Testudo Engineering - Automation of Existing Process Example

AUTOMATION OF EXISTING PROCESS

One of the projects Testudo Engineering is currently working on is the Universal Test System (UTS). The client contacted Testudo to help automate a very labor intensive test for one of their products. Although the nature of the test lends itself well to automation, the test had never been automated due to the relatively low quantity of units. Automation became much more attractive as the production quantity increased, not only for the labor reduction in testing, but for the additional benefits of consistency, reduced resource dedication, and reduced operator errors. Despite all the potential benefits, the cost was still a barrier since the client did not want a large capital expense sitting idle when the type of product it was designed for was not in current production.

In response to this issue, the test system is designed to be flexible enough to test many types of products, even if the exact nature of the tests needed in the future is not known. The console itself contains only the necessary instrumentation, power, and interconnect method. An Interchangeable Test Adapter (ITA) is designed for each type of Unit Under Test (UUT). This ITA contains all the UUT specific hardware and the necessary signal mapping to connect the UUT to the instrumentation in the console. This has the following advantages over building a separate test console for each type of UUT.

universal test system sketch

Universal Test Stand Features A seperate test console does not need to be built for each type of UUT. Instead, only a new ITA needs to be built with all the UUT specific hardware and signal routing. This can reduce the cost of development for new projects significantly by eliminating the need to have the instrumentation, power, and computing functions duplicated for each type of UUT.

The UTS concept allows for flexibility in utilizing the consoles based on the UUT demands. For example, if multiple UTS consoles are available, they can be used to test multiple types of UUT. But in times of increased demand for one type of UUT, all the consoles can be dedicated to one product line.

The drawing of the UTS console shown is designed for a customer whose products contain many electrical signals. The console uses an 18 module PXI instrument chassis with MUX modules, general purpose relay modules, and data acquisition modules. An expandable power supply chassis allows up to 8 programmable power supplies to be used. This general setup, along with the computer and mass interconnect system, provided a good framework around which ITA could be developed to accommodate many types of UUT and many types of tests. This system allows an almost endless combination of electrical tests, power application, and digital command signals.