DMC’s priority is to address pain points for customers. We started this project with a discovery phase to fully understand the functionality of the current solution and generate complete documentation of requirements. Then, we were able to create an architecture for a solution that addressed pain points while leveraging familiar tools and entry patterns by building within the SharePoint framework. A selection of custom forms was built using React Typescript in an SPFx webpart. These covered data entry needs for project initiation, budget entry and amendment, and tracking payment commitments and status. Budget information became easily available in a familiar table format on the landing page for each project. 

The approval process leverages Microsoft’s built-in solution for approvals for notification in Teams and Outlook. It uses Power Automate to pull in additional information from SharePoint Lists and the .NET backend. The approval status is displayed on the main project page within the custom webpart. This improved visibility for the team and allowed project managers to effectively delegate budget tracking tasks to others while still being able to track and approve overall project status. 

Additionally, DMC built automatic coversheet generation, which streamlined the processes for providing billing information to vendors and invoicing end clients. Generation is performed in the .NET backend, and documents are saved to the project SharePoint folders for easy re-access. Automated emails, including the relevant data and coversheets, are automatically set based on user-entered contact information.  

Learn more about DMC’s Custom Application expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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We wrote code to deliver inputs and read outputs from the customer code and communicate with higher-level building automation systems. The PLC development included debouncing digital signals and scaling analog signals. We designed the PLC interface with fan controllers over Modbus/RTU as well as send commands from the customer code to physical outputs. We implemented fieldbuses to allow for end customer control of the units over Modbus/RTU, Modbus TCP/IP, Profinet, BACnet IP, and BACnet MS/TP. Field bus parameters can be modified directly on the HMI. 

We also developed HMIs to view the cooler status. Our solution allows end customers to modify fieldbus parameters quickly without having to open the Beckhoff programming environment. Historical and alarm data are logged to internal memory, and end customers can export that data to an external drive.  

DMC worked with the client to develop a procedure for deploying to new machines in their production facility that did not require the use of any specialized programming software. Our solution was a combination of the Beckhoff Service Tool and custom code on the IPC to apply settings. The solution allows users to import a configuration file that can adjust the PLC program to the correct hardware and software settings. 

Learn more about DMC’s Beckhoff programming expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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DMC’s client needed an efficient and seamless transition from File Explorer to SharePoint Online to improve their security and modernize their user experience while leveraging SharePoint’s enhanced file storage capabilities.

Design and Development

To assist the client, DMC held initial sessions to determine the ideal SharePoint Online structure and identify all files to be migrated. DMC also gathered employee information that would be required for the migration of personal folders to OneDrive. After these sessions, DMC methodically planned the site creation and migration timeline, which they then presented to the client team for approval.

Testing and Deployment

Once approved, DMC designed and implemented a custom SharePoint home page based on the customer’s branding. DMC ensured that all sites were locked down before making site changes. They implemented 49 site collections and the corresponding document libraries.

For enhanced security, DMC led the creation of a permissions structure with the client IT team, which was implemented site-wide. With permissions in place and confirmation from the client IT team that the Shared Drives were locked down, DMC migrated 1.3 TB worth of content to SharePoint Online and performed 750+ user migrations to individual OneDrive accounts.

If DMC can assist with any SharePoint Online transition, whether from an existing cloud setup or from a file server like this one, please feel free to reach out, and we’d be happy to help out!

Learn more about DMC’s Digital Workplace Solutions expertise and contact us for your next project.

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DMC worked with a major automotive OEM that needed to expand testing capacity for their new electric vehicle (EV) production line at their high-volume assembly plant. Their existing end-of-line tester was slow, inflexible, and deeply coupled with the overall line builder’s PLC workflow. Furthermore, the test provider had a proprietary test sequence editor that only they could support. This created a challenging dependency on a singular test provider for new features and updates to their test process. The OEM wanted to remove that dependency by using industry-standard testing tools and software platforms.

