Development of the Electronic Control System for Nespresso’s “Essenza Mini” Coffee Machine

Project description

Helbling developed the electronic system as well as the software and hardware for Nespresso’s lightest and most compact coffee machine to date – from the pilot study to large-scale production for the global market.

The electronic control system for the “Essenza Mini” capsule coffee machine needed to meet several requirements. Firstly, its production costs needed to be around 30 percent lower than those of its predecessor, while retaining its main functions. The circuit board itself could only be half as large. In terms of energy efficiency, the target was to achieve an energy class of A-40%, without using costly automatic switches. It also goes without saying that the control system needed to work reliably in an electronic environment made all the more difficult by heat, moisture and the power supply. Other challenges were presented by the coffee machine’s large-scale production and worldwide distribution. To ensure that the design would satisfy the quality requirements of large-scale production, proof was needed that all requirements had been met, a comparison had to be performed between the market risk and the development expense, and a low failure rate had to be guaranteed. The machine also needed to be compatible with several different power supplies and comply with all national and international standards so that it could be used anywhere in the world. Helbling not only has the perfect infrastructure for developing products intended for mass production, but also many years of experience in design for manufacturability and design for testability methodologies.