canfield Scientific to align the enclosure's geometry, mold design, and finishing requirements from the earliest stages of development.
The finished assembly brought together three reaction injection molded parts and two injection molded components, each designed to support a coordinated, multi-color finish.
One particularly important detail was a recessed paint reveal measuring just 0.05 inch wide by 0.05 inch deep. This small channel created a defined separation between colors, allowing up to four colors on a single part while maintaining crisp, consistent edges.
By incorporating the finishing requirements directly into the tooling and part design, Exothermic made the complex paint scheme repeatable in production.