To add to the challenge, the OEM’s product development team was constantly revising their test requirements while simultaneously needing to begin building up their production test cells. We see this as a common trend among our customers: a race to get to market first, to capture market share and reduce overall product development costs. As a result, the traditional “waterfall approach” of developing a product and then creating a test solution around that prototype just takes way too long. With an agile/lean new product development approach, they are seeking to parallelize product design and software development with the design, build, and commissioning of the test systems required to validate their “still evolving” products.

DMC and our close partner, NI Emerson, were introduced to the OEM’s Test Engineering Team and recognized the customer’s challenges as an excellent opportunity to showcase DMC’s Battery Production Tester (BPT) framework, which is built on top of NI’s TestStand software platform. DMC had successfully used BPT as the foundation for numerous battery test projects over the past few years, so we knew it would provide the OEM with both the value and flexibility of NI TestStand, along with the simplicity and refined features they enjoyed in their incumbent battery test provider’s solution.

Replacing the incumbent solution turned out to be no small challenge, with many factors, including politics and familiarity with legacy approaches posed real obstacles for adoption of the DMC BPT. Ultimately, though, it was hard to argue with the results. DMC deployed our BPT platform on the first line, integrating seamlessly with the OEM’s existing hardware and controls while delivering faster cycle times, comprehensive test coverage, and complete data traceability.  The BPT platform allowed for rapid test development. Within 1 week of being onsite with the OEM’s new battery pack, the battery cycler, and the other test equipment at the customer site, DMC had a complete test up and running. The OEM told us that it usually took their previous test supplier over a month before the software framework was operational enough to run a full test on their packs, so this was clear value to them: ensuring the project stayed on track and met production timelines. It is also worth mentioning that DMC’s decades of battery test expertise played a critical role in helping the OEM overcome roadblocks with their BMS (battery management system) flashing process, which allowed us to provide the customer not only the tools but the expertise to quickly stand up a battery test line.

The result of our work together was a future-proof, software-centric solution that displaced a decade-long incumbent and positioned the OEM for scalable growth. DMC is now working with this same customer to deploy the BPT solution to over a dozen other EV and Plugin Hybrid EV (PHEV) battery pack production lines. The project has not only strengthened the customer’s battery test capabilities but also resulted in numerous updates, improvements, and hardening of DMC’s BPT platform, which we’re excited to share with other customers looking to optimize their battery test operations.

Figure 1: DMC’s Battery Production Test (BPT) Software. Shown Screen: BPT’s low-code BPT Socket Test Overview Screen

Customer Benefits

• 13% Faster Test Cycle Time – Increased throughput, without adding additional test stations. This optimization occurred over the span of 1 month, compared to the optimizations that the incumbent had been implementing for years.
• Multi-DUT testing – With parallelization capabilities and BPT’s enhanced multi-up configuration UIs, it’s easy to design your test sequence for one DUT but test on multiple sockets for improved utilization of capital-intensive equipment like high-power battery cyclers.
• Seamless Integration – The BPT solution fits into existing production line architectures with minimal hardware changes. The BPT HAL (hardware abstraction layer) allows for supporting different brands and models of PLCs, cyclers, and other devices and instruments required for a test. No new capital expenses are required to swap out the existing test system hardware!
• Centralized Configuration & Deployment – Push software, configuration, parameter, and grading updates across stations and easily reuse test sequences on new battery pack models.
• Expert Support – DMC’s engineers helped resolve BMS flashing issues and debug the customer’s product software to meet their production deadlines
• Comprehensive Test Coverage in a Modular Form Factor – Electrical, BMS, and power capability tests in one station, or split across numerous lines for improved takt time. DMC’s BPT software is modular and supports one “do-it-all” test station or deployment across numerous, tightly scoped test stations to increase throughput. Simply select your station type and BPT manages all the configured devices/instruments and available test files for you!

Figure 2: Station Type configuration file organization

Figure 3: Test Station configuration User Interface

Technologies

Hardware:

• NI cDAQ chassis
• Industrial PC
• NI RMX power supply
• Battery cycler (any brand/model)
• PLC (Rockwell / Siemens)
• Safety interlocks, RFID scanners, thermocouples, etc.

