Case Studies

LabVIEW System Support for an Internal Engineering Team

LabVIEW
Posted in Automotive, LabVIEW, Test & Measurement Automation

Summary

DMC's client, the engineering testing facility of an automotive suspension manufacturer, was in emergency need of an additional LabVIEW developer on staff to continue developing a work-in-progress product testing application on an aggressive timeline. DMC provided flexible support for the client by making frequent onsite visits, learning the client’s product and internal processes, and becoming an extension of their engineering team. After launching the new testing application, DMC remained on-board to provide incremental upgrades and improvements to the existing extensive testing suite, provide code improvement recommendations, integrate improved source code control, and ramp-up new internal developers to gain familiarity with the testing suite.

Solution

DMC frequently traveled onsite to learn the existing testing suite, product background, and internal processes of client to become a valuable resource and addition to the client's engineering team.

Initially, the DMC team worked with the internal engineering developer to perform a knowledge transfer and inherit the code in a work-in-progress condition. DMC collaborated with the client to complete their high priority product testing application, which involved exercising products with hydraulic and pneumatic actuators with imbedded PID controllers. DMC continued working with the client onsite and remotely to provide incremental updates and improvements to the existing LabVIEW testing suite on an as needed basis. In addition, DMC integrated improved source control and versioning of the existing testing suite, provided training to new internal developers to gain familiarity with the testing suite, and provided recommendations for future improvements to the testing platform.

Customer Benefits

  • Expansion of the client's engineering team with DMC's LabVIEW developer resources
  • Debut of a new product testing application
  • Iterative and streamlined upgrades to existing testing suite
  • Improved source control and versioning of client’s existing LabVIEW testing suite

Technologies

  • National Instruments’ LabVIEW, DAQmx, signal conditioning
  • NI Compact DAQ
  • Pneumatic actuator control with embedded PID controllers