We will be pleased to help you.
We are used to many different products being digitally-controlled today. From the washing machine to your car, microcomputers handle countless tasks for us, and now the humble storage locker is no different. In venues including amusement parks and train stations, the old-fashioned lockers that allowed you single access for a couple of coins are increasingly rare, replaced by sophisticated electronic models with digital displays, credit card readers, receipt printers, and much more.
Smarte Carte is one manufacturer of these locker systems, featuring technologies such as access by biometric fingerprint scan, RFID / bar code bracelets and PIN codes. The company has tried to make the lockers as convenient as possible for the user, and, depending upon the model, they can accept coins, notes or credit cards, display rental instructions in multiple languages and print receipts. The multiple entry feature is ideal for day use at ski resorts or amusement parks, allowing users to enter their locker as often as they wish, while only paying for locker rental once.
The company has also tried to offer the operators benefits, including the elimination of key replacement costs, a reduction in maintenance costs of up to 90%, the ability to detect and enforce overdue lockers (thereby increasing revenues), and a reduction of theft through computerised auditing of transactions. Lockers can also be monitored from the locker rental centre or a remote location, with complete realtime surveillance of activity, active alarms and access logging. The lockers’ security features are sophisticated enough that the system is approved by the Transportation Security Administration for use inside U.S. airports.
Smarte Carte had to find a printer for the locker system that could generate payment receipts and print the PIN numbers used in the PIN access versions, whilst meeting the company’s requirements for consistent, jam-free operation and maximum uptime. After some research, they selected German thermal printer manufacturer Hengstler, settling on the C-56 printer.
Designed for paper 58-60 mm wide, the printer uses a minimal number of moving parts to try and maximise reliability. The elimination of a presenter simplifies printer operation and reduces cost, while the wide temperature range of -30°C to +70°C makes it ideal for use outdoors. The print speed of 220 mm/sec sets users on their way rapidly, and the extensively-tested paper feeding system minimises jams, whilst the auto-loading feature and the use of a non-axial paper holder makes paper replacement quick and easy.
Introduced first in the SL 1000 system, after a year of service Smarte Carte expanded the use of the C-56 printer to include its SL 3000 product, reporting that the C-56 supports the reliable reputation of the Smarte Locke lockers.