Software:

• DMC Battery Production Test (BPT) platform
• CORTEX framework (DMC’s NI TestStand-based test executive)
• CAN, Modbus, Ethernet/IP, Automotive Ethernet, MES, MQTT, SystemLink integration modules and more!
• Custom, low-code overview screen
• Live waveform visualization and manual mode diagnostics
• DUT Variant Parameterization: Allows reuse of a single test sequence for multiple DUTs with different test limits or other test variations
• Separated engineering IDE and operator UI for distinct workflows

Solution

The Battery Production Tester (BPT) platform is a software package, built with NI LabVIEW and on top of NI TestStand. The software was designed with two primary users in mind:

• Test Operators: People working on the production line who need a simple user experience to understand what is happening on the line and make modifications if needed
• Test Engineers: Experts on battery test who want to design optimized test sequences quickly to test new products or identify potential product defects.

To accomplish this, BPT has a “BPT Application” component that is deployed on each test station, as well as a “BPT Engineering Environment” component that is used by engineers on their development laptops. From this environment, engineers can fully configure a test station remotely, push their changes using industry-standard version control tools, and track changes made to test configurations.

The BPT Application provides rich user interfaces that show live data in summary views and waveform graphs and display parametric test results in a modern UI. Operators have access to a limited subset of functionality, depending on the user role and permissions assigned to them, either locally managed or IT-linked LDAP.

The BPT Engineering Environment provides engineers with all the power and capability that NI TestStand offers, without the complexity of setting up the TestStand infrastructure. BPT has simple configuration dialogs for all the main settings and convenient parameterization that engineers often need to test a battery pack efficiently. These smart features greatly simplify the engineering workflow compared to starting over from scratch each time. Furthermore, DMC exposes a rich and expanding library of common battery test devices and instruments (including CAN, Automotive Ethernet, Power Supplies, DI/DO/AI/DO, Modbus, EthernetIP, etc.). These sequence steps provide high-level, configuration-only building blocks that engineers can drag and drop into their test sequence. Each step can have a unique Testpoint assigned to it, which allows easy traceability into which test steps are failing most often, something your quality team cares deeply about.

Figure 4: BPT Application – Test Sequence Execution View

Figure 5: BPT Engineering Environment (Built into NI TestStand via Extensions)

The BPT platform also supports centralized configuration management, allowing engineers to push updates to multiple test stations simultaneously. By single-sourcing sequences and parameterizing them across different DUTs, the customer dramatically reduced the engineering effort required to maintain and scale their test systems.

For this project, we customized DMC’s BPT to work seamlessly with the OEM’s existing test cell setup — including their chosen battery cycler and assembly line PLCs. Thanks to BPT’s modular plugin system, making those connections was straightforward. The hardware abstraction layer (HAL) also positions the OEM to easily swap out instruments and optimize their hardware expenses in the future – without major rewrites to their test sequences. This flexibility ensures long-term adaptability as the OEM continues to evolve its battery production strategy.

The software ran a full end-of-line test that checked electrical performance, ran BMS diagnostics, and verified hi-power charge and discharge capabilities. All the results were automatically saved and sent to a central database for easy tracking, while preserving local copies of the test results for immediate viewing on the test station if needed. The automated test software ran without any human-in-the-loop, triggered by a line PLC. The BPT UI screens gave the operators a clear understanding of what was happening with the test system and  provided them with the necessary tools to step in and troubleshoot the system when needed. The engineering team could watch the test results stream in live from their SystemLink connection, making access to the test data easier than ever to retrieve and analyze.

