Automated Test System Resources
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Test Engineers / Test Managers / Manufacturing Engineers / Manufacturing Managers
If you work for a US-based manufacturer or R&D lab and you’d like to keep a pulse on automated test systems to help solve your problems, sign up here.
We share white papers, articles, webinars, and case studies to help you do your job and see what’s possible.
We don’t bombard you with emails (you don’t like fluff, and neither do we). We email when we have something useful to say or a question to ask (usually every ~2-3 months).
White Papers
Testing Digital Imaging Subsystems with Emulation
Eric M2023-01-25T17:02:53-05:00Testing Digital Imaging Subsystems via Emulation This article discusses an emulation platform built from COTS-based hardware for testing digital imaging systems. For a comprehensive coverage of typical tests, the main [...]
Design Validation Testing with LabVIEW
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:31-05:00Design Validation Testing with LabVIEW What is it? How to do it well. Gotchas. What is design validation testing? How do you know which design is best? Let’s [...]
How to Diagnose Failing Custom Test Equipment
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:32-05:00How to Diagnose Failing Custom Test Equipment Process to diagnose failing custom test equipment Likely causes of failure Thoughts on getting started Scenario You’ve got a piece of custom [...]
Making Good Measurements for Automated Test
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:34-05:00Making Good Measurements for Automated Test There are many causes of test inaccuracies. Understanding that equipment measurement accuracy, repeatability, unit capabilities, test limits, and the specification, is the first step to limiting [...]
9 Considerations Before you Outsource your Custom Test Equipment Development
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:33:12-05:009 Considerations Before you Outsource your Custom Test Equipment Development Selecting the right supplier for your custom automated test system You likely either work in a manufacturing plant or [...]
Test Automation Best Practices
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:35-05:00Test Automation Best Practices Utilizing custom test equipment for automated hardware testing of low/medium-volume manufactured parts What not to automate | What to automate | When to automate We’ll go over [...]
Product Testing Methods – for industrial hardware products
James Campbell2023-05-25T15:29:49-04:00Product Testing Methods – for industrial hardware products This paper discusses testing methods for industrial components/systems/subsystems, which are often complex or mission-critical, and either electromechanical or electronic in nature, with low to [...]
Webinar: How Aerospace and Defense Manufacturers Can Make the Assembly and Test Process a Competitive Advantage
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:36-05:00Webinar: How Aerospace and Defense Manufacturers Can Make the Assembly and Test Process a Competitive Advantage Increase productivity for your assembly and test processes Reduce human error Increase traceability [...]
Automated Test Systems for Automated Hardware Test – who, what, where, when, why, how
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:33:13-05:00Automated Test Systems for Automated Hardware Test Who, what, where, when, why, how Questions we’ll answer: What is an automated test system? Why/when are they needed? How are they used? Where [...]
Hardware Product Testing Strategy – for complex or mission-critical parts & systems
Stu McFarlane2022-08-10T13:57:45-04:00Hardware Product Testing Strategy – for complex or mission-critical parts & systems Some hardware products aren’t tested very rigorously or completely (e.g., a box of toothpicks or a bag of balloons) [...]
LabVIEW Test Systems – Custom Automated Test System Buyers Guide
Stu McFarlane2022-11-15T12:36:26-05:00LabVIEW Test Systems – Custom Automated Test System Buyers Guide This guide is for manufacturers of industrial / complex products that need a custom LabVIEW-based automated test system, either for manufacturing [...]
Universal Test Equipment – An Argument against it
Larry Lewis2022-06-06T16:53:32-04:00Universal Test Equipment - An Argument against itConsidering custom universal test equipment for your automated test needs? Read this first. Takeaways that we’ll discuss in more depth:When does universal test equipment make [...]
Test Systems as Lean Manufacturing Enablers To Reduce Errors & Waste
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:35-05:00Improving Manufacturing Test Stations Using Automated Test Systems as Lean Manufacturing Enablers To Reduce Errors & Waste A misconception that many companies have are that lean metrics (e.g. cycle time, inventory, and [...]
Improving Manufacturing Test Stations to Support Production Volume Demand Increases – Automation & N-Up
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:32-05:00Improving Manufacturing Test Stations to Support Production Volume Demand Increases So, what do you do when your customers want more parts than you are producing and the test system is holding up production because it [...]
Smart Manufacturing Test Enhancements – Webinar
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:34-05:00Smart Manufacturing Test Enhancements Webinar Want to gain efficiency for your company by enhancing your test system? Testing of manufactured parts has become commonplace. Practically every manufactured product is tested these days. [...]
5 Keys to Upgrading Obsolete Manufacturing Test Systems
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:33:12-05:005 Keys to Upgrading Obsolete Manufacturing Test Systems When failure of an obsolete test system is imminent, proper test equipment design can be stressful. Here are some tips to maximize the success of [...]
Custom Manufacturing Test Systems – How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck on a Budget
Stu McFarlane2022-06-21T12:20:22-04:00Custom Manufacturing Test Systems – How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck on a Budget Engineers can find themselves caught between (1) their budget and (2) their desire to [...]
Custom Manufacturing Test Stations – Top 6 Gotchas
Larry Lewis2022-06-08T07:07:09-04:00Custom Manufacturing Test Stations - Top 6 Gotchas When developing and/or utilizing a manufacturing test station. There’re many things to keep in mind when developing and/or utilizing a manufacturing test station. Some things [...]
