Test & Measurement

Testing & Diagnostics for Rail Transportation Technology

Case Study

An engineering and manufacturing firm for the rail industry designs test and diagnostic systems. Their products are used in a variety of test system integrations including those for motors, transformers, and compressors. The target customers for this firm range from public transportation integrators to municipalities to global rail technology providers. Traditionally, the company has used a variety of standard PCs combined with a series of I/O modules for monitoring and control within their diagnostic systems. One vendor’s PCs experienced repeated field failures when conditions were modified to match the likely environment of deployed motors and compressors. Another vendor’s solutions were too expensive for mass deployment.

The firm needed a solution that would operate reliably at a competitive price point and that would ideally incorporate some of the functionality provided by external I/O modules.

Environmental & Testing Solutions for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Case Study

A leading provider of process automation control systems across the Mid-Atlantic region focuses on solutions for medical and drug product manufacturing– specifically pharmaceutical testing. Working on a project-by-project basis, this integrator designs and implements control and automation systems for these end users in pharmaceutical manufacturing, pharmaceutical packaging, and research and development.

The integrator’s customers require robust, highly reliable I/O for pharmaceutical stress, stability, and sterility testing. Not only do the actual pharmaceutical testing systems necessitate fail-safe I/O for expansion, but the facilities themselves are subject to rigorous environmental requirements and compliance.

UAS Innovation Outpaces UAS Testing

Article

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are among the fastest innovating product segments of the worldwide economy. As these UAS innovations and new technologies are developed, rigorous testing is required, especially when the application relates to the control systems. Currently, testing UAS systems is time – and resource – consuming.

For all UAS, and unmanned systems in general, safety is the number one priority for developers and manufacturers. That said, most commercial UAS platforms and payloads are too small to carry redundant hardware components like an extra motor or backup actuators. Therefore, the safety redundancy in commercial UAS platforms tends to come in the form of software redundancies in the control system. As a result, the control systems of UAS platforms tend to be the most complex component, responsible for the operation of the vehicle under nominal conditions, as well as making safety decisions under failure conditions.

Semiconductor Fabrication Control

Case Study

A leading manufacturer of semiconductor fabrication equipment needed a way to communicate with a large number of serial devices from an industrial computer running their process control software. This customer preferred using the computer’s USB port but required isolation to protect the computer from potentially harmful voltage spikes present in their manufacturing environment.

High-Reliability USB to Serial Supports Medical Test & Research

Case Study

Biomedical Device Consultants and Laboratories (BDC Laboratories) is an industry-leader in the design and manufacturing of cardiovascular medical test equipment. They specialize in testing services, silicone vessels and test equipment for medical device manufacturers. In early 2021, BDC Laboratories released the RWT-4600i Heart Valve Real-Time Wear System. The RWT-4600i tests the overall durability and longevity of artificial heart valves. As part of this system, they required high-reliability USB to serial interfaces.