BPT Features

Built on the CORTEX framework, DMC’s BPT platform delivers robust and scalable test architecture tailored for battery production environments. It includes many valuable features, including:

• Open, standards-based software architecture: Unlike proprietary test systems that lock users into vendor-specific tools, DMC’s BPT is built on NI TestStand — an industry-standard platform. This gives the OEM complete control over test sequences, enables easy integration with third-party hardware, and ensures long-term flexibility without vendor lock-in.
• Standardized Sequencing – Built on NI TestStand with a custom Sequence Editor and reusable step libraries, enabling engineers to develop and maintain tests efficiently using industry-standard tools.
• Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) – Abstracts instruments and devices through plugin classes, supporting DMMs, DAQ, serial and industrial protocols (Modbus, Ethernet/IP, Automotive Ethernet), power supplies, PLCs, and more. This allows the customer to swap out hardware as needed without rewriting test sequences.
• Configuration Over Code – Dynamic workspaces, station configurations, and device-socket mapping enable engineers to configure multi-up stations and test logic without deep programming expertise.
• Production-Grade User Experience – Includes Auto and Manual test modes, device dashboards, live channel viewer, alarms, and role-based user permissions. Operator and engineering interfaces are separated to support distinct workflows.
• Reporting & Traceability – Combines parametric test reports with engineering waveform logs (TDMS), enabling root cause analysis and complete visibility into test execution.
• Ecosystem Integration – Seamlessly connects to PLCs, MES systems, custom databases, and IT infrastructure (e.g., LDAP for user management), ensuring the test system fits into the customer’s broader manufacturing environment.

Figure 6: Live Waveform (Data Server Viewer)

Figure 7: DUT Parameters Editor for configuring variables on specific product models, enabling reuse on a shared test sequence

Figure 8: DMC BPT Results Viewer Tool that combines TestStand Report Results with Continuously Acquired Data

Let’s Start a Conversation

Looking to modernize your EV battery testing process? Have specific concerns for your battery test project? Wondering if BPT can help your team? DMC’s BPT platform delivers speed, flexibility, and deep test coverage, without disrupting your existing production line.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you scale your battery manufacturing with confidence.

The post Powering Up an EV Battery Production Line with DMC’s BPT Platform appeared first on DMC, Inc..

While there are drivers to control each device, most importantly, this application orchestrates smart switching and connection rules. For each API request, the application checks a series of rules to ensure the requested measurement is safe to conduct. Here is a subset of the enforced rules and features: 

• Free matrix y-lines 
• Avoid matrix hot switching 
• Power sourcing instruments are not connected to a DMM in a low impedance mode (current measurement) 
• Automatic y-line and internal switch control, so the client application only has to request the test points to measure rather than specifying every relay in the circuit 

This allows the sequencers to safely perform measurements on any instrument without worrying about additional connection logic. 

Easy Integration

The application is self-describing, so a client application knows what devices are present and lists the available APIs. The application hosts a Swagger page, so it’s easy to test and visualize the available API. 

Highly Tested

We leverage the API interface to write PyTests that test each API. The test scripts are automated, making it easy for our team to test the whole application and produce a test report. Since we test through the API interface, testing is exactly the same as the way client applications will use the application. 

Modern and Version Controlled Deployment

To provide a stable and controlled deployment environment, we build the application into a Docker image and run the image within a container on a Linux industrial PC. The entire build process is managed through a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment pipeline for end-to-end traceability. 

Key advantages: 

• No issues with Windows updates
• Traceable – we know exactly what code went into the build 
• Testable – we can run the exact same tests on the source and containerized version of the application 

If you’re interested in highly tested, modular test and measurement systems like this one, contact DMC to discuss your project.

The post Integrating Multi-Instrument Test Stands into a Unified API Framework  appeared first on DMC, Inc..

To address this, DMC engineered a reconfigurable switching architecture using a Pickering switch matrix and a Pickering high-voltage multiplexer. The switch matrix dynamically adapted the test system’s I/O configuration to match the specific PDU variant being tested, while the high-voltage multiplexer provided isolation for hipot testing. This configuration enabled safe, automated switching between low-voltage functional tests and high-voltage insulation tests without manual intervention. 

The test fixture supported up to 20 device-under-test (DUT) pins, 12 of which provide hipot isolation, routed through the high-voltage multiplexer before connecting to the switch matrix. Functional test instruments, including programmable power supplies and DMM channels, were integrated within the matrix, simplifying signal routing and maximizing hardware reuse across different product types. 