Reduce Production Costs Report – Integrating Test and Business Systems and Embracing Electronic Records
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:34-05:00Reduce Manufacturing Costs Report Integrating Test and Business Systems and Embracing Electronic Records for manufacturing cost reduction Many companies produce a wide range of parts in small quantities. This high-mix, low-volume manufacturing is [...]
Building a Business Case for Automated Manufacturing Test
Stu McFarlane2022-12-12T16:36:30-05:00Building a Business Case for Automated Manufacturing Test Not sure if it’s worth the cost to build an automated test system (ATS) for your manufacturing department? This white paper reviews the cost drivers [...]
Case Studies
Custom Automated Test System – Quantifying Energy and Durability Performance for Refrigeration
Custom Automated Test System - Quantifying Energy and Durability Performance for Refrigeration Automation reduces manual labor while improving traceability Assessing performance for improved energy ratings and longevity Client - Zero [...]
Custom Automated Test System – Characterization of Heat Transfer System Thermal Performance
Custom Automated Test System - Characterization of Heat Transfer System Thermal Performance R&D testing required flexibility in control schemes and measurement I/O Client - ATSI, a large-scale System Engineering Provider [...]
Replacing Wire-wrap Boards with Software, FPGAs, and Custom Signal Conditioning
Replacing Wire-wrap Boards with Software, FPGAs, and Custom Signal ConditioningElectronic components of fielded systems were aging outReverse engineering effort converted wire wrap boards to FPGA-based I/O Client - Amentum - A supplier for [...]
Enhanced Portable Data Acquisition and Data Storage System
Enhanced Portable Data Acquisition and Data Storage System Using a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) provides a high level of synchronization and determinism for acquired data. Client Tier 1 Automotive Design [...]
Pump Test Station – Increasing throughput
Pump Test Station – Increasing throughput Standardizing on testing technique & reporting Increasing test throughput with automation Client - Industrial pump manufacturer Challenge Pump manufacturers typically test their [...]
Pump Test Station
Pump Test Station Client - Industrial pump manufacturer Standardizing on testing technique & reporting Reducing the number of pumps in the production queue Challenge Pump manufacturers typically test [...]
Industrial Monitoring for a Harsh Environment
Industrial Monitoring for a Harsh Environment Developing an industrial monitoring system for ultrasound-based sensing in a harsh environment Client - Energy Research Lab Challenge Our client was experiencing [...]
Custom FlexRIO Adaptor Module supports HIL Test Upgrade
Custom FlexRIO Adaptor Module supports HIL Test Upgrade A custom-COTS approach reduces cost and delivery time. Client - Major National Research Lab Challenge Our client has a client (the end-user) [...]
High-Speed Digital Subsystem Emulator
High-Speed Digital Subsystem Emulator Client: A large company involved in C4ISR At maximum throughput, the Aedis systems needed to consume and produce more than about 800 MB/s/slot. Background A large [...]
Pump Test Station Used Across Multiple Locations Worldwide
Pump Test Station Used Across Multiple Locations Worldwide Client - ITT Goulds Pumps Challenge Pumps are used for everything from sump pumps for the consumer home market all the [...]
Custom Endurance Test System – for a medical device
Custom Endurance Test System – for a medical device Increased level of automation allows for multi-day and multi-week test runs Client A medical device manufacturer Challenge Our [...]
NI FlexRIO-based Custom Test Equipment for High Speed Digitizer sensor
NI FlexRIO-based Custom Test Equipment for High-Speed Digitizer sensor The initial interface/test system to the DUT was up and running and getting real data from the DUT in ~2 weeks, allowing [...]
Articles
What is LabVIEW used for?
What is LabVIEW used for? LabVIEW is used for 4 main purposes: Automated Manufacturing test of a component/sub-system/system. Automated Product design validation of a component/sub-system/system. Control and/or monitoring of a machine/piece [...]
Shift Registers in LabVIEW
Shift Registers in LabVIEW Gotchas | Main Use Cases | How to implement Why/when do I need a shift register in LabVIEW? In LabVIEW, a shift register is used to store [...]
Hardware Testing Process – How to test products during production
Hardware Testing Process – How to test products during production A typical hardware testing process Before testing a piece of hardware, the test engineer should be clear on the purpose of the [...]
LabVIEW Remote Monitoring
LabVIEW Remote Monitoring 6 ways to do remote monitoring with NI LabVIEW In this article, we define LabVIEW remote monitoring as acquiring measurement data from a distant location (e.g., the other side [...]
Optimizing Manufacturing Test Stations
Optimizing Manufacturing Test Stations What more can I do with my existing test station? Your existing test station operates just fine but you’re thinking that maybe you can wring out a little [...]
How to prepare for when your test team starts to retire
How to prepare for when your test team starts to retire The skills gap and workforce reduction in US-based manufacturing jobs has been around for years. The situation has gotten worse from the [...]
Organization and Naming for LabVIEW Projects
Organization and Naming for LabVIEW ProjectsThis isn’t rocket science, but it can take a while to develop a good set of guidelines that work for you In the last post, we [...]
8 Reasons for Manufacturing Test Automation
8 Reasons for Manufacturing Test Automation In general, automation offers many benefits, such as more repeatability, less downtime, and generally lower cost of operation. While each test case is unique, there [...]
LabVIEW FAQ
LabVIEW FAQ Have LabVIEW questions? Here are some answers. What is LabVIEW? How does LabVIEW work? LabVIEW is essentially a graphical programming language (technically it’s a development [...]