On the software side, DMC developed a custom test control application that empowered the client to define and manage their own test specifications and functional sequences. The system also featured MES integration, enabling automatic test selection based on the scanned serial number of each PDU. This ensured that the correct test sequence was executed for every unit and maintained complete production traceability. 

By combining modular hardware design with configurable test software, DMC delivered a flexible, future-proof EOL test solution that simplified production operations and reduced testing complexity across the client’s PDU product family. 

Learn more about DMC’s Test & Measurement expertise and contact us for your next project. 

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The ETE is designed to maximize flexibility for future testing of the existing HIL racks, as well as potential iterations of HIL design. It can be used as a validation tool and a general purpose debugging tool. The mass interface connectors route all input signals through configurable switch matrices to provide a connection path from every input pin to any connector on rack measurement instrumentation. The ETE system includes a PC that acts as an interface between PLANT software and rack-mounted measurement instrumentation; the main ETE application is a Python-based REST API that runs headless and does not require an external monitor. This application integrates easily with existing customer test executive software and enables the test developer to control all ETE devices as if they were operating a single unified instrument.

Self-Test Capabilities

In addition to validating HIL racks, the ETE has the capability of validating itself. This is performed by using DMC’s automated self-test sequence which can verify all 2,000+ channels are wired properly and all instruments are functional for testing.

Software Safety Rules

The ETE has software enforced safety rules that limit the duration of power sourcing instruments, number of connections between power sourcing instruments and signal lines, and signal routing limits for overcurrent protection of switching lines.

It is important to note that these software safety rules are supplemental to the system’s hardware controlled safety circuit for E-stop integration.

Built In-House

DMC’s internal Fabrication team built the ETE test system in-house. The system consists of a 24U rack system on heavy duty caster wheels which allows the system to easily move throughout the client’s testing facility. The system PC and switching hardware occupy the bottom half of the rack and measurement and power sourcing instrumentation are installed in the front, top half of the rack. The back of the rack has mass interconnects to connect to HIL racks or loop back to itself for self-test.

Custom Configurations and Scalability for Any Test System

The ETE can be expanded further to contain additional hardware to broaden test scope and allow additional channels, higher power tests, and support for more UUT functions. The modular rack design allows flexibility to scale up (or down) DUT channel count and testing functions in order to meet evolving test requirements.

Conclusion

DMC’s Helix SwitchCore hardware platform paired with the REST API software architecture gives the External Test Equipment (ETE) rack the capability to validate high signal count hardware in the loop (HIL) systems are working properly which can significantly reduce manual operator verification and debugging. The ETE’s modular rack design allows future design iterations to adapt with signal count, signal types, and other UUT requirements for HIL systems, ground support equipment (GSE), or other automated test equipment (ATE). The diverse set of measurement and sourcing capabilities allows the ETE to be used as a general purpose debugging tool, in addition to its main function as an ATE validation tool.

If you find yourself spending significant time keeping your automated test systems operational, secure, and validated, consider consulting DMC’s Test and Measurement service area to see how a Turnkey Test System may improve your testing workflow.

Learn more about DMC’s Test & Measurement Aerospace and Defense expertise and contact us for your next project.

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Figure 2 DEWETRON TRIONet3

Figure 3 DEWETRON XR Modules

Figure 4 One of the Completed Test Carts with a Blender on Top

DMC is also a long-standing NI partner, and we leveraged our deep LabVIEW programming experience on this project to deliver a high- quality solution.

The cart measures current, voltage, speed, and temperature, and displays them appropriately on the custom user interface. As a sequence is running, the UI shows the progress in addition to the live data. There’s a separate tab for viewing any alarms, such as application errors, e-stops, or out-of-range values, using DMC’s Alarm Handling toolkit.

There’s also a tab for customized settings, where the customer can specify the units, scaling, and type for each physical channel in the system, depending on what unit they’re testing.

Figure 5 A View of the Test Software with Sequence Monitoring, Data Plots, and a Live Data Table View

Conclusion

DMC’s expertise in a variety of hardware and software platforms made us a great fit for this consumer goods test system, and we’re always looking to do more. Our customer was pleased with how easy it was to switch over to the new test carts,and is excited about adding new features and expanding, already given the system’s flexibility for upgrades. Every product is different, and balancing streamlined features and maintainability with customization and expandability is a challenge DMC is always up for.

Learn more about DMC’s Test & Measurement consumer goods test system expertise and contact us for your next project!

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Data Collection, Standardization, and Organization 

The system uses AUTOSOL ACM to connect to thousands of distributed field devices using protocols like Modbus, ABB Totalflow, and Allen-Bradley Ethernet IP. ACM then hosts the tags for Ignition to read over OPC-UA. Ignition uses UDTs and a strict tag hierarchy to maintain standardization between different equipment of the same type. 

Ignition collects data, stores trends in the tag historian, and displays tag data on dynamic screens. Navigation and displays are driven by database tables to automatically update when new sites are added. Screens use high-performance HMI design to give operators at-a-glance equipment health and performance information. 

Automated Equipment Rollout Process 

DMC designed the system to automatically generate all required equipment configuration from a template spreadsheet file. This creates AUTOSOL import files and Ignition tags, so users do not have to manually add equipment to the system. The auto-generation process is designed to both create new equipment and update existing equipment, making it easy to roll out changes to the field.  

Data Reporting and Integrations 

DMC developed custom dashboards and reports to display critical production information. Reports contain a mix of user-submitted information, trend aggregations, and live data. Reports and data can be accessed via several different means: 

• Ignition dashboard screens 
• Export-to-CSV downloads 
• REST API data endpoints 
• Alarm text, email, and phone callouts 

Conclusion 

With their new Ignition/AUTOSOL SCADA system, the client has much greater visibility into their field-wide data. They can build on DMC’s modular architecture to quickly roll out new sites and develop new features.  

Learn more about DMC’s Ignition SCADA Programming expertise and contact us for your next project.

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Specification

The vision experts at DMC assisted the client with selecting camera type, resolution, optics, and lighting for that precise application. For this project, client scientists would be constructing new tests and experimenting with a variety of settings on many different material types. They needed a custom piece of software that was as flexible as their test arrangement.

DMC listened to client staff and distilled their use cases and requests into a realistic strategy. We proposed to support any industrial camera that adhered to the GenICam XML standards. This would allow NI Vision to interface with a variety of different camera makes and models. Leveraging the client’s programming skills and LabVIEW’s approachable nature, we were able to design a Processing and Grading VI template. 

This ultra-flexible setup would allow LabVIEW-savvy client staff to create VI IMAQ content inside individual subVIs. These user-created VIs, as long as the terminals remained consistent, could be called and run by the built executable.

Outcome

The final application consisted of two primary parts: the Configuration screen and the Main Test screen. The client would attach a Camera, and LabVIEW would find and list the new device, along with all currently loaded settings. An extensive Attributes list displayed all editable settings exposed to the user. Double-clicking on any Attribute would launch a configuration window, displaying valid settings and a description to help the user properly edit values.

Once settings were established correctly, the client could save the attributes to disk. A camera could easily be reconfigured for a new test by loading a different configuration file from disk. Acquisition settings, such as frame rate and exposure time, could also be configured. SubVIs, created earlier by client staff, containing different image processing algorithms, are listed under a dropdown by name. The user can select a Processing and Grading subVI to run on each image.

Once a camera is configured and set up to acquire, the user switches over to the Main Screen, where they can start the acquisition. Each image produced by the camera is passed through the Processing and Grading subVIs, with live results displayed on the screen for convenient viewing. The program could also be configured to automatically save all or only ‘failed’ images to disk at a given compression ratio.

As always, DMC transferred the entire LabVIEW codebase over to the client staff. The bundle included example Processing and Grading VIs along with other DMC libraries for easy extension and modification.

Learn more about DMC’s LabVIEW programming services and contact us for your next project.

